List of United States Space Force four-star generals: Difference between revisions

 

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*[[Chief of Space Operations]] (CSO), 2022–present.

*[[Chief of Space Operations]] (CSO), 2022–present.

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| 1991 ([[Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps|AFROTC]]) || 31 || (born 1969)<ref>Served 29 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

| 1991 ([[Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps|AFROTC]]) || 31 || (born 1969)<ref>Served 29 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

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*[[Vice Chief of Space Operations]] (VCSO), 2023–2025.

*[[Vice Chief of Space Operations]] (VCSO), 2023–2025.

*Direct Reporting Program Manager for [[Golden Dome (missile defense system)|Golden Dome for America]] (GDA DRPM), 2025–present.

*Direct Reporting Program Manager for [[Golden Dome (missile defense system)|Golden Dome for America]] (GDA DRPM), 2025–present.

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| 1991 ([[Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps|AFROTC]]) || 31 || (born 1967)<ref>Served 30 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

| 1991 ([[Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps|AFROTC]]) || 31 || (born 1967)<ref>Served 30 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

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*Commander, [[United States Space Command|U.S. Space Command]] (CDRUSSPACECOM), 2024–present.

*Commander, [[United States Space Command|U.S. Space Command]] (CDRUSSPACECOM), 2024–present.

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| 1989 ([[United States Air Force Academy|USAFA]]) || 35 || (born 1967)<ref>Served 31 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

| 1989 ([[United States Air Force Academy|USAFA]]) || 35 || (born 1967)<ref>Served 31 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

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*[[Vice Chief of Space Operations]] (VCSO), 2025–present.

*[[Vice Chief of Space Operations]] (VCSO), 2025–present.

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| 1994 ([[Academy of Military Science (United States)|AMS]]) || 31 || (born 1968)<ref>Served 36 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

| 1994 ([[Academy of Military Science (United States)|AMS]]) || 31 || (born 1968)<ref>Served 36 years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] before being unilaterally transferred to the Space Force.</ref>

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The rank of general (or full general, or four-star general), ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general) and is the highest rank achievable in the United States Space Force.

There have been six four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Space Force. All achieved that rank while on active duty. Generals entered the Space Force via several paths: Three were commissioned via the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), two via the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and one via the Academy of Military Science (AMS).

The following lists of four-star generals are sortable by last name, date of rank. The date listed is that of the officer’s first promotion to general, and may differ from the officer’s entry in the U.S. Space Force register. The year commissioned is taken to be the year the officer was commissioned which may precede the officer’s actual date of commission by up to two years. Each entry lists the general’s name, date of rank, active-duty position held while serving at four-star rank, number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs), year commissioned and source of commission, number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC), and other biographical notes.

No.	Name	Photo	Date of rank	Position(s)	Yrs.	Commission	YC.	Notes
1	raymondJohn W. Raymond		2016-10-2525 Oct 2016	Commander, Air Force Space Command (COMAFSPC), 2016–2017.[1] Commander, Air Force Space Command/Joint Force Space Component Commander (COMAFSPC/JFSCC), 2017–2019.[1] Commander, U.S. Space Command/Commander, Air Force Space Command (CDRUSSPACECOM/COMAFSPC), 2019.[1] Chief of Space Operations/Commander, U.S. Space Command (CSO/CDRUSSPACECOM), 2019–2020. Chief of Space Operations (CSO), 2020–2022.	6	1984 (AFROTC)	32	(born 1962)[2]
2	thompsonDavid D. Thompson		2020-10-011 Oct 2020[3]		3	1985 (USAFA)	35	(born 1963)[2]
3	saltzmanB. Chance Saltzman		2022-11-022 Nov 2022		4	1991 (AFROTC)	31	(born 1969)[4]
4	guetleinMichael A. Guetlein		2023-12-2121 Dec 2023		3	1991 (AFROTC)	31	(born 1967)[5]
5	whitingStephen N. Whiting		2024-01-1010 Jan 2024		2	1989 (USAFA)	35	(born 1967)[6]
6	brattonShawn N. Bratton		2025-08-01 1 Aug 2025		1	1994 (AMS)	31	(born 1968)[7]

The modern rank of general was established by the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, which authorized the President to designate certain positions of importance to carry that rank. Officers appointed to such positions bear temporary four-star rank while so serving, and are allowed to retire at that rank if their performance is judged satisfactory.^[8] The total number of active-duty four-star generals in the Space Force is limited to a fixed percentage of the number of Space Force general officers serving at all ranks.^[9]

Within the Space Force, the chief of space operations (CSO) is a four-star general by statute. Other four-star generals can occupy positions of designated importance; including the vice chief of space operations (VCSO) and the commander of the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM).

The Space Force also competes with the other services for a number of joint four-star positions, such as the chairman (CJCS) and vice chairman (VJCS) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other joint four-star positions have included unified combatant commanders, sub-unified combatant commands, and certain NATO staff positions.

The following list of Congressional legislation includes major acts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of general in the United States Space Force.

Legislation	Citation	Summary
Act of December 20, 2019 [United States Space Force Act]	133 Stat. 1561  133 Stat. 1563	Redesignated Air Force Space Command as U.S. Space Force. Established chief of space operations with grade of general, who could serve concurrently as commander of U.S. Space Command for one year following the enactment of this Act, without further appointment (John W. Raymond).
Act of December 23, 2022 [James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023]	136 Stat. 2557	Capped Space Force officers in the grade of general at 2, exempting generals assigned to joint duty.