 Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Our ceremony will begin shortly. Please take this time to silence and set all mobile devices to airplane mode. You will be asked to stand, if able, at the appropriate time throughout the ceremony. Please render appropriate customs and courtesies during the singing of the national anthems of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America. Military members in uniform should render a salute during both national anthems. It is customary for American civilians to place their hand over their heart during the singing of the United States national anthem. As a reminder, this ceremony is considered an outdoor event. Military members, please wear your cover. Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Our ceremony will begin shortly. Kuchintag and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Commander, United States European Command, General Christopher Cavoli, represented by the Deputy Commander, Lieutenant General Stephen Basham, and the Commander, United States Africa Command, General Michael Langley, welcome to the activation and assumption of command of United States Space Forces Europe and Africa, where Colonel Max Lance will assume command. I am Major Vernon Greer, and I will guide you through today's events. We want to thank you for joining us in person on this historic occasion, and we bid welcome to those attending virtually from locations around the world. We're fortunate to have a number of distinguished and special guests here with us today. Please hold your applause until all have been recognized. Mrs. Jennifer Saltzman, spouse of General Chance Saltzman. Mrs. Angie Basham, spouse of General Stephen Basham. Mrs. Leslie Lance, spouse of Colonel Max Lance. Senior Master Sergeant Sarah Demerist, spouse of Senior Master Sergeant Travis Demerist. Mayor of Ramstein-Miesenbach, Mayor Rolf Hechler, representing the host community of Ramstein Air Base. Deputy Mayor Anya Pfeiffer and Deputy County Commissioner Walter Alter representing the Kaiser-Slautern military community. State Secretary Nicole Steingoss and Mr. Daniel Schefner representing the institutions of the state of Rhineland-Falz. Parliamentary State Secretary Thomas Hitchler and Dr. Joe Weingotten representing the German federal level. Deputy Commander Allied Air Command. Deputy Commander Combined Space Forces Component Command. Air Marshal Johnny Stringer. Commander Deutschland Space Command. Major General Michael Trout. Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans, Allied Command Operations. Major General David Ray. Commander United Kingdom Space Command. Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey. United States General Consul Norman Thatcher Sharpe. Commander United States Air Forces in Europe Air Forces Africa and Allied Air Command General James Hecker and his wife Mrs. Terry Hecker. Command Chief United States Air Forces in Europe Air Forces Africa. Chief Master Sergeant Randy Kwiatkowski and his wife Mrs. Stacy Kwiatkowski. Command Senior Enlisted Leader United States Africa Command. Sergeant Major Michael Woods and his wife Mrs. Jennifer Woods. Deputy Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force Lieutenant General Deanna Burt. Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force Chief Master Sergeant Tina Timmerman. Finally, we would also like to welcome all other host nation and NATO partners, flag and general officers, commanders, senior enlisted leaders, family and friends here with us today. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party. Ladies and gentlemen, today's honors will be given to General Salzman. Please remain standing for the presentation of the colors and the playing of the national anthems of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America. And right and right, Father, then let us all strive. Bread and right and freedom are the happiness and the joy. Oh, say can you see what so proudly last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars. Thank you, technical sergeant Doolittle, for the wonderful renditions of the national anthems and to the United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa Band, led by musician third class Durbin. Thank you also to the United States Space Force Honor Guard for presenting the colors. Chaplain Grosskopf will now give the invocation. Today marks a significant and special occasion. And so as you are willing, please join me in a moment of prayer and meditation. In this moment, we pause to ask blessing from the one who is truly and totally above all things. From the almighty above, we ask for the strength, protection, and wisdom for all guardians who serve our nation through the Space Force, that in their service, they may have the character to act with integrity, live the connections of their brothers and sisters in arms, have the commitment to overcome all the challenges with which will come their way and the courage to act when it is needed. As Space Forces Europe and Africa activates today and their history has begun to be written, we ask for the almighty's hand to guide this organization that the guardians leading and serving in it may direct all those under their care to endure Semper Supra. Amen. Thank you, Chaplain Grosskopf. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Welcome to Ramstein Air Base, Headquarters NATO Air Command and United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, here in Rhineland-Faltz, the land of innovation. It is my distinct honor to introduce our guest speaker, the Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force, General Chance Saltzman. Commander troops, please put the formation at ease. Well, good morning, everyone. What a historic day. And I should also add, what a great German winter day. I mean, who needs the sun? Who needs to be dry? This is the kind. This is what you expect when you come to Germany in December and it's a fabulous day. Today marks a significant milestone for both United States European Command and United States Africa Command. The last component in Europe activated 78 years ago and it's been 15 years since the last component was stood up for US-African. Today, we reset those counters as we stand up United States Space Forces Europe and Africa to support both of these important combatant commands. Thank you, General Langley and Lieutenant General Basham for hosting us today for the stand-up of this new component. And to you as