White House names nominees for SPACECOM, Navy No. 2

US Space Force Lt. Gen. David Miller, Space Operations Command commander. (US Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Todd)

WASHINGTON ― The White House has formally named its choices to lead US Space Command and serve as the second-highest ranking officer in the US Navy as part of an officer package sent to the Senate.

Lt. Gen. David Miller, currently the deputy Space Force chief responsible for requirements and budget planning, has been nominated for a fourth star, according to Tuesday’s notice, and a SPACECOM spokesperson today confirmed that he was nominated to lead the command. If confirmed, he would replace Gen. Stephen Whiting , who is set to retire at the end of the year.

Miller, whose call sign is “Rock,” is known for his no-nonsense, “ tell-it-like-it-is ” style. He had been widely rumored over the past month to be the front runner for the position — after, according to numerous military and industry sources, having been on the shortlist to succeed his former boss Gen. Chance Saltzman as Chief of Space Operations.

Miller’s expertise has long been on the Space Force’s operational side of the fence, rather than in the acquisition corps. Prior to assuming his current assignment as deputy CSO for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, he served as the head of Space Operations Command, which is the Space Force’s component command providing trained forces and expert advice to SPACECOM.

If confirmed, one of Miller’s first tasks will be overseeing the ongoing move of SPACECOM’s headquarters from its current home at Peterson SFB, Colo., to Huntsville, Ala.

During an Aug. 13 press tour of SPACECOM’s temporary facilities at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and the new HQ construction site nearby, command officials said they expect to have 200 personnel (mostly from the intelligence staff) in Alabama by the end of the year. The end goal is to have moved all 1,800 staff to a new, purpose-built facility by 2031.

Further, Miller will be charged with ensuring that current , and new, orbital warfare capabilities are integrated with SPACECOM’s operations and coordinated with the growing counterspace capabilities of the other services, in particular the Army .

Three exercises that proved a new approach to C-UAS

Architecture that linked sensors, C2, RF effects, and lasers into a distributed c-UAS kill chain.

This includes implementing the new “ Space Warfighting Concept ” in the works under Whiting’s leadership, designed to for the first time lay out how the US military intends to conduct war in space.

Likewise, the White House nominated Vice Adm. John “Brad” Skillman to serve as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, serving right under Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle . If confirmed, Skillman would replace Vice Adm. James Kilby , who has served in the role since 2024.

Skillman, who graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1986, is currently serving as the deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources. Previous assignments include serving as the commissioning commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock New Orleans, commander of Amphibious Squadron 4, and commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2.

Skillman’s nomination comes as several Navy nominations are awaiting confirmation from the Senate — including Hung Cao’s nomination for secretary of the Navy.

美国太空军中将、太空作战司令部司令戴维·米勒。（美国太空军一等兵贾斯汀·托德摄）

华盛顿——白宫已正式公布了美国太空司令部司令以及美国海军第二高军衔军官的人选，这是提交给参议院的一系列军官任命方案的一部分。

根据周二发布的公告，现任太空部队副司令（负责需求和预算规划）大卫·米勒中将已被提名为四星上将。太空司令部发言人今天证实，他已被提名为司令。如果获得确认，他将接替将于年底退休的斯蒂芬·惠廷上将。

米勒的呼号是“岩石”，他以直言不讳、不拐弯抹角的作风而闻名。过去一个月来，坊间一直盛传他是该职位的热门人选——此前，据众多军方和行业消息人士透露，他曾是接替其前任上司钱斯·萨尔茨曼将军担任太空作战部长的候选人之一。

米勒的专长长期以来在于太空军的作战方面，而非采购方面。在担任现任战略、计划、项目和需求副首席战略官之前，他曾担任太空作战司令部司令，该司令部是太空军的组成司令部，负责向太空司令部提供训练有素的部队和专家建议。

如果得到确认，米勒的首要任务之一将是监督美国太空司令部总部从目前的科罗拉多州彼得森太空基地迁往阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔的进程。

8月13日，在参观美国太空司令部位于陆军红石兵工厂的临时设施和附近新总部建设工地的新闻发布会上，司令部官员表示，预计到今年年底，将有200名人员（主要来自情报部门）进驻阿拉巴马州。最终目标是到2031年将所有1800名工作人员迁至新建的专用设施。

此外，米勒还将负责确保当前和新的轨道作战能力与太空司令部的行动相整合，并与其他军种（特别是陆军）日益增长的反太空能力相协调。

三个演习证明了反无人机系统（C-UAS）的一种新方法。

将传感器、C2、射频效应和激光连接成分布式 c-UAS 杀伤链的架构。

这其中包括实施在怀廷领导下正在制定的新的“太空作战概念”，该概念旨在首次阐明美国军方打算如何在太空进行战争。

同样，白宫​​提名海军中将约翰·“布拉德”·斯基尔曼担任海军作战副部长，直接向海军作战部长达里尔·考德尔上将汇报。如果获得确认，斯基尔曼将接替自2024年以来一直担任该职务的詹姆斯·基尔比中将。

斯基尔曼于1986年毕业于美国海军学院，目前担任海军作战部负责能力和资源整合的副部长。他之前的职务包括：两栖船坞运输舰“新奥尔良”号的首任舰长、第4两栖中队指挥官以及第2远征打击群指挥官。

斯基尔曼的提名正值海军多项提名等待参议院确认之际，其中包括洪曹被提名为海军部长。