Space Command boss Gen. John Hyten will move up to lead U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha, Neb., the Pentagon confirmed Friday.

The long-rumored appointment came a day after the Air Force announced that Lt. Gen. John. “Jay” Raymond would replace Hyten at Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base.

Hyten’s new role would put him in charge of the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and give him full control over the military’s satellites and missile defense systems. It is one of nine unified commands in the Department of Defense and would give Hyten control of troops from every branch of the armed forces.

Hyten follows Adm. Cecil Haney at Strategic Command. A submarine officer, Haney led the command as it worked to improve missile defense systems and hone America’s war plans to account for the possibility of attacks on America’s satellites.

During two years at Space Command, Hyten worked to put more experienced crews at the controls of Air Force satellites. This year, he announced an initiative to push computer warfare skills into every wing-sized unit in the service.

Hyten was among an elite group of generals vetted for the Air Force chief of staff this year, making him the first general without pilot’s wings to get serious consideration.

A graduate of Harvard, Hyten worked early in his career in computer systems before transferring to space-related fields. He served as the vice commander of Space Command until his promotion in 2014 to replace Gen. William Shelton.

The timing of the command change at Peterson hasn’t been announced.

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Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240

Twitter: @xroederx