White House names nominees for SPACECOM, Navy No. 2

WASHINGTON ― The White House has formally named its choices to lead US Space Command and serve as the second-highest ranking officer in the US Navy as part of an officer package sent to the Senate.

Lt. Gen. David Miller, currently the deputy Space Force chief responsible for requirements and budget planning, has been nominated for a fourth star, according to Tuesday’s notice, and a SPACECOM spokesperson today confirmed that he was nominated to lead the command. If confirmed, he would replace Gen. Stephen Whiting, who is set to retire at the end of the year.

Miller, whose call sign is “Rock,” is known for his no-nonsense, “tell-it-like-it-is” style. He had been widely rumored over the past month to be the front runner for the position — after, according to numerous military and industry sources, having been on the shortlist to succeed his former boss Gen. Chance Saltzman as Chief of Space Operations.

Miller’s expertise has long been on the Space Force’s operational side of the fence, rather than in the acquisition corps. Prior to assuming his current assignment as deputy CSO for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, he served as the head of Space Operations Command, which is the Space Force’s component command providing trained forces and expert advice to SPACECOM.

If confirmed, one of Miller’s first tasks will be overseeing the ongoing move of SPACECOM’s headquarters from its current home at Peterson SFB, Colo., to Huntsville, Ala.

During an Aug. 13 press tour of SPACECOM’s temporary facilities at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and the new HQ construction site nearby, command officials said they expect to have 200 personnel (mostly from the intelligence staff) in Alabama by the end of the year. The end goal is to have moved all 1,800 staff to a new, purpose-built facility by 2031.

Further, Miller will be charged with ensuring that current, and new, orbital warfare capabilities are integrated with SPACECOM’s operations and coordinated with the growing counterspace capabilities of the other services, in particular the Army.

This includes implementing the new “Space Warfighting Concept” in the works under Whiting’s leadership, designed to for the first time lay out how the US military intends to conduct war in space.

Likewise, the White House nominated Vice Adm. John “Brad” Skillman to serve as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, serving right under Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle. If confirmed, Skillman would replace Vice Adm. James Kilby, who has served in the role since 2024.

Skillman, who graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1986, is currently serving as the deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources. Previous assignments include serving as the commissioning commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock New Orleans, commander of Amphibious Squadron 4, and commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2.

Skillman’s nomination comes as several Navy nominations are awaiting confirmation from the Senate — including Hung Cao’s nomination for secretary of the Navy.