Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess Nominated to Succeed Space Force CSO Saltzman

President Trump is nominating Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess to be the next U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations as Gen. B. Chance Saltzman’s four-year term comes to an end. Established in 2019 during President Trump’s first term, the Space Force is the youngest military service and Schiess will be only the third person to serve in that position if confirmed by the Senate.

Schiess is currently the Space Force’s Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, developing and implementing policy for global operations, sustainment, training and readiness.

Prior to establishment of the Space Force, most of the nation’s military space activities were part of the U.S. Air Force. Schiess’s career was in the Air Force until he transferred to the Space Force in 2022. That was exactly 30 years after he entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics and four master’s degrees.

Among his many assignments so far, he was Commander of the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, CO; Commander of the 45th Space Wing and Director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base, FL; Deputy Commanding General for Operations of the newly established Space Operations Command (SpOC) at Peterson; Commander of the Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg and Vice Commander of SpOC; and commander of U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) at U.S. Space Command.

The U.S. Space Force, along with the U.S. Air Force, comprise the Department of the Air Force. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said Schiess “brings the operational mindset and leadership” needed to continue the momentum from Gen. Saltzman’s tenure.

Gen. Saltzman also praised the selection: “Doug is the right leader at the right time. He understands the mission, he understands the stakes, and he will continue to push the Space Force to deliver the capabilities the Joint Force and the American people rely on.”

The Space Force announced the nomination today.  The Senate Armed Services Committee will have to consider and approve the nomination before it can go to the full Senate for confirmation. Saltzman was confirmed on September 29, 2022, succeeding Gen. Jay Raymond, the first Chief of Space Operations. Whether the Senate can complete Schiess’s confirmation process by this September 29 when Saltzman’s four-year term expires is anyone’s guess.

If confirmed, Schiess will be taking over when the Space Force’s budget is poised to get a dramatic boost. The FY2027 request is for $59 billion through regular appropriations, plus another $12 billion from a second reconciliation bill. That would bring the Space Force’s FY2027 funding to $71 billion, more than double what it had in FY2025.