1st SOPS changes command

From left U.S. Space Force Col. Casey Beard, Space Delta 9 – Orbital Warfare commander, U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Brian Bell, outgoing 1st Space Operations Squadron commander and U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Patrick Gaynor, incoming 1st SOPS commander, stand at attention during the 1st SOPS change of command ceremony at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, June 21, 2021. The 1st SOPS is the U.S. Space Force’s premier organization for space-based space domain awareness to assure access to space by commanding satellites to collect and disseminate information throughout the spectrum of conflict. (U.S. Space Force photo by Dennis Rogers)

U.S. Space Force Col. Casey Beard, Space Delta 9 – Orbital Warfare commander, left, passes the guidon to U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Patrick Gaynor, 1st Space Operations Squadron incoming commander, right, at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, June 21, 2021. The mission of Delta 9 – Orbital Warfare is to prepare, present and project assigned and attached forces for the purpose of conducting protect and defend operations and providing national decision authorities with response options to deter and, when necessary, defeat orbital threats. (U.S. Space Force photo by Dennis Rogers)

U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Patrick Gaynor, incoming Space Delta 9 – Orbital Warfare, 1st Space Operations Squadron commander, gives a speech during the squadron change of command at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, June 21, 2021. DEL 9 was activated July 24, 2020 and consists of three active duty squadrons located at Schriever Air Force Base: 1st SOPS, 3rd SOPS and 750th Operations Support Squadron. The 1st SOPS conducts space-based battlespace characterization operations in support of Space Domain Awareness within Space DEL 9. (U.S. Space Force photo by Dennis Rogers)