{"id":6898,"date":"2026-03-09T11:50:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T11:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/the-us-says-it-destroyed-irans-space-command-experts-say-it-wasnt-much-of-a-threat\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:50:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T11:50:40","slug":"the-us-says-it-destroyed-irans-space-command-experts-say-it-wasnt-much-of-a-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/the-us-says-it-destroyed-irans-space-command-experts-say-it-wasnt-much-of-a-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"The US says it destroyed Iran\u2019s space command. Experts say it wasn\u2019t much of a threat."},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. forces destroyed Iran\u2019s military space command, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, announced Thursday, saying the move degraded the regime\u2019s ability to coordinate retaliatory strikes. But experts told Defense One<\/em> that the country\u2019s nascent space capabilities never posed a significant threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve also struck Iran’s equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,\u201d Cooper said during a press conference.<\/p>\n

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the existence of its own space command in April 2020 during the launch of its first reconnaissance satellite. Iran has launched a total of 26 satellites since 2005, and 13 of them are still operational, according to the American Enterprise Institute\u2019s space data navigator tool. Three of those are registered to the IRGC.<\/p>\n

U.S. Space Command played a crucial role in the early hours of President Donald Trump\u2019s war on Iran, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine describing the military\u2019s cyber and space forces as the \u201cfirst movers\u201d that used waves of non-physical effects, like electronic warfare, to disrupt Iran’s \u201cability to see, communicate and respond.\u201d But Iran\u2019s space capabilities, by comparison, present little threat to the U.S. military, experts said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn’t compare it to our space command, since Iran had virtually no space assets of its own to speak of,\u201d said Todd Harrison, a defense expert who created AEI\u2019s space data navigator tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A CENTCOM spokesperson did not respond to Defense One\u2019s <\/em>questions asking what threat Iran\u2019s space command posed to the American public and how it was eliminated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s small number of satellites have limited capabilities, and it\u2019s unlikely that the nation has advanced capabilities to destroy satellites. It also hasn\u2019t demonstrated an ability to build homing kinetic kill vehicles, according to the non-profit Secure World Foundation\u2019s 2025 global counterspace capabilities report.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnologically, it is unlikely Iran has the capacity to build on-orbit or direct-ascent anti-satellite capabilities, and little military motivation for doing so at this point,\u201d the 2025 report said. \u201cIran has demonstrated an [electronic warfare] capability to persistently interfere with the broadcast of commercial satellite signals, although its capacity to interfere with military signals is difficult to ascertain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the IRGC\u2019s space command is under the regime\u2019s aerospace forces, which operate missiles, it\u2019s possible that Cooper was referring to that threat being eliminated, said Victoria Samson, the Secure World Foundation\u2019s chief director of space security and stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were not a threat in space capabilities,\u201d Samson said. \u201cThe threat that they have for counter-space capabilities, they\u2019re great at jamming and spoofing \u2026 but, big picture, no.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are Guardians overseas in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, not just deployed-in-place stateside, an official confirmed to Defense One, <\/em>but declined to disclose the number, locations, or types of squadrons deployed. In 2022, the Space Force stood up Space Forces Central, the component field command headquartered with U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 162nd Electromagnetic Warfare Combat detachment is responsible for \u201ctraining, equipping, and mobilizing specialized space electromagnetic warfare capabilities within the region,\u201d according to Defense Department images.<\/p>\n

\u201cProud of our Guardians executing with unmatched precision and professionalism at home station and deployed to CENTCOM,\u201d Saltzman said in a Wednesday post on X.<\/p>\n

Space Forces played crucial roles in last year\u2019s U.S. strikes on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities and the January operation which led to the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. Officials have publicly confirmed guardians tracked missiles, provided satellite communication to transmit position, timing, and navigation data, and used other space-based capabilities to support the joint force.<\/p>\n

Iran has warned, through relevant intermediaries, that countries with ground stations and companies providing uplink services against the regime will have\u201caction\u2026taken against them,\u201d the IRGC-associated Tansim News Agency reported Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harrison said Thursday\u2019s announcement that Iran\u2019s space command was eliminated could signal an end to the military\u2019s main targeting operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, this is a sign that we are working our way down to near the bottom of the target list,\u201d Harrison said.\u00a0\n\n<\/svg><\/p>\n<\/div>\n