Air and Space Force hiring

The Air Force and Space Force want 12,700 more uniformed people in fiscal 2027 under the Pentagon’s new budget plan. (saffm.hq.af.mil) The Department of the Air Force unveiled the request on April 21, asking for $338.8 billion combined: $267.7 billion for the Air Force and $71.1 billion for the Space Force. The proposal would take effect in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 if Congress approves it. (spaceforce.mil) Most of the personnel growth is slated for the active-duty Air Force, which would add 8,900 Airmen. The Air National Guard would add about 1,100 members, while the Reserve would lose about 100, according to budget reporting. (airandspaceforces.com) (stripes.com) The Space Force would add 2,800 Guardians, bringing active-duty end strength to 13,200 under the proposal. Budget officials described that increase as the opening phase of a five-year plan to expand the service. (stripes.com) (airandspaceforces.com) Air Force leaders say the extra billets are aimed at maintainers and security forces, the jobs that keep aircraft repaired, fueled, guarded, and ready to launch. The same budget also raises weapons-system sustainment to $22.6 billion, including more depot work, contractor logistics support, and spare parts. (airandspaceforces.com) Space Force leaders are steering growth toward space operations, intelligence, cyber, and acquisition jobs. The service has about 10,400 uniformed Guardians today, and officials have argued that number is too small for rising demand and for countering Russia and China in orbit. (airandspaceforces.com) The hiring push comes after a recruiting rebound. The Air Force and Space Force said on April 16 that they had already hit their fiscal 2026 recruiting goals five months before the Sept. 30 deadline, contracting 32,000 new active-duty Airmen and Guardians. (spaceforce.mil) That turnaround followed a rougher stretch. After the Air Force missed its recruiting goal in 2023, officials expanded the recruiting force, changed recruiter training, and leaned on a larger delayed-entry pool; by June 2025, the department said it had met its annual recruiting goal three months early. (taskandpurpose.com) (af.mil) The money attached to that growth is rising too. Federal budget reporting says the Air Force’s military personnel account would climb to about $50 billion from nearly $48.5 billion, while the Space Force’s would rise to about $1.83 billion from $1.53 billion. (federalnewsnetwork.com) The budget is still a proposal, and Congress can rewrite force levels before the fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. For now, the clearest signal is that the Pentagon wants more Airmen and more Guardians on the payroll next year. (spaceforce.mil)