well, General Hecker, your support, especially in this time of conflict and the AOR, has been instrumental to getting us to this day. The relationship with the Air Force is special with the Space Force and I look forward to our continued partnership and I know how it will enhance the lethality of AFRICOM and UCOM forces as the nation navigates the challenges of global security and competition. I would be remissed if I also didn't think the space Illuminati that has graced us here. I'll just call out a couple of those, AVM Godfrey, Godders from Great Britain and Major General Michael Trout, I saw him earlier. So thank you, Michael. We just spent three great days in Berlin talking about the critical nature of space to this theater and others and it's so refreshing to work with like-minded nations, allies, partners with this important endeavor. So thank you all for being here. In fact, no matter the service, the combatant command, or the domain, I think we all understand that we are stronger with our allies and your presence gives us a lot of honor. Thank you. Finally, to Colonel Lance, Leslie, as well as the rest of Lance's family in attendance here or around the world. Thank you for answering my call. Thank you for your continued service to the Space Force and thank you for your service to these two combatant commands and our nation. As I mentioned earlier, this is an important date in the history of the Space Force as we mature our organization and our partnerships to take on the challenges and responsibilities of the space domain. The activation of Space Force's URAF is a critical step in this process. It is the fourth space component to activate as the Space Force establishes a series of components to directly support combatant commands with capabilities and effects. Today, we will integrate our Space Forces at the operational, the component level, something that will provide a cadre of space experts who can work with the Joint Force, our allies, our partners to integrate space activities into our shared operations, activities, and investments. From this day forward, Space Force URAF will enhance the security of our nation, our allies from Iceland to South Africa. Its area of focus covers 51 European countries and territories and 54 African nations. And we are not just giving UCOM and AFRICOM a space component, but literally one of the best guardian teams in the service. A truth demonstrated by the fact that this team was awarded the very first Space Force Polaris Team Award, the award for the top team in the service that embodies our guardian values of character, commitment, connection, and courage. That level of expertise will be invaluable to the combatant commands because space has become more and more central to joint operations. We are better connected, more informed, more precise, and more lethal thanks to space. The Joint Forces missions increasingly rely on space, and the Space Force is committed to ensuring that the force has the space resources it needs to succeed. That is particularly important here in the European and African theaters of operation. The Space Force is already very actively involved in supporting efforts in the region with our support to Ukraine being most visible in this effort. But our support to the region goes far beyond that. For example, the team here in theater debuted the first-ever execution of Orbital Warfare in UCOM's premier Tier 1 exercise, Neptune Eagle. The lessons learned are serving as a blueprint for all future Neptune events across three combatant commands. And this guardian team has also trained over a thousand personnel from the Joint Force and 25 European and African nations covering topics from foundational space concepts to advanced asset integration. This targeted development, education, and outreach generates substantial learning that is both informing future space component organizational constructs and educating our allies and partners on what space brings to the fight. So as you can see, space has long been part of UCOM and AFRICOM, and I'm thrilled that as of today, our guardians are officially joining the team as a distinct service component. We may be a small group compared to the numbers of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines at UCOM and AFRICOM, but we are lean by design and I can assure you that this team punches well above its weight class. We have proven time and again that the effects of space and of our individual guardians go far beyond our numbers. And no one exemplifies this better than Colonel Max Lance, Gonzo. We wouldn't be here today without your hard work. About a year and a half ago, I called Max and I told him I needed him for a key job and he said yes, and then he asked me what the job was. I'll be forever grateful for his commitment, his dedication to the space force. And up to today, Colonel Lance has served as the director of space forces for headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and AFRICOM, where he has led our space integration efforts in support of these two critical combatant commands. But I gave him one small additional duty. Along the way, he had to lead the planning effort to establish this service component, and here we are. There is no better officer to serve as the first component commander. He has seemingly done it all. He has commanded at squadron, group, and he even served as the commandant of one of our academic institutions in the space force, leading a multi-service military and contract faculty teaching space professional continuing education to 5,000 joint and international students per year. When it comes to war fighting and supporting to the joint force, he deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch in 1993 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, where he served as the space and information warfare planner in the Combined Air and Operations Center Strategy Division. My history with Max goes back two decades in you safety exercises, austere challenge, where he literally taught me about AOC operations and space integration. So as we formally established U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa, my charge to the guardians is this be bold, be collaborative, be creative, solve problems, find answers. The missions of both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command are critical and they need your best. And to the new commander, Max, on behalf of Jennifer and I, thank you and to the Lance family for