Col. Oppelaar Assumes Command of Space Delta 5

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — U.S. Space Force Col. Samuel R. Oppelaar III assumed command of Space Delta 5 on June 18, 2026, succeeding Col. Justin E. Sorice during a ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood, U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) commander and the Combined Joint Force Space Component commander for U.S. Space Command.

Sorice led the unit, a command-and-control (C2) delta under S4S, for two years. During his tenure, DEL 5 assumed tactical control of 28 combat units and more than 700 space warfighters across two named operations, safeguarding more than 50,000 lives in support of U.S. Central Command.

DEL 5 provides the forces executing the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) mission. As a critical C2 and planning node for S4S and USSPACECOM, the CSpOC integrates allied capabilities to protect the Joint Force and deliver tailored space effects worldwide.

Bythewood credited Sorice with strengthening the unit’s warfighting culture and empowering decision-making at lower echelons. This included delegating spacecraft maneuver authority, previously reserved for general officers, to company-grade combat squadron commanders.

Under Sorice’s leadership, the command also operationalized the USSF Chief of Space Operations’ combat force presentation model and advanced the modernization of C2 systems that integrate space effects across USSF components and combatant commands.

“We broke the chains of inertia, realigned our mission to define clear roles and responsibilities between our command and our headquarters, and secured our nation’s interests in, from, and to space for the first time,” Sorice said.

Sorice will next serve in the U.S. Space Command current operations directorate.

Oppelaar assumes command after serving as deputy commander of Space Delta 15 at Schriever SFB, Colo. In his first remarks as commander, Oppelaar emphasized morale and teamwork as central elements of his leadership philosophy.

“Morale isn’t just about being upbeat,” Oppelaar said. “It’s about vigor — the determination to meet every challenge head-on. That’s what fuels our readiness, our innovation, and our resilience. It’s what allows this team to plan, execute, and assess effects across every mission we own. No one fights alone, and this team proves that every single day.”