The Space Force hopes to offer new Guardians the option of serving the regular eight-year enlistment — with four years typically spent on active duty and four in the Individual Ready Reserve component — entirely on active duty, in an effort to retain highly skilled new recruits.
“The Space Force is carefully considering the impact of voluntary extended enlistment contracts and has proposed a third-party study on the impact of this concept,” Maj. Tanya Downsworth, a spokesperson for the Air Force, said in an email to Military.com. “Extended enlistment contracts are pre-decisional, and would not be mandatory for new enlistees.”
If offered, Downsworth said, six- and eight-year options would be completely voluntary and signed in conjunction with an incentive bonus. No further details as to what that bonus could amount to were given.
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New Guardians who take the option would not drop into the Individual Ready Reserve status the way most enlisted personnel do — their ties to the Defense Department would be complete the day they left active duty.
When used in conjunction with the new Space Force Personnel Management Act, which offers active-duty Guardians and Air Force reservists working on space-related missions the option to serve either full time or part time, the move marks the branch’s clear goal of retaining its highly skilled…
