Nearly six years after the Space Force became the newest military branch, its guardians finally have a timeline for when they’ll be able to wear a new service dress uniform that is distinctive to the branch.
The Space Force plans to make its first service dress uniform available to guardians later this year with staged rollouts throughout in 2026, said Air Force spokesperson Maj. Kaitlin D. Holmes. Recruiters and military training instructors at boot camp will get the first wave, along with senior leaders and brand-new graduating Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets.
“The phased approach allows the Space Force to measure guardians for uniforms at specific locations, enables them to pre-order, and then ship the uniforms directly to guardians,” Holmes said on Tuesday. “This process prevents bