Major General DeAnna Burt
Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command
DeAnna M. Burt entered the Air Force as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. She received a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Troy State University, Alabama, and has obtained additional education through the military.
Her career has included numerous satellite operations and staff positions in Air Force Space Command and U.S. European Command. She has commanded the 2nd Space Operations Squadron, the 460th Operations Group, and the 50th Space Wing. She was the Director of Operations and Communications, Headquarters, Space Operations Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
Since November 2020, she has been Commander, Combined Force Command Component, U.S. Space Command, and Deputy Commander, Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force, Vandenburg Air Force Base, California.
In the News…
The Pentagon and international partners are developing guidelines for operating in space, just as international norms govern maritime operations. Major General DeAnna Burt, the commander of SPACECOM’s Combined Force Space Component Command, said those protocols should include being transparent and predictable with countries such as Russia and China.
“I think it’s interesting in other domains, particularly with the Russians, we have a high degree of communication,” she said during an Air Force Association Space Power virtual event last week.
“My air brothers and sisters will tell me we have [communication lines] to the Russian government at the military level… and other areas, where we talk to each other and say, ‘Hey, that’s a little too close,’ or ‘Hey, did you mean to do that?’ before something escalates,” she said.
“We don’t have that same capability in the space domain. Should we?” she asked. “It sure would be nice to get a phone call back or have that interaction,” she added. “You can’t define irresponsible if you haven’t defined responsible behavior,” she said, stressing the importance of comprehensive guidelines.
