Army Lt. Gen. James Dickinson has been nominated to become the deputy commander of the newly created U.S. Space Command, Defense News reported Tuesday.
Dickinson, currently the commander of the Space and Missile Defense Command since 2017, will serve under Air Force Gen. John Raymond, who in June easily handled his Senate confirmation hearing and was confirmed in July.
In his current role, Dickinson has directed the creation and implementation of the Army’s Air & Missile Defense Strategy, which was released in March. He has also held senior roles at U.S. Strategic Command, the Missile Defense Agency and on the Army staff, according to the report.
The new Space Command is part of the Trump administration’s broader move to increase the military’s focus on space through a new, separate Space Force as a sixth military branch, as On Base has previously reported.
The House and Senate’s approved versions of the fiscal 2020 NDAA that is expected to be finalized next month include provisions creating a new military branch for space. However, there are differences between the two versions that will need to be reconciled prior to congressional approval.
The Pentagon’s 2020 budget request sought $83.8 million for a U.S. Space Command. The request includes funding for about 643 military and civilian personnel who will transfer from the U.S. Strategic Command to establish the new space command.
AUSA photo by Luc Dunn