{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-confirms-gen-douglas-schiess-as-chief-of-space-operations", "Senate Confirms Gen. Douglas Schiess as Chief of Space Operations", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "ND", "Kevin Cramer", "C001096", "www.cramer.senate.gov", "cramer", "https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The Senate confirmed General Douglas Schiess as the third Chief of Space Operations, succeeding General Chance Saltzman. Schiess, who served at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) from April 1993 to September 1995 in multiple missile operations roles, will train and equip Guardians serving in the United States and overseas.\n\nU.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, applauded Schiess\u2019 confirmation.\n\n\u201cGeneral Schiess is the right leader to take the helm of the United States Space Force,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cHaving served at Grand Forks Air Force Base, he already knows North Dakota\u2019s vital role in our national security mission. I look forward to working with him to modernize PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station, strengthen our partnership with the University of North Dakota, and ensure our Guardians at Grand Forks Air Force Base have the tools they need to succeed. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to securing the space domain.\u201d\n\nSchiess previously served as the Commander of U.S. Space Forces \u2013 Space (S4S) and the Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. In August 2025, Cramer visited the base with Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Dr. Troy Meink. They joined Schiess in touring the Space Development Agency (SDA) and National Reconnaissance Office payload processing facility where they viewed 21 satellites from SDA\u2019s Tranche 1 Transport Layer.\n\nAs Chief of Space Operations, Schiess will oversee key Space Force missions in North Dakota, including the 10th Space Warning Squadron at Cavalier Space Force Station, which operates the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) to provide critical missile warning and space surveillance. He will also play a central role in advancing the Space Force\u2019s growing presence at GFAFB, where a new satellite operations center is planned to expand SDA\u2019s missions and strengthen the region\u2019s role in the nation\u2019s space architecture.\n\nDuring Schiess\u2019 confirmation process, Cramer secured his commitment to maintain the Space Force\u2019s partnership with GFAFB and the University of North Dakota. The two also discussed preserving the rapid acquisition culture that has fueled SDA\u2019s success as it merges into the Space Force.", 1, "2026-08-08T05:41:38Z", "2026-08-08T05:43:24Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-confirms-gen-douglas-schiess-as-chief-of-space-operations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.00682582706213, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}