| Post: | Director of Staff |
| Body: | the United States Space Force |
| Insignia: | Space Staff Identification Badge.png |
| Insigniacaption: | Space Staff identification badge |
| Flag: | Flag of a United States Space Force major general.svg |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of a Space Force major general |
| Incumbent: | Major General Steven P. Whitney |
| Incumbentsince: | 7 July 2023 |
| Department: | United States Space Force |
| Appointer: | The President |
| Appointer Qualified: | with Senate advice and consent |
| First: | Nina Armagno |
| Deputy: | Deputy Director of Staff |
The director of staff of the United States Space Force (SF/DS) is a senior leadership position in the United States Space Force held by a major general. The director of staff reports to the chief of space operations (CSO) and has overall responsibility for providing executive staff to the CSO, vice chief of space operations, and chief master sergeant of the Space Force.
The director of staff is responsible for the supervision of key enterprise matters related to integrating and synchronizing policies, plans, positions, procedures, and cross-functional issues for the Office of the Chief of Space Operations (informally referred to as the "Space Staff"), interacting with Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, Department of State, United States Congress, and other U.S. government and state agencies on correspondence and tasking issues. The director of staff is responsible for the planning, coordinating, executing, and supervising of key forums, and ensuring the efficient execution of the Space Staff responsibilities. Additionally, the director of staff is responsible for administrative functions, and budget and execution of the Space Staff Program Element.[1]
The organizational structure of the Space Force headquarters was first proposed in February 2020 with a director of staff held by a lieutenant general.[2] By July 2020, Major General B. Chance Saltzman was performing the duties in an acting capacity.[3] On July 29, 2020, then-Major General Nina Armagno was nominated for the director of staff position.[4] She was promoted on August 17, 2020, then becoming the inaugural director of staff of the U.S. Space Force.[5]
On July 7, 2023, Armagno retired from the Space Force[6] turning the position over to Major General Steven P. Whitney, making the three-star position a two-star position.[7] The three-star billet for the director of staff was transferred to the commander of U.S Space Forces Space, following the planned elevation of Space Operations Command West as a component field command.[8]