21-07-2025
New Space Force STARCOM commander returns to Patrick Space Force Base after 11-year absence
When U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Smith and his family packed into their Honda Odyssey van in 2014 and drove north on Interstate 95 to the Pentagon, he didn't think he'd ever get stationed on Florida's Space Coast again.
Fast-forward 11 years. Smith has returned — as a Space Force major general. And he'll lead STARCOM as the high-tech field command continues transitioning from Colorado to Patrick Space Force Base, eventually creating a headquarters boasting more than 450 personnel in the next several years.
"Who could have imagined in 2014 that I'd stand here today in a sharp and distinctive uniform; taking command of something we call a field command; within a brand-new military service?" Smith asked.
Smith spoke from the Sharkatorium stage during a change of command ceremony Friday, July 18, at Patrick SFB. Smith moves to STARCOM after serving as Vice Director for Joint Force Development at the Pentagon, where he supported the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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STARCOM is the Space Force's training hub for warfighting in space, including doctrine, tactics and techniques.
The Space Force was created in 2019. STARCOM — an acronym for Space Training and Readiness Command — was activated as the Space Force's third field command in August 2021.
Then in May 2023, military officials announced STARCOM headquarters would move cross-country from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to Patrick SFB.
Next, St. Johns River Water Management District permitting records show two modular buildings measuring 22,898 square feet and 22,737 square feet are slated for STARCOM at Patrick SFB, along with a 133-space parking lot and dry stormwater retention area. Estimated completion date: Oct. 31. More than 100 STARCOM personnel are expected to be stationed on Florida's Space Coast by year's end.
Smith succeeds Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, who has commanded STARCOM since July 2023. Sejba's next assignment: special assistant to the vice chief of space operations at the Pentagon.
Smith previously commanded the 1st Range Operations Squadron at then-Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from August 2012 to May 2014. That's when his four children attended Merritt Island High, Jefferson Middle and Tropical Elementary schools.
"I definitely did not foresee how dramatically or rapidly the very character of warfare would evolve," Smith said, referring to space-based surveillance, electronic warfare and other complexities.
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Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: STARCOM leader to oversee move from Colorado to Patrick Space Force Base
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