The commander of the only Air Force Reserve wing dedicated to space said in a recent online address he sees challenges with the Space Force’s new model for part-time jobs — one of the career options for hundreds of local airmen as their unit winds down. 

Under a 2024 law, space-focused Air Force reservists can retire, transfer to other positions within the reserve, or apply for jobs in the Space Force, but they can’t stay in their current roles because the Space Force is absorbing their missions. 

Most space-focused reservists nationally work for the 310th Space Wing headquartered at Schriever Space Force Base, the unit slated for inactivation. 

The commander of the 310th Space Wing, Col. Adam Fisher, said in a YouTube message he met with Air Force and Space Force leaders during September to represent his airmen’s feedback on the new model for part-time workers rolled out by the Space Force in August. The part-time jobs are expected to include roles in test and evaluation, training support and education, and among headquarters staff. 

“Many Airmen in the 310th Space Wing are concerned that the system’s episodic design and the stated expectation that non-sustained guardians will return to full-time service does not offer the predictability of the traditional reserve model and lacks a long-term career path for part-time service; impacting their civilian careers,” Fisher said in response to written Gazette follow-up questions. 

The model will not allow for a part-time career, the way the Air Force Reserve does. It will also not be based on the weekend training model. 

“Your minimum participation can be 36 days, but the expected work schedule will be set by the hiring authority, and it may be Monday through Friday work,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Matthew E. Holston, the Space Force’s Personnel Management Act Integration director, in an August presentation. 

Katharine Kelley, deputy chief of Space Operations for Personnel, described the model in a Defense Scoop podcast as a way to retain talent as guardians face life changes such as starting a family or caring for an aging parent. 

Of the 500 airmen in the 310th Space Wing eligible for part-time positions, only 175 people have applied, Fisher said in a Thursday statement ahead of the Friday deadline.

When the Space Force was formed in 2019, the 310th Space Wing employed about 1,000 airmen that would have been eligible to transfer into the Space Force, Fisher said. As the unit has been preparing for inactivation that number has dwindled. About 800 people work for the wing. 

Across the wing, 200 airmen have transferred to other reserve positions and another 200 have left or retired from the Air Force Reserve, he said.

Those transferring from the wing into the Space Force will be placed into part-time positions for three years. But then they will need to recompete for full or part-time positions.

Air Force Reservists who transfer with 15 to 18 years of satisfactory service will be allowed to remain in a part-time work role until they qualify for retirement, the Air Force said in a news release. 

“Once retirement eligible, the member must participate in the Guardian Assignment Timeline for a full-time or part-time work role,” the statement said. 

The Space Force also has not set a floor for the number of part-time positions it will offer, Fisher noted in his video statement

Right now there are 812 part-time positions open, but there is nothing in policy or law to regulate that number. That does allow for flexibility in the Space Force, Fisher said, but it is challenging to understand what that would mean for guardians serving in part-time roles. 

As hundreds of additional airmen prepare to leave, the 310th’s Chief Master Sgt. Josh Francois said Air Force Reserve Command is preparing to help reservists and there is discussion about a direct placement memo that would allow airmen to be matched with other open positions without having to apply.

“We will be able to slide them right into that vacant position,” Francois said, provided there is interest and need.

Those jobs will likely require airmen to move and get extensive retraining, Fisher said. 

Right now, both wing leaders are focused on ensuring people who want to serve this nation can continue in the role that is right for them, Fisher said. 

“It’s very critical that if they have the ability to serve they find a way to do that. Again Space Force might not be for everybody and that’s OK,” Fisher said.  “Air Force Reserve might not be for everybody and that’s OK. There’s other services out there as well. We are here to assist.”