Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A Marine Corps component of the U.S. Space Command has been activated, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger announced on Friday.
The organization, Marine Corps Forces Space Command, or MARFORSPACE, joins the Marines' Cyberspace Command as a service component of USSPACECOM, which is responsible for military operations in outer space -- defined as 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, above sea level.
MARFORSPACE will be headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and led by Maj. Gen. Matthew G. Glavy, who is also chief of the Marines' cyberspace effort.
"We have an incredible opportunity to create asynergy across the information environment based on our unique position within the Naval and joint force," Glavy said in a statement on Friday.
"Space and cyber are critical capabilities in the information environment that, when brought together, can provide a competitive advantage," Glavy said.
The Marines will join the Space Command division responsible for planning and conducting global space operations, as well as providing aid and data to other combatant commands and U.S. allied partners.
Glavy is the first Marine Corps commander within the Space Command hierarchy, joining eight Air Force, one Space Force and one Army commandant.
The Space Command held a ceremony last week at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., noting the 245th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
"Our Marine service component, Marine Forces Space, strengthens our space warfighting capabilities with an esprit de corps and warrior ethos that has made the United States Marine Corps 'no better friend, no worse enemy,'" Gen. James Dickerson, USSPACECOM commander, said at the ceremony.
