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Space Training and Readiness Command graduated the first class of its new Space Component Staff Course on May 22, 2026, a program designed to prepare Guardians for assignments supporting combatant commands and joint operations across the force.
Developed by Space Delta 11’s 55th Training Squadron, the four-week course at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, provides a foundation in joint planning and command and control. Prior to the course’s creation, command and control training was spread across multiple venues without a standardized approach.
“As the Space Force continues to field service components, they must be combat-ready and able to effectively integrate and synchronize space capabilities across combatant commands,” said Lt. Col. Mark Scott, 55th TRS commander. “Prior to the Space Component Staff Course, the Space Force lacked a holistic, institutional training program preparing Guardians for these roles.”
Course development began in June 2025 following the re-alignment of the 55th TRS under STARCOM, with instructors building curriculum, practical exercises and evaluation methods.
“Guardians will be more prepared to integrate into the joint force,” Scott said. “All the services speak different languages, so this should baseline them to integrate more quickly.”
Students from across Space Force career fields—including intelligence, space operations, cyber, acquisitions and engineering—attend the course. “It is important to level set all career fields before presenting them to a space component because no two backgrounds are identical,” said Capt. Meagan Zering, 55th TRS Space Component Staff Course director. “Blending that baseline knowledge with their individual experience and training them all together adds value to a component commander’s staff.”
As the service continues to mature, officials say efforts like this are critical to building a force that can operate seamlessly with partners across the U.S. military. STARCOM plans six course iterations in 2026, training about 170 Guardians, with expansion expected as operational demand grows.