your continued service. We wouldn't be here today without your commitment to success of the space force, and finally, thank you to all the guardians, airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines throughout European Command and Africa Command, who have been working so hard to meet the challenges in both AORs and who will be continuing to work hard to ensure the success of U.S. Space Forces URAF. I look forward to working with you all and as we like to say in the space force, Semper Supra. Thank you. Thank you, General Salzman. It is now my privilege to introduce the commander, United States Africa Command, General Michael Langley. Good morning, everyone. I'm proud to be here today because this is salty. This is the time of year, the holidays that signifies the spirit of giving. You're giving in AFRICOM and UCOM. We are receiving. We're receiving the guardians. The guardians. So, I just say thank you. So good morning, Ambassador Gutman, General Salzman, General Basham, distinguished guests, colleagues and friends. What an absolutely historic day. The guardians are joining the force across Europe and AFRICOM. It's great to be here with all of you at this event as we activate Space Force, component of UCOM and AFRICOM under the command of Colonel Max Lance. I know this unit will be the best. It's already in the best of his hands. So, Max, as a fellow Texan, congratulations to you and your wife, Leslie, and welcome aboard. And to all your fellow guardians today, welcome aboard. Welcome to the AFRICOM family. Now, on the continent of Africa, it spans 11.2 million square miles. Now, I know that the U.S. Space Force, you're at. You'll be on the watch. The importance of space operations, commerce with our daily lives can't be overstated. I'll just say that again. Space operations are in our daily lives, our operations, our activities, and our investments. Communications, navigations, weather forecasting, it all depends on what you do. All the space-based assets, ensuring the Joint Force has the right information at the right time will work with all of other components to ensure that space planning and support is embedding all of our operations. Similarly, new guardians will aid our allies and partners to integrate ongoing future efforts of shared operations, activities, and investments across the whole continent of Africa. Space for your significantly increases the capability and capacity of the Joint Force are promoting stability and security to all our partners. We know that no nation can confront today's challenges alone as we develop our own space capabilities. African nations continue to ask for this exquisite capability. Today, 22 African nations have space programs and that 50 African satellites are already in orbit. That's because of your help. Even before you arrived on their shores. Tunisia and Djibouti are the latest additions. These capabilities allow our African partners to monitor and address strategic implications of climate change, navigation, confront the scourge of illegal fishing and combat the activities of our violent extremist organizations on the continent. They provide a critical data that improves governance, increases stability, and reduces suffering across the continent. So in closing, I'll just say this. Space collaboration is well nested within Africa. Africa in our 3D construct was development, defense, and diplomacy. It facilitates the approach of the African-led US-enabled operations and they are the solution to the shared challenges of our African partners. So General Salsman, I want to say thank you for your commitment to supporting Africa and bringing forward Space Force resources to aid in a more stable and secure Africa. I know that the high ground is in the best hands of the guardians that work alongside our allies and partners to guarantee the celestial commons remain free and accessible to all. Let me tell you one thing. I know this weekend signifies across DOD Army Navy. Air Force will be watching too. But let me tell you guardian something the Marine Corps doesn't have a football team and you don't have a football team because America wants you on the watch. So you win every weekend. So we'll still be cheering for Army or Navy over the weekends but we know that we are on the watch. So guardians, you're along with the Marines on the watch watching over America in all our national assets. Thank you General Legley. United States Space Forces Europe and Africa is privileged to serve two combatant commands. It is my honor to introduce the deputy commander United States European Command Lieutenant General Stephen Basham. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow general officers, senior enlisted leaders, distinguished guests from Rhineland Falls Mayor, very good to see you again my friend. Allies, partners on behalf of General Chris Cavoli UCOM Commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe allow me to add my appreciation to all for joining us here on this historic day. General Saltzman Jennifer thank you for your tireless devotion to United States Space Forces. General Legley thank you for your leadership at Africa come as we continue to work together in this vital space domain and finally congratulations to Colonel Max Gonzo Lantz and to you Leslie on this momentous occasion. As we reflect on our rich history of space endeavors we see a long evolution bringing us to this significant milestone from the early days of space exploration to today's cutting edge capabilities. We stand at the forefront of a new era in space security Space knows no boundaries and our cooperation with our European allies and partners is essential. Our enduring transletic network is the cornerstone of our collective security and today's activation reinforces our commitment to that network it is a testament to the strength of our alliance that we stand together united in our dedication to safeguarding and benefiting from the space domain space has rapidly become a pivotal domain for our national security interest it underpins not only our military operations but also our daily lives our commitment to this domain is a reflection of the growing significance of space in a rapidly changing world as we look to the stars we recognize the need and importance for collaboration and cooperation in space as articulated in our national defense strategy cooperation with like minded nations provides us enduring strength and asymmetric advantage only by working