1. (a) Commander.—

   1. (1) The head of the Air Force Space Command shall be the Commander of the Air Force Space Command, who shall be appointed in accordance with section 601 of this title. The officer serving as Commander, while so serving, has the grade of general without vacating the permanent grade of the officer.
   2. (2) The Commander shall be appointed to serve a term of six years. The Secretary may propose to promote the individual serving as the Commander during that term of appointment.
   3. (3) The incumbent Commander may serve as the first Commander after December 12, 2017.

2. (b) Authorities.— In addition to the authorities and responsibilities assigned to the Commander before December 12, 2017, the Commander has the sole authority with respect to each of the following:

   1. (1) Organizing, training, and equipping personnel and operations of the space forces of the Air Force.
   2. (2) Subject to the direction of the Secretary of the Air Force, serving as the service acquisition executive under section 1704 of this title for defense space acquisitions.
   3. (3) In consultation with the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, procurement of commercial satellite communications services for the Department of Defense for such services entered into after December 11, 2018.

(Added Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XVI, § 1601(a)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1718; amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title X, § 1081(a)(17), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1984.)

Prior Provisions

Another section 2279c was renumbered section 2279d of this title.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 115–232, § 1081(a)(17)(A), substituted “December 12, 2017” for “the date of the enactment of this Act”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–232, § 1081(a)(17)(B)(i), substituted “December 12, 2017” for “the date of the enactment of this section” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 115–232, § 1081(a)(17)(B)(ii), substituted “after December 11, 2018” for “on or after the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this section”.

Construction

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XVI, § 1601(a)(3), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1719, provided that:

“Nothing in subsection (b)(1) of

section 2279c of title 10, United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), may be construed to prohibit or otherwise affect the authority of the Secretary of the Air Force to provide to the space forces of the Air Force the services of the Department of the Air Force relating to basic personnel functions, the United States Air Force Academy, recruitment, and basic training.”