Over 2,000 airmen have applied to join the U.S. Space Force since applications were made available at the beginning of the month.
The Pentagon’s newest branch of the military has been operating with 16,000 airmen who have been assigned to their temporary post within the newly-minted service from the former Air Force Space Command, according to Military.com.
The Space Force opened the application window on May 1 to eligible active-duty Air Force service members to transfer to the new branch. The application is expected to be made available to other branches at a later date.
“As of May 13, the U.S. Space Force has received more than 2,000 applications from airmen in both organic and common [Air Force Specialty Codes] volunteering to transfer to the new service,” Space Force spokesperson Lynn Kirby told the publication Wednesday.
In 2018, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to begin planning for a new, independent military service that would focus on space operations. The U.S. Space Force was signed into law in December 2019 as part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
Space Force Vice Commander Gen. David Thompson said earlier in the week that the service saw a large number of applications roll in on May 4.
“A little bit of space humor there,” he said during a conversation with the Mitchell Institute, “May the Fourth be with you.”
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