{"id":24233,"date":"2019-03-05T00:23:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T00:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/05\/space-force-would-be-by-far-the-smallest-military-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:45:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:45:32","slug":"space-force-would-be-by-far-the-smallest-military-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2019\/03\/05\/space-force-would-be-by-far-the-smallest-military-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Force would be by far the smallest military service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Trump administration\u2019s proposed Space Force, which faces an uncertain fate in Congress<\/a>, would be the smallest military service \u2014 by far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details of the Pentagon\u2019s proposal <\/a>released Friday show the new service would have about 15,000 personnel<\/a>, including an unspecified number of civilians, but would begin in 2020 as only a headquarters of about 200. The proposal was submitted Wednesday to Congress, which must authorize the new service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space Force would be the first new military service since an independent Air Force was established in 1947 as part of a broad reorganization of the government’s military and intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space Force would reside within the Department of the Air Force<\/a>, similar to how the Marine Corps exists within the Department of the Navy. It would have its own chief of staff, a four-star general who would answer to the secretary of the Air Force, currently Heather Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently the smallest branch of the armed forces is the Coast Guard, which has about 40,000 active-duty members in uniform and is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The second-smallest service, the Marine Corps, has 186,000. The biggest military service is the Army, with 487,500 active-duty members.<\/p>\n\n\n\t