Photo: Via Satellite

The U.S. Air Force plans to transfer 23 space-related missions to the U.S. Space Force, which will cover over 1,800 billets, the service said March 31.

The Space Force, the U.S. military’s newest service, has had personnel assigned to it since its formal establishment last December, and those personnel were comprised primarily of units that previously were assigned to the former Air Force Space Command. Now, these 23 missions are expected to officially transfer into the Space Force within the next three to six months, per a Tuesday release. Additional space missions may be also identified for transfer in the future.

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein directed the transfer. Goldfein and Raymond have been delegated the authority to execute the transfer once they determine the necessary conditions have been met to facilitate a smooth operation.

The Air Force release noted that the transfer plan does not mean units or billets will be moved to a new location or that the personnel assigned to units will be moved. “The missions and billets will simply be transferred to the Space Force and remain in place to leverage the talent, infrastructure and key capabilities at their current location,” the service said.

This plan also does not mean the personnel assigned to those units will automatically be transferred into the Space Force themselves. “In the near term, military personnel will remain in the Air Force, although assigned to a unit in the Space Force,” the Air Force said.

Over the next few months and within a separate process, servicemembers who meet “acceptable criteria” will be offered the opportunity to volunteer to join the Space Force. If they choose not to transfer, they will remain assigned to that Space Force unit their normal assignment rotation is complete, and then be transferred to a new assignment within the Air Force.

The status of civilians working as Department of the Air Force (DAF) employees remains unchanged, the Air Force said. The Space Force is a new military service but is situated within the Department of the Air Force, with both the chief of space operations and the Air Force chief of staff working with the Air Force secretary.

“Whether serving in Air Force or Space Force billets, civilians will remain DAF employees and have the ability to remain in their current positions, or apply for other positions across the department,” the release said.

These are the locations identified for transfer:

• 17th Test Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• 18th Intel Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• 25th Space Range Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 328th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
• 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 7th Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland*
• 16th AF/Advanced Programs*, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 32nd Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland*
• 566th Intel Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado*
• 544th ISR Group Staff & Detachment 5, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colorado
• 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California
• National Security Space Institute, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio*
• AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico*
• AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division, Edwards AFB, California*
• AFRL Electro-Optical Division, Maui, Hawaii & Kirtland AFB, New Mexico*
• AFRL Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio*
• Counter-Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
• Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4, Peterson AFB, Colorado
• Air Force Safety Center – Space Safety Division, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico

* Partial mission transfer

This article originally appeared in Defense Daily.