Gen. John E. Hyten has taken command of Air Force Space Command, replacing Gen. William L. Shelton to become the command's 16th commander.
Hyten's career has included a tour as director of the Joint Staff and the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Air Force Space Command, according to an Air Force report. He also has served as Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
He commanded the 595th Space Group and the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, Colorado, and just before assuming his current role, was Director of Space Programs in Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.
Space Command is based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. It was created in 1982, and provides military focused space capabilities with a global perspective to the joint warfighting team. It is also the Air Force lead in developing cyberspace capabilities.
