The Space Force is looking for a new crop of guardians who can keep up physically with troops in highly specialized units like Navy SEALS and Army Green Berets, while bringing technical space expertise to those missions, the head of its new specialized command told Task & Purpose.
Col. Peter “Charlie” Norsky, commander of the new Space Force Special Operations Command or SPACEFOR-SOC, discussed the vision for the new formation on a call Friday with Task & Purpose and one other media outlet. On Monday, the new command formally activated in a ceremony at its new headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida – which is also the home of U.S. Special Operations Command.
“As we look to assign guardians to this component, especially as we look to assign them to the space special warfare teams for employment attached to other [special operations force] units around the world, we’re looking for those guardians who are expert at their craft – whether that’s operations, intel, cyber – and that they are able to maneuver with their SOF counterparts,” Norsky said. “As the guardians stand shoulder to shoulder with their SOF counterparts, physical fitness is absolutely very important.”
Officials told Congress in 2025 that SOCOM had established a space-focused component but then clarified to Task & Purpose that it had not been fully stood up or manned.
Norsky said a goal of the new command is “normalizing” the Space Force, adding that the new unit will integrate “guardian power at scale” into existing special operations units.
“Space Force-SOC is about ensuring that special operations forces have space expertise integrated early during planning, preparation and execution, rather than integrating space after the fact,” he said. “The Space Force has supported special operations for years, but this activation gives us a permanent, dedicated structure to organize, train, equip and present guardians and tailored space capabilities to the special operations enterprise, along with SOCOM’s other service components.”
