Air Force airmen and Space Force guardians stand in formation at an activation ceremony at Schriever Space Force Base, Colo., on June 18, 2025. (U.S. Space Force )
WASHINGTON — The Air Force and Space Force each hit their 2025 recruiting goals with months to spare, the Air Force announced.
“The fact that we have even exceeded this goal and currently have a [delayed entry program] at its largest level in 10 years speaks to the vast number of volunteers interested in serving their country today,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement issued Monday.
The Space Force was seeking to enlist 800 guardians this year, and the Air Force wanted to enlist more than 33,000 active-duty airmen.
The Air Force had its strongest delayed entry program in the last decade with 14,000 recruits, the service said. The service also has what it says is a record 750 special warfare recruits.
“When you have a winning team, people want to join,” Gen. David Allvin, service’s chief of staff, said in a statement.
Both services hitting their recruiting goals continue the trend across the military, with the Army and Navy hitting their goals before the Sept. 30 conclusion of the fiscal year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month ordered the formation of a task force charged with bolstering and coordinating recruitment by military services.
Each of the services has made decisions to boost recruiting after the Army, Navy and Air Force each missed their recruiting goals in 2023.
Relaxed tattoo rules and increased bonuses are factors that helped the Air Force reach its recruiting goal in 2024. In December, the service added several medical conditions to its waiver program to open career opportunities for recruits. The new policy allows waivers to be granted in certain cases for asthma, hearing loss and food allergies.
The Space Force, since its inception in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term, met its goal for a sixth consecutive year.
“It’s clear Americans are excited about the Space Force, and this achievement is a direct reflection of the talent our mission continues to attract,” Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, said in a statement.
