Over 25,000 Air Force recruits stand to receive an initial enlistment bonus in the service’s 2026 budget, exceeding the current budget year’s estimate of 4,500 by more than five times. The Space Force is raising the number of eligible guardians from about 100 this fiscal year to 550 in 2026.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen handed off some of her duties, including the roles of commander for Space Launch Delta 45 and director of the Eastern Range, to Space Force Col. Brian Chatman, during a change of command ceremony.

The contract will help startup Atomic-6 complete flight qualification testing of its Light Wing product, a solar array that could use the sun’s energy to power spacecraft. The startup also aims to get a solar array on the moon.

The command’s Deputy Commander, Brig. Gen. Chandler Atwood, died Sunday. No cause of death was given for the highly respected senior officer.

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 Space Force released the largest funding request in its six-year history, asking Congress to approve $39.9 billion to spend next year as the service takes on new mission requirements including a massive “Golden Dome” missile defense shield.

Just days after Memorial Day, a Space Force guardian escorted the remains of her great-great-uncle Staff Sgt. Loring E. Lord, a U.S. Army Air Forces gunner killed in action during World War II nearly 80 years after he was declared missing in action. 

Twenty-six years ago, Col. Eric Bogue was an enlisted senior airman, Schriever was an Air Force base, and the Space Force didn’t exist. On Wednesday, he assumed command of the newly established Space Base Delta 41.

The move comes as President Donald Trump has long mused about taking control of the island, which he has argued is critical to U.S. national security and protecting its Arctic interests.

The biennial Talisman Sabre will bring together a record number of troops from 19 countries for joint training across Australia and Papua New Guinea.