USAF leaders tell airmen not to expect immediate change in wake of 'Space Force' announcement

Air Force leaders told airmen this week the process to establish a Space Force, at the direction of President Trump, will be "thorough, deliberate and inclusive."

In a message to airmen delivered Tuesday night, officials said the service does not expect any immediate changes as a result of Trump's announcement this week that he would direct the Pentagon to create a new military service for space, which he called the Space Force.

"We look forward to working with Department of Defense leaders, Congress, and our national security partners to move forward on this planning effort," the message states. "Our focus must remain on the mission as we continue to accelerate the space warfighting capabilities required to support the National Defense Strategy."

Air Force leadership has been resistant to the prospect of separating the space mission from the service's other primary missions, and has pushed back on proposals from the House Armed Services Committee to create a "Space Corps," which would likely be modeled off of the Marine Corps.

It is unclear whether the White House has released guidance following the president's direction or if Pentagon leadership knew about the announcement before it was made on Monday.