Gen. John Hyten, former vice commander of the Air Force Space Command, has assumed the post of AFSPC commander to succeed Gen. William Shelton, who will retire by the end of this month.
AFSPC said Aug. 21 that Hyten will manage the space and cyberspace capabilities of the U.S. Strategic Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, among other U.S. combatant commands.
He will also oversee the service’s network operations for communications, satellite command and control and missile warning, as well as space acquisitions, system development and launch operations.
Hyten has worked on space acquisition and operations and anti-satellite weapons systems for the U.S. Air Force and held the position of director of space programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.
He previously served as director of the Commander’s Action Group at AFSPC headquarters, mission director at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and 6th Space Operations Squadron commander at Offutt Air Force Base.
He was also space forces director for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of his deployment to Southwest Asia.
Hyten was nominated by President Barack Obama for the top AFSPC role in March.
