B. Chance Saltzman

Transfer to the Space Force The United States Space Force was established while Saltzman was at AFCENT as deputy commander. By July 2020, after his tour in Southwest Asia, he went back to the Pentagon to serve as acting director of staff of the United States Space Force, a post held by retiring Major General Clinton Crosier. He held this position until he was among the four Air Force major generals selected for promotion to lieutenant general and transfer to the Space Force.

Saltzman transferred into the Space Force and was promoted to lieutenant general during a ceremony on 14 August 2020, making him the first lieutenant general of the Space Force and the first general officer promoted into the new service. During the ceremony, General John W. Raymond remarked: I think it's very appropriate that the first general who comes in is a warfighter. I think that sends a really strong message that this is an armed service, and we are about deterring conflict that could begin or extend into space. We couldn't ask for a better person.|General John W. Raymond

As chief operations officer, Saltzman plays a key role in defining readiness in the Space Force. He also has a role in the establishment of Space Force component commands to unified combatant commands. In November 2021, he announced that the service was establishing Space Force elements in the United States European Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, United States Central Command, and United States Forces Korea.

Chief of Space Operations

On 27 July 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Saltzman for promotion to general and appointment as the second chief of space operations (CSO) of the Space Force. One of four lieutenant generals considered, Saltzman was a dark horse candidate for the job. Saltzman testified before a United States Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on 13 September 2022. In his opening statement, he mentioned three broad fronts he would focus on as CSO: maturing as an independent service, leveraging partnerships, and innovating to accomplish missions. His nomination was confirmed by voice vote of the Senate on 29 September 2022.

As chief, Saltzman has sent out "C-notes" to guardians as a means of communicating with them, an adaptation of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt's "Z-grams". In a series of three C-notes in January 2023, he released three lines of efforts that would guide his term as chief: (1) fielding combat-ready forces, (2) amplifying the guardian spirit, and (3) partnering to win. In February 2023, he unveiled his "Theory of Success", intended to initiate a debate within the service. Two weeks later, he unveiled the concept of Competitive Endurance as a theory of success for the Space Force, which has three core tenets: (1) avoiding operational surprise, (2) denying first-mover advantage, and (3) responsible counterspace campaigning.

In another C-note, Saltzman criticized the existing mission statement of the Space Force, noting that it falls short of explaining the mission of the service. He used the memo to crowd-source ideas for revising the mission statement.

On 1 April 2026, Saltzman said that the Space Force is deeply integrated into the joint operations against Iran, assisting with communications, targeting, and navigation. Saltzman was involved in the Space Force's effort to achieve space superiority over Iran during the conflict, including by supporting its regional component field command, Space Forces Central.

He retired from the Space Force on 13 August 2026.

Personal life Saltzman married Jennifer (Petersen) Saltzman on 12 September 1992. They have two children, John and Sarah. Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit with two bronze oak leaf clusters Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Joint Service Achievement Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Joint Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with one bronze oak leaf cluster Combat Readiness Medal National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Air and Space Campaign Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon Navy Expert Rifleman Medal Navy Pistol Marksmanship Air Force Training Ribbon

Awards Air Force Association's Thomas D. White Space Award (2021)

Dates of promotion Saltzman being presented with the very first three-star flag in the U.S. Space Force during his promotion, 14 August 2020

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