U.S. Space Force makes history at Basic Military Training

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett bumps elbows with Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, United States Space Force chief of space operations, at the basic military training graduation Dec. 10, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Seven members of the graduating class were the first Space Force trainees to graduate. The number of Space Force trainees will continue to increase over time as processes for recruiting and training are solidified. Approximately 312 Space Force accessions will graduate from BMT this fiscal year. Currently all Space Force accessions will become Space Systems Operations specialists. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sarayuth Pinthong)

History was made here Dec. 10 as the first seven people to enlist directly into the U.S. Space Force graduated from Basic Military Training.

The five men and two women were among the 414 recruits who completed seven and a half weeks of training. Assigned to the 320th Training Squadron, their training began Oct. 20. The new Space Professionals are: Amy Biggers, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Giahna Brown, Woodbridge, Virginia; Delvano Brown, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Benjamin Nevoraski, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Shane Brown and Elijah Engelby, Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Nathan Ramage, Falcon, Colorado.

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett was the featured speaker at the graduation ceremony, which was streamed live on Facebook. She spoke to the graduates about joining a heritage of integrity, service and excellence, and mentioned three Airmen who represent those ideals. One of those Airmen was retired Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, who flew more than 30 different types of U.S. aircraft as an Air Force test pilot and then served 12 years as an astronaut.

The number of Space Force trainees will continue to increase over time as processes for recruiting and training are solidified, and the Space Force plans to recruit a little more than 300 enlisted members through the end of the fiscal year. There are currently another 13 trainees at BMT with seven more scheduled to arrive later this month.

Through January, all Space Force accessions will become Space Systems Operations specialists and in February, new accessions will join for positions in additional career fields such as operations intelligence and cyber systems operations.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond spoke to the graduates before administering the Oath of Enlistment. He said that while every Basic Military Training graduation ceremony was important, the one on Dec. 10 was historic as it was the first to send seven “of our nation’s finest directly into the new United States Space Force.”

Raymond challenged the seven Space Force Professionals.

Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander, Air Education and Training Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Erik Thompson, command chief of AETC, were also at the ceremony.

The seven Space Force Professionals will attend Space Systems Operations technical training at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Once that training is complete, they’ll perform a wide range of duties from detecting ballistic missiles and tracking satellites to assisting in rocket launches and space flight operations.