General John W. Raymond has replaced General John E. Hyten as the commander of the US Air Force Space Command during a ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, that occurred on October 25—Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the change of command ceremony.

“General Hyten is nothing short of a pioneer, much like Hap Arnold, Chuck Horner, and Bernie Schriever—leaders with extraterrestrial vision,” Goldfein said. “When it was time to pick the next Air Force Space Command commander, General Raymond was the obvious choice. Remember while command can often be lonely, you don’t take this task on alone. We all have a stake in your success and we’ll be with you every step of the journey. Few of us are afforded the opportunity to lead and inspire…there’s never been a more important time to lead well than now.”

Goldfein spoke of Hyten’s progressive vision for the domains of space and cyberspace, calling his experience vital as he takes the helm of the nation’s strategic capabilities at the US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Raymond stressed his appreciation for Hyten’s vision and promised his unwavering commitment to continue to push the boundaries in space and cyberspace and advance the operational skill sets of AFSPC Airmen.

From left, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein passes the guidon of Air Force Space Command to Gen. John Raymond at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, Oct. 25, 2016. Raymond was previously the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters Air Force.

US Air Force photo/Craig Denton.

“To the members of the Colorado Springs community, it is absolutely wonderful to be back,” Raymond said. “This is the fourth time we’ve had the privilege to work at Peterson Air Force Base, and I couldn’t be happier. To the men and women of Air Force Space Command, I could not be prouder to be back on your team. There’s no other organization that does what you do, and you do it so well.”

The vast majority of Raymond’s career has focused on integrating space into the joint environment, and bringing space and cyberspace to the forefront of joint operations. Raymond graduated in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in administrative management from Clemson University where he was commissioned through the ROTC program. He also earned a master’s degree in the same subject from Central Michigan University.

Since 2007, the general has commanded the 30th Operations Group at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB, the 14th Air Force and led the Joint Functional Component Command for space for USSTRATCOM.

Raymond revisits his space background as the Air Force Space command commander after serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at Headquarters US Air Force, Washington, D.C. His responsibilities included crafting operational policy, including air, space and cyberspace, for the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff.

Story by AFSPC Public Affairs, Air Force Space Command Public Affairs