Space Force Shifts Focus from Orbit to Ground with Plan for Nationwide Network of Resilient Ops Centers
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Moving Beyond the ‘Kit and Widgets’
While the U.S. Space Force’s proposed $71 billion budget for fiscal 2027 is dominated by headlines about missile-warning satellites and the expansion of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, a more critical, though less visible, shift is happening on the ground. The service is pivoting away from centralized command structures in favor of a distributed network of ‘resilient operations centers’ designed to survive a high-intensity conflict.
Brig. Gen. Christopher Fernengel, director of plans and programs on the Space Force headquarters staff, highlighted this shift during the State of the Space Industrial Base conference in Albuquerque. According to Fernengel, the industry and public often fixate on the “kit and widgets”—the satellites and sensors—while overlooking the ground architecture required to actually use them. The reality is that orbital hardware is only as effective as the networks controlling it.
The Vulnerability of Centralization
The push for distribution is born out of a grim tactical realization: centralized command centers are high-value targets. In a peer-to-peer conflict, adversaries are unlikely to focus solely on satellites, which are difficult to hit and increasingly numerous. Instead, the more efficient path to neutralizing U.S. space capabilities is to target the ground stations through kinetic missile strikes, sophisticated cyberattacks, or electronic warfare.
Fernengel noted that these vulnerabilities are no longer theoretical. During the conflict with Iran, space operations centers emerged as specific targets. Furthermore, the experience of Operation Epic Fury demonstrated that space capabilities could be targeted and destroyed, proving that the traditional model of relying on a few fixed, massive facilities creates dangerous single points of failure.
A Blueprint for Distributed Command
The blueprint for this new architecture is currently being realized at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, where a 200,000-square-foot Consolidated Space Operations Facility is under development. However, the goal is not to build a few larger hubs, but to scatter capabilities across the continent. The Space Force envisions establishing up to 10 such centers nationwide.
Budget documents for fiscal 2027 allocate approximately $1 billion for the first four centers. Beyond the Colorado site, proposed facilities are slated for Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. These sites will be tasked with space control, sensing, targeting, and data transport, ensuring that if one center is knocked offline, the others can absorb the mission load without a loss in operational continuity.
The Human Infrastructure Shift
This architectural shift is as much about personnel as it is about concrete and servers. The Space Force plans to add roughly 2,800 military personnel and 2,000 civilians in 2027. By placing these operations centers at bases that previously had limited space infrastructure, the service is attempting to solve a systemic workforce problem.
By creating “communities of space operators” across multiple geographic locations, the Space Force can offer Guardians career development opportunities without forcing them to relocate to a handful of hubs. This allows for deeper integration of space capabilities into regional combatant commands, moving space operations from a distant support function to an embedded operational reality.
Electronic Warfare and the Tactical Edge
Parallel to the larger regional centers, the 2027 budget includes a dedicated investment in tactical operations centers specifically for space-based electronic warfare. These smaller, more agile facilities—deployed both domestically and overseas—will manage electromagnetic warfare missions, reflecting a broader strategy to contest the space domain through non-kinetic means.
The transition to a distributed ground network signals a maturing of the Space Force’s strategic thinking. By treating ground infrastructure with the same redundancy and resilience as the proliferated satellite architectures in orbit, the service is attempting to build a system that can not only launch and operate in space but survive the attrition of a modern digital war.
