Space Force Swears in First Recruits

Article by Steve Beynon                                October 20, 2020                                (stripes.com)

• Space Force has roughly 2,000 “space professionals” serving in the military branch at the moment. While all of these members were transfers from the Air Force, the first seven enlisted Space Force recruits were sworn in Tuesday by Gen. David Thompson, the vice chief of space operations.

• “Today is an important milestone as we stand up the Space Force,” Thompson said in a statement. “Until now, we’ve been focused on building our initial ranks with transfers from the Air Force. With these new recruits, we begin to look to the future of our force by bringing in the right people directly to realize our aspirations of building a tech-savvy service that’s reflective of the nation we serve.”

• Among the recruits, two are women and five are men, two are Black and five are white. They are from Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia, and range in age from 18 to 31. All seven of the new recruits hold a 1C6 military occupation specialty — space systems operations, according to Lynn Kirby, a Space Force spokeswoman. The job focuses on detecting sea-launched ballistic missiles and tracking satellites to assisting in rocket launches and space flight operations.

• After being sworn in at Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station at Fort Meade, Md., the Space Force recruits are bound for seven and a half weeks of Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. As there are no Space Force recruiting stations yet, the Air Force is recruiting for both branches. Space Force hopes to recruit 300 enlisted service members in 2021, and along with Air Force transfers, they hope to have 6,500 members overall within a year.

• “We’re excited to see this happen,” said Chief Master Sgt. Roger A. Towberman, senior enlisted adviser for Space Force. “The Air Force team at basic military training has been outstanding and deserves most of the credit for making this happen quickly. To watch these first Space Force recruits take their oath for the first time is something I will never forget. They are the future, and it’s incredible to be in their service!”

WASHINGTON — The first seven recruits for Space Force, the military’s newest service branch, were sworn in Tuesday by Gen. David Thompson, the vice chief of space operations.

Space Force has roughly 2,000 “space professionals” serving. Until now, all the branch’s members were transfers from the Air Force. These new recruits are the first service members to enlist directly into Space Force.

“Today is an important milestone as we stand up the Space Force,” Thompson said in a statement. “Until now, we’ve been focused on building our initial ranks with transfers from the Air Force. With these new recruits, we begin to look to the future of our force by bringing in the right people directly to realize our aspirations of building a tech-savvy service that’s reflective of the nation we serve.”

The new recruits all hold the 1C6 military occupation specialty — space systems operations, according to Lynn Kirby, a Space Force spokeswoman. The job focuses on detecting sea-launched ballistic missiles and tracking satellites to assisting in rocket launches and space flight operations.

“Space Force leadership has previously stated diversity among its ranks is one of its priorities in standing up the new service,” according to a service statement.

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