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According to the website of US Defense News, General James Dickinson, Commander of the US Space Command, recently said in a declaration that the US Space Command now has full operational capability (FOC) after years of development. This declaration is tantamount to acknowledging that the US Space Command currently meets the standards for executing various tasks and can provide a range of space combat capabilities to combatant commanders.

The US Space Command was officially established in August 2019, and the US Space Force became the sixth service branch, following the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. In August 2021, the US Space Command announced the attainment of initial operational capability (IOC), and after two years, it declared FOC.

According to military observer Shao Yongling, this means the US Space Force has progressed from being only deployable to being capable of high-intensity deployments. The previously claimed IOC meant having the capability to exert strategic influence and provide sustained effective support for joint forces. Now, FOC means that the US Space Command and Space Force meet the standards for executing various tasks and can provide a series of space combat capabilities. For example, while they are involved in global campaigns, exercises, and crisis response, they can execute unified command plans, mobilize an appropriate number of personnel with the required skills, support cross-mission and operational functions with necessary infrastructure, and leverage necessary command processes and functions to set conditions and requirements for future combats.

Shao analyzed that the unilateral announcement of FOC by the US Space Command without a comprehensive operational assessment seems questionable. Whether a country's space force possesses FOC requires a thorough evaluation. Space warfare is an emerging field, and many countries are developing their space capabilities. The US military's unilateral declaration of having FOC appears hasty.

Shao further pointed out that the actions of the US have turned the once calm space environment into an arena of military competition, elevating human warfare from the ground to the space domain. The substantial investment by the US military in space warfare capabilities is primarily aimed at gaining an advantage and ensuring a lead in space domain. These actions are likely to pose a serious threat to the space development plans of other countries, dragging them into a space arms race. With the development of the US Space Force, many countries are following suit. Japan, France, the UK, Germany, and even Spain have established or expanded their space forces and some countries even established the space command. If this trend continues, it is likely that space will become the next battleground.

Editor's note: Originally published on military.cnr.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.