Space Chief

by

When Chance Saltzman was a youngster playing tennis at Bowling Green High School in 1987, some thought he would have a better chance of winning a Grand Slam tennis tournament than becoming a four-star general.

Stand up and salute, because the 54-year-old general received his fourth star in 2022, and along with it the title of chief of space operations for the United States Space Force. Established in December 2019, the Space Force is the newest branch of the U.S. military, joining the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

As technology and cyber capabilities have advanced, the Space Force blasted off to patrol outer space, meeting the demands of America’s national defense.

In Saltzman’s four-star ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington, D.C., in early November 2022, the nation’s top brass was on hand to pass the leadership baton from Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond to Saltzman.

Taking part in the ceremony were U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall. The ceremony recognized several astronauts, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who all attended.

Nearly 200 family members and friends from throughout Kentucky traveled to Washington to attend Saltzman’s ceremony.

From its beginning, Saltzman has been a part of the upper echelon of the new branch of service. Following a tour of duty in Southwest Asia with the Air Force in 2020, he returned to the Pentagon to act as director of staff of the Space Force.

A November 2022 release from the Space Force stated, “Despite its small size of 15,000 compared to the other military services, the Space Force’s strategic importance is beyond dispute. Space is now considered a new and indisputable war-fighting domain, which is why the United States—primarily through the Space Force and its allies—is focusing heavily on space and adapting to the new conditions.”

•  •  •

For Saltzman, becoming a part of the Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program at Boston University was the means to an end. The program paid for his tuition, and, after he graduated, Saltzman was required to spend four years as an Air Force officer.

“When Chance was looking around for a college, there was no internet—no web to search schools,” recalled his mother, Belinda Saltzman. “We bought a big paperback book that rated the colleges’ academics but not Ivy League. Boston University was his choice.”

The Saltzman family didn’t visit the school or the city beforehand. Chance’s love of history was enough for him to know Boston was where he wanted to continue his education.

“He flew up there with a little duffel bag,” his mother continued. “In fact, the first couple of nights in the dorm, he didn’t even have sheets. We drove his clothes and things up to him after he had started school.”

Even as a youngster, the future four-star general showed confidence. It wasn’t arrogance but a projection of his personality that made those around him feel at ease. He wasn’t a big talker, but when he did speak, those around him listened.

Joe Tinius, a retired superintendent of the Bowling Green Independent School District and Saltzman’s former tennis coach, said, “Chance was a top player, quiet leader—showed up on time and, of course, was an outstanding student.”

John Noffsinger was a doubles tennis partner of Saltzman’s in high school. Noffsinger admitted that their pairing was somewhat of an odd-couple relationship, but they advanced to the state championship quarter finals two years in a row.

“Chance was cool, calm and collected, and I was a hothead,” Noffsinger recalled. “But we knew each other’s game. We started playing together in the eighth grade, getting up at 4:30 a.m. every morning for practice.”

Greg West was another high school teammate. “Chance always seemed to be the voice of reason in a sport that sometimes became emotional,” he said. “And that same demeanor seems to have stuck with him in the military.”

Leaving Bowling Green, where he was well known, for a big city like Boston pushed Saltzman’s comfort zone a bit. At the same time, he was in his element of something new, something different. Unknowingly, it was a sign of things to come.

Saltzman graduated from Boston University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in history, and, in May of the same year, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.

Not many attain the rank of general, much less one wearing four stars on their shoulder. Throughout all the military branches, there are only 43 four-star generals, and the Space Force has two.

•  •  •

Saltzman and his wife, Jennifer, also from Bowling Green, have traveled with their two children throughout the United States and to several foreign countries. But they never forget their Kentucky roots. They have a home in the historic district of Bowling Green where they plan to return full time someday.

But in the meantime, Saltzman—known as “Salty” to his colleagues—has a big job to do. In addition to leading the Space Force, he has a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, helping to ensure that his force is combat-ready.

 “My goal will be to provide you the resources, tools, training and experiences you need to unlock your massive potential,” Saltzman said in his address to the Space Force when he was named chief of operations.