together will we be able to bolster space situational awareness protect critical space assets and ensure peaceful and secure use of space both regionally and globally the establishment of the US space forces Europe and Africa will serve to expedite the progress we are making in this direction for example funding was approved this year to support establishment of the space operation center in Poland marking a significant step toward increasing space interoperability with the Polish armed forces other milestones include enhancing our various partnerships and satellite communication to demonstrate the power of collaboration and strengthening our space capabilities the deployment of defensive space systems throughout the theater showcases our commitment to increasing collective awareness and protecting our combined assets while maintaining the principles of freedom democracy and the rule of law finally right here at Ramstein air base we find a symbol of the enduring and robust US-German partnership this partnership plays a key role in fortifying our strong and strategic relationships through the activation of this new command we are proud of the partnerships we hold in this domain and the new ones that will blossom from this activation clearly no nation can confront today's challenges alone over the last two years the German, French, and British armed forces have taken steps in this arena by establishing separate commands dedicated to space in doing so they join a growing group of nations around the world that value the importance of prioritizing resources and operations across the universe together alongside our allies and partners our mission is clear we will protect our interests, safeguard our assets and promote stability in space across the region today's activation is a significant step forward in our commitment to space security and a shared vision that enables uninterrupted services from space on behalf of the populations we all serve I'd like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who made today's activation possible our achievements with allies and partners demonstrate our power of collaboration and together we will meet the challenges ahead to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all thank you and welcome again to our newest component US Space Forces Europe and Africa thank you General Basham the organizational change you are about to witness is the activation of United States Space Forces Europe and Africa as Senior Master Sergeant Demerist removes the flag from its casing may I draw your attention to the image in your program and the shield on stage while I describe the flags features the silver-gray outer border is in the shape of a delta a shape also formed by today's human formation the delta signifies defense and protection from all adversaries and threats emanating from the space domain the background is Victory Blue honoring the heritage of the US Army Air Corps on the background is the outline of the European and African continents showcasing the Space Forces Europe and Africa areas of responsibility the Polaris Star is positioned at the delta's apex reflecting the Space Force mantra Semper Supra which means always above the star's four points mark the United States Space Force core values of character connection, commitment and courage the cluster of small stars below represent the 12 organizational members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization while the larger stars in the cluster symbolize each of the three organizations that will be supported by United States Space Forces Europe and Africa United States European Command United States Africa Command and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization below is a five point star that is drawn from the hap Arnold Heritage of the United States Air Force each point is defined by a delta that represents each of the other United States military services Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the flag of United States Space Forces Europe and Africa Ladies and gentlemen please stand at the center of the Secretary of Defense United States Space Forces Europe and Africa is hereby activated effective 8 December 2023 Ladies and gentlemen please be seated we will now commence with the United States Space Forces Europe and Africa Assumption of Command General Basham, General Langley and Colonel Lance please come forward the Assumption of Command Ceremony has been a part of military history dating back to the 18th century during that time organizational flags were created with color arrangements and symbols unique to a particular unit to this flag the soldiers would dedicate their loyalty and trust when an Assumption of Command was to take place the flag was passed to the incoming commander to indicate a change in leadership this gesture was accomplished in front of the unit so all could witness their new commander assuming this position this symbolic tradition has survived throughout generations of military history and today it will serve as the key element of this military ceremony at this time General Basham and General Langley will officiate the Assumption of Command General Basham will pass the Space Forces Europe and Africa flag to Colonel Lance symbolizing the transfer of responsibility for United States European Command followed by General Langley passing the flag symbolizing the transfer of responsibility for United States Africa command today Colonel Lance has been entrusted to Assume Command of the United States Space Forces Europe and Africa ladies and gentlemen please stand thank you General Basham and General Langley ladies and gentlemen please be seated in keeping with tradition the flag remains entrusted to the command's senior enlisted leader symbolically expressing the special trust and responsibility afforded to the command's enlisted members at this time Colonel Lance will receive his first salute from the guardians of Space Forces Europe and Africa it is now my privilege to present the first commander United States Space Forces Europe and Africa Colonel Max Lance Commander troops please put the formation at ease Guten Morgen, Serviette Gäste und Herzlich Willkommen it is great to be back in Germany this is my third time living in Germany once when my father was stationed at Spangdallem in the early 80's and again as a captain in the early 2000's here at Rammstein Deutschland des Wunderbar let me start with recognizing the leadership and vision displayed by General Salzman General Langley General Cavoli and General Basham it is not insignificant to add a service component to two combatant commands these generals understand the role space plays in modern warfare but more importantly have a vision of the critical role it can and will play in the future thank you for trusting us with such a special mission to the many senior leaders General Hecker, local dignitaries team Rammstein partners friends and family members thank you for being here thank you for the support you've given to you ahead of time for the support we'll be seeking from you in the future we're honored that you have taken the time to be a part of today's activation ceremony I especially would like to thank the many representatives of our allies and partners that are present thank you for being such good teammates let me also thank the team that put this ceremony together in addition to every member of the component staff I want to highlight that guardians from local units have attended today's event and are part of the formation I especially want to recognize the guardian that led the entire effort Senior Mass Sergeant Rob Lefty Yarns great job to everyone thank you Chaplain Grosskopf, thank you for the prayer and especially for incorporating the space forces core values into your sentiments senior I'd also like to thank our vocalist US Naval Forces Europe in Africa Quintet Band thank you for sharing your talents with us today and making this ceremony special finally thank you to the very recently created United States Space Force Honor Guard each member of today's honor guard was originally a member of the Air Force Guard before recently transferring their enlistment to the space force welcome guardians looking sharp great having you on the team absolutely it would be logical to think the beginnings of this component activation started four years ago when the space force was created personally I draw an arc that starts almost 20 years ago when then Captain Lance Captain Shuler and Captain Salzman who was an instructor at the Weapons School at the time and other guardians participated in an austere challenge exercise here at Ramstein thanks for the taxi sir our task for that exercise was to integrate space effects into the air campaign we concluded that exercise having failed miserably being extremely frustrated we did not have the structure the systems the policy the authorities the doctor and the personnel the education you name it we didn't have it to ensure that space was a worthwhile contributing member of the joint fight essentially the only thing we left that exercise was with desire a desire burned in from our time at weapons school that space needed to be properly integrated into theater operations for us to be successful in deterring a future war while we had no idea where our efforts that began in that exercise would lead over the years we realized the best solution would be presenting space forces to theater commanders as close as possible to how the other services present forces what we have termed normalizing the presentation of space forces this also required us to broaden the understanding that not all space forces should be considered global that there was in fact a case to develop regional space capabilities that would support theater forces fast forward too many years the establishment of the united states space force a few promotions more for some than others and we finally find ourselves in the most amazing situation the opportunity to finally normalize how space forces are presented to the theaters sound structural changes that turn the pickup game we've been trying to attempt to play over the last couple of decades into a professional team organized trained and presented for success no doubt the component we're standing up today will never be a small under ranked or less resource than at this very moment starting tomorrow we will gain in strength understanding and resources in order to add value to u-comm and to african every day we will get better and the theater voice for space will only grow we are activating the component because presence matters for the first time in this theater space will have a seat at the table presence will allow guardians to hear commander assessments first hand to hear what is not spoken to feel the priority of what needs to be done and to sense where risk is being taken presence is also critical in building relationships with allies and partners more than any other domain security in the space domain requires like minded nations working together side by side I have no doubt that this will be the most rewarding aspect of this position working with the best of the best from other nations so many whom made the extraordinary effort to be here in the audience with us today finally if I can ask for your indulgence I would like to end my comments today on a personal note I'm guessing some of you experienced some anxiety this morning as I jumped right into my comments eager to talk about space thinking that I somehow forgot to mention my wife on this moment this occasion not so fast I prefer to end on a high note and for me there's no higher note than my relationship with Leslie the beautiful amazing woman sitting in the front row rock star seating today Leslie is the source of my strength my joy a gifted teacher and the loving mother of our son what has become painfully obvious to me is that I'm completely unworthy of the support she unselfishly provides she has served our nation alongside me always willing to sign up for whatever was next not knowing what was around the corner I could not have been more blessed to find such a partner in life Leslie let me tell you that I love you okay to the guardians airmen civilians contractors that comprise united states space forces europe and space forces africa space for your af happy birthday now let's get to work thank you thank you colonel lance and congratulations ladies and gentlemen this concludes today's historic activation and assumption of command ceremony please stand for the departure of the official party and remain standing for the playing of the united states space force song on behalf of general basham and general Langley thank you to those attending both in person and joining us online we invite you to join us for a small reception in the back of the hanger to congratulate colonel lance and his family on his new command have a great day and I'll be back soon