By Capt. Christopher Merian, U.S. Space Force Public Affairs / Published April 22, 2020

ARLINGTON, Va. -- U.S. Space Force announced today the opportunity for U.S. Air Force active duty members to volunteer to officially transfer into the new service begins May 1.



“This is an historic time to be in the space business and I could not be more excited to extend the opportunity to our active duty Air Force members to officially transfer into the Space Force,” said Gen. Jay Raymond, U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations and U.S. Space Command Commander. “We have the unique opportunity to create a new service; your energy, passion and expertise will be critical to our success.”



The newest branch of the United States military, the Space Force, organizes, trains and equips forces to execute a variety of space missions, and to deter aggression in, from, and to space.



Active duty Air Force officers and enlisted personnel in existing space career fields and select other career fields are eligible to apply for transfer. While approximately 16,000 military and civilians from the former U.S. Air Force Space Command are now assigned to the new service, this transfer process will officially commission or enlist military members into the service.



“The choice to transfer into the Space Force will be a personal decision for each individual, just as it was for me,” said Chief Master Sgt. Roger A. Towberman, U.S. Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor. “Each of us volunteered to serve, now we ask for volunteers to help build a new force that is tailor-made and laser-focused on joint warfighting and the space domain.”



Those eligible to apply to transfer into the Space Force include officers and enlisted members in the organic space career fields of space operations (13S) and space systems operations (1C6). Also eligible are officers and enlisted members in several career fields common to both the Air Force and Space Force, including intelligence (14N), cyberspace operations (17X), developmental engineer (62E), acquisition manager (63A), operations intelligence (1N0), geospatial intelligence (1N1), signals intelligence (1N2), fusion analyst (1N4), targeting analyst (1N8), cyberspace support (3D0), and client systems (3D1).



For those in the organic space career fields (13S and 1C6), transfers to the USSF will begin Sept. 1t. Because active-duty space operations missions and functions will completely transfer to the Space Force, Airmen in organic space career fields who decline transfer into the Space Force will receive assistance in examining other options to include applying for retraining into another Air Force specialty, applying to crossflow into the Guard or Reserve, or applying for separation or retirement, if eligible. In the meantime, those service members will remain in the Air Force and may be assigned duties in the Space Force. At the end of the transition period, expected to be sometime in 2022, organic space AFSCs will be removed from Air Force inventory, and assignments in those mission areas will no longer be an option for Air Force members.



For the common AFSCs only a limited number of billets will be available, so Air Force and the Space Force leaders are developing a board process to select volunteers for transfer based on mission needs and career sustainment. Since the boarding and selection process will take additional time, transfers for personnel with common AFSCs are expected to begin Feb. 1, 2021.



All eligible personnel in organic and common career fields will receive a direct email from the Air Force Personnel Center on May 1 announcing the opening of the application window and providing directions to submit their applications on line. Individuals who believe they are eligible but do not receive this notification should contact the Total Force Service Center or assignment teams at AFPC. The application period will end May 31.



Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel remain critical to space mission execution. Air Guard and Air Force Reserve units executing space missions are currently aligned to the Space Force, and will continue supporting Space Force missions in this status while the future of the Reserve Component for the Space Force is determined. The status of Department of the Air Force civilians, whether assigned to Air Force or Space Force organizations, is unchanged.



For members of the other military services, the time frame for Army and Navy space requirements to move to the Space Force is in fiscal years 2022-23. Although legal provisions exist for members of other services to transfer to the Space Force, the current focus is on Air Force members. The Space Force will release further details for a limited inter-service transfer program for other sister services for fiscal year 2021.



To learn more about the United States Space Force or the transfer process, visit: https://www.spaceforce.mil/ or https://mypers.af.mil/app/answers/detail/a_id/47018 (CAC enabled).