Space Force Welcomes First Recruits
On 20th October, the Space Force finally inducted its first new recruits. Of the chosen seven recruits, all wearing masks and given elbow bumps rather than handshakes, in order to better contain a certain virus, four were sworn in by Vice Chief of Space Operations General David Thompson during a live-streamed ceremony held in Baltimore, Maryland. Another three were sworn in during a ceremony in Denver, Colorado. The next stop for the recruits will be basic training in Texas. The curriculum will be based on the Air Force equivalent but will be bringing in some unique space-related elements to better prepare the recruits for the unique role of the Space Force.
Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, the senior enlisted man in the Space Force, noted the recruits were wearing a new t-shirt design. In response, the disappointed general Thompson commented that: “I don’t have one of those.”
The seven recruits mark a significant milestone for the Department of Defense’s youngest service branch as the Space Force had initially focused on transfers of relevant personnel from the other branches rather than recruitment. They come just four days after the Space Force collected its first two officers from the Officer Training Corps. Meanwhile, transfers of senior airmen in cyber, intelligence, acquisitions and engineering are expected to intensify starting 1st December and those of other Air Force personnel with 1st February. The ultimate goal is 6,500 servicemembers by the end of fiscal year 2021.
General Thompson weighed in on the significance of this new recruitment phase:
“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.”
Chief Master Sgt. Towberman indicated that a new list of transfers should be releasing soon.