Space Force swears in first batch of part-time workers

In a first, the U.S. Space Force transferred over a dozen space-experienced Air Force reservists to become part-time guardians.

The Space Force transferred 18 Air Force reservists into part-time roles, making them the service’s first-ever guardians to serve on nonsustained duty, according to a release. The move follows a broader effort by the Space Force to rebuild its personnel a year after sweeping cuts across the federal government and military services left it with nearly 800 fewer civilian employees.

“The initiative demonstrates our commitment to building a flexible, modern personnel system that expands pathways to service and retains the vital talent required to secure our nation’s interests in, from and to space,” Brig. Gen. Matthew Holston, Personnel Management Act Integration Office director, said in the release.

In an attempt to help the branch build out its force, Congress established the Personnel Management Act in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, allowing the Space Force to attract more specialized talent by utilizing full- and part-time workers.

The Act allows for a new, single-component service structure that allows guardians to move between full-time and part-time positions throughout their careers, the release says.

The transition into a single-component service allows for improved quality of life and retention among the force and the ability for the Space Force to capitalize on skill sets guardians develop outside of military service, per the announcement.

Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the nominee to become the third-ever Space Force Chief of Space Operations, said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that last year many civilian employees took the Deferred Resignation Program, or DRP, and other voluntary separation initiatives, causing Space Systems Command to strive to hire 100 civilians a month to combat that loss.

In last week’s hearing, Schiess said that the ability for workers to move between part or full time allows for the increase of guardians who want to service while working elsewhere, whether it is in the industry or government, and bring that experience back to the force.

The single-component service structure differs from the construct used by the Space Force active duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, but the pay, benefits and retirement remain unchanged.

It places all guardians in the same unit and under a unified Space Force chain of command, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time workers, the release says.

“This new construct reduces procedural barriers typically associated with moving military members between different duty statuses while simultaneously unifying the resourcing, training, equipping and force presentation of the nation’s premier space capabilities,” the announcement says.

In the upcoming months, about 225 Air Force reservists selected will be transferred to be part-time guardians.