The Space Force has been transferred control of the Army’s satellite ground stations. But the 1st Space Brigade will stay in the Army’s domain. Which leads us to question, what is the Army’s 1st Space Brigade? The Army’s 1st Space Brigade assists with mission success by using a lot of interesting operations. So, now it’s time to meet the 1st Space Brigade – the out-of-this-world team who completes space operations that assist with missions across all domains and warfighting functions.

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What Is the 1st Space Brigade?

The U.S. Army’s 1st Space Brigade is located in Colorado Springs at Fort Carson. It was created in 2005 when space operations became an integral part of missions and satellite operations. The Army’s only Space Brigade is the 1st Space Brigade. According to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command website, the 1st Space Brigade’s primary mission is to “provide trained and ready space forces to conduct continuous global space force enhancement, space support, space control and special missions in support of combatant commanders, U.S. government agencies and international partners.” So far, they’ve been doing an exceedingly good job in completing this mission. To help cover the wide range of operations they’re charged with, the battalion has four missile warning companies and two space control companies. They are heavily dispersed across the world and include several different organizations.

Army Space Brigade Operations

This brigade completes operations and missions for all domains. They’re spread out across multiple different locations in 10 different countries and have several subordinate battalions under them:

1st Space Battalion

• Active in 1999

2nd Space Battalion

• Active in 2017

Associated Units

• 117th Space Battalion

The Army Space Brigade is also in charge of five Missile Defense Batteries. These are stationed across the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. European Command, and the U.S. Central Command in Japan, Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. There are 160 Soldiers deployed in the Central Command, 140 in the Indo-Pacific Command, and 150 Soldiers in the European Command. The five Missile Defense Batteries detect and track ballistic missiles for defense systems. They help with defense mechanisms against possible ballistic missile threats. The Space Brigade uses four-person space control planning teams to run their operations. These teams focus on creating efficient and effective communications and warfighting moves. The brigade also has a patch for their troops. The U.S. Army Space Brigade patch is available to be worn by Soldiers who are in the brigade. The shoulder insignias are most commonly worn on the upper portion of the left shoulder, though they can also be worn in other places, including the combat helmet. The Space Force is taking responsibility for satellite communications, but the Army will maintain control over the 1st Space Brigade. And the operations that take place at the brigade in Fort Carson are truly out of this world.

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Image: U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command