Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey is currently serving as the inaugural commander of UK Space Command. Established on 1 April 2021, Space Command is a Joint Command staffed by all three Services of the Armed Forces, civil servants, and commercial partners. It is responsible for protecting UK and allied interests in space, training and developing the space workforce, and developing space equipment programmes that integrate with various defence capabilities.
Air Vice-Marshal Godfrey commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1991. A fighter pilot for most of his career, he has flown a wide variety of aircraft, including the Jet Provost, the Hawk, the Harrier, the F-16, the Typhoon, and even the Spitfire and Hurricane in Battle of Britain Memorial Flights. He has flown in operations across the world, including the Balkans and Iraq, and he served as Station Commander at RAF Lossiemouth, as well as managing part of the new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier project.Prior to taking command of UK Space Command, then Air Commodore Godfrey was responsible for the planning and employment of coalition air and space power across the Middle East within the US Air Force Combined Air and Space Operations Centre.