SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – A new chapter in Space Force Guardian training is likely heading to the Sunshine State.

An announcement from the Department of the Air Force named Patrick Space Force Base as the preferred site for both Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) headquarters along with one of three Deltas.

STARCOM is described by the Air Force as being “responsible for the deliberate development, education and training of space professionals in addition to the development of space warfighting doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures, and the operational test and evaluation of Space Force systems.”

In addition to the planned arrival of STARCOM HQ, Patrick SFB would also become the home of Space Delta 10 (DEL 10), which has a focus on supporting “wargames in order to posture [U.S. Space Force] forces and designated joint and allied partners, to prevail in a Contested, Degraded, Operationally-Limited, all-domain environment,” according to the government website.

Frank DiBello, the president and CEO of Space Florida, described the announcement as a “game-changing event for Florida.”

“This is probably the most significant, new mission assignment that has been given to a base in Florida in quite a while,” DiBello said.

A Department of the Air Force spokesperson told Spectrum News on Thursday that roughly 350 personnel would support STARCOM HQ and about 100 would move to Patrick SFB for DEL 10 at the point when they reach “full operational capability.”

DiBello said the economic impact from the move will be felt not just in Brevard County, which is home to Patrick SFB, but to Volusia County and Orange County as well. He said part of the regional impact will come from both those visiting the area to train as well as the contractors that will crop up to support the new endeavors.

“One of the key elements of the decision has been in the simulation modeling and digital domain capabilities in Central Florida,” DiBello said. “So, I think you can see, all three of the counties, to the north of us, in Brevard, and to the west of us are going to be benefited by this major decision in Florida’s Favor.”

Florida wasn’t the only state jockeying to house the STARCOM HQ. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was one of the contenders along with a site in Colorado, according to DiBello.

He said to accommodate the growth, Space Florida along with other state entities are looking at the infrastructure improvements needed, like housing.

“We’re constantly looking at the infrastructure, the roads, the rail, the housing. It’s gotta be the total ecosystem because it does no good if we bring people here and the only place they can get their workforce is from another company,” DiBello said. “So, we need to constantly be thinking through workforce and the live-work-play environment that that workforce is going to thrive in.”

While not naming specific projects, DiBello said that developers are already looking at additional housing, especially in northern Brevard County to support the incoming Guardians. He added that the education system in Brevard County is also stepping up to increase the workforce pipeline “both at the professional level as well as in all the trades.”

“I think it is cool when you look at the future of STARCOM to think about Florida evolving as perhaps the next place where our next-generation Guardians and their officers are going to be trained,” DiBello said. “It’s not quite yet an academy, but there’s a lot of things that could flow from this for the future of the Space Force.”