The plan is to transfer 23 units and 1,840 Air Force billets within the next three to six months

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Air Force has identified 23 U.S. Air Force organizations with space-related missions that will transfer to the Space Force.

The goal is to transfer 23 Air Force units and 1,840 Air Force billets located at bases in Colorado, California, Nevada, Ohio, New Mexico and Maryland from the Air Force into the Space Force within the next three to six months, the Space Force said March 31.

The 23 units that are moving to the Space Force are in addition to the five Space Wings that already were transferred to the new service when it was enacted into law on Dec. 20, 2019.

The 23 organizations and billets will be reorganized under the Space Force but will not be physically moved to a different geographic location. These units will “remain in place to leverage the talent, infrastructure, and key capabilities at their current location,” said the Space Force announcement.

Currently, the Space Force is supported by units that previously fell under the former Air Force Space Command and have been detailed to the Space Force.

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein will work jointly to execute the transfers when “the necessary conditions have been met,” the Space Force said in a statement.

“These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests,” Barrett said in the statement.

The personnel assigned to these units that will transfer will remain members of the U.S. Air Force who are assigned to the Space Force.

“In the coming months, and when appropriate provisions are in place as part of a separate process, military members who meet applicable criteria will be given the opportunity to volunteer to transfer to the Space Force,” spokesman Maj. William Russell said in a statement. “If they choose not to transfer, they will remain in the Air Force and assigned to the Space Force unit until their normal assignment rotation is complete, at which time they will be moved to an assignment within the Air Force.”

The status of civilians, as Department of the Air Force employees, is unchanged, said the Space Force. “As the stand-up of the Space Force continues, additional space missions may be identified for transfer.”

The following locations have been identified for transfer: