A birthday update on the newest service branch.
On Dec. 20, 2019, the U.S. Space Force – the newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces – was officially instituted with the signing of legislation by President Donald Trump. Five years later, in December 2024, statistics tell (part of) the story of its development.
9,400: approximate number of active-duty Guardians (spaceforce.com/faq)
6: Space Force “locations,” in Colorado, California and Florida (spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Space-Force-Locations)
2: Space Force astronauts. Col. Mike Hopkins transferred from the Air Force while on the International Space Station (ISS) on the branch’s first birthday; Col. Nick Hague became the first Guardian to ascend, to the ISS, in September. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Space_Force_astronauts)
93: Air Force Academy Class of 2024 cadets who were commissioned into the Space Force as second lieutenants (usafa.edu/the-breakdown-class-of-2024-by-the-numbers)
571: American Legion members who reported serving in the Space Force
8: commemorative anniversary posters available for download on the Space Force’s website
- Security