The US Space Force has exceeded its fiscal 2026 recruiting goal by 25 percent just five months into the year, as leaders press Congress to double the service’s size to meet rising national security demands.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna told lawmakers the service has already enlisted 912 recruits who have either shipped to basic military training or entered a delayed entry program, surpassing its goal of 730 for the year.
Despite the milestone, Bentivegna said the current force of just over 10,000 Guardians remains too small.
“It is insufficient for the missions we have been assigned,” AL.com reported, citing the chief during a Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee hearing.
Bentivegna continued that hiring should be in parallel with revamping old facilities to better accommodate incoming cadets.
“To support our growth, we must also elevate our quality of service by modernizing and expanding our facilities,” he stated.
“Our missions are rapidly evolving, but much of our infrastructure is rooted in the past; it cannot keep up with the demands of a larger, more advanced force to train for and execute in a contested and complex, joint, multi-domain environment.”
Constant Workforce Buildup
The US Space Force has been meeting or surpassing its recruiting targets every year since its establishment in 2019.
To sustain these records, the service in 2025 launched a squadron that focuses on staffing, separate from the Air Force Accessions Center that has oversight for both the US Space Force and Air Force.
With these achievements, Bentivegna highlighted at the Congress meeting that the demand to join the service remains strong.
“Recruitment for the Space Force has been phenomenal,” Air & Space Forces Magazine quoted him as saying.
“We have more individuals who want to commission and/or enlist into the Space Force than we can take in right now, which is why doubling the size is something I think is absolutely achievable.”
