US steps up push to control Greenland… launches Space Force unit under Northern Command

The United States, moving to bolster its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, has established a Space Force component under U.S. Northern Command, which oversees Greenland.

According to the US military news outlet Stars and Stripes on the 4th, the US Space Force on the 30th of last month stood up the Space Force Northern Component Command under Northern Command. It is the seventh service component command created by the US military. The US military assigns service component commands to specific combatant commands to professionally manage each service’s forces.

The new Northern Command Space Force unit is the first space component command tasked with directly defending the US homeland. Northern Command’s area of responsibility includes the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, and Greenland. Its core missions include missile warning and tracking, satellite control, space domain awareness, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Space Force Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman said, “We are on track to build service component commands for all unified combatant commands,” adding, “This will enhance the expertise and force-posture capabilities needed to deter conflict and win wars.” The Northern Space Force is set to support Northern Command’s space-operations capabilities in coordination with US Space Command.

Stars and Stripes noted that the establishment of the Northern Space Force underscores the Pentagon’s emphasis on the strategic importance of the Western Hemisphere. The United States on the 21st of last month also launched a Space Force Southern Component Command under U.S. Southern Command, which is responsible for Latin America.

Reporter Han Myung-hyun wise@hankyung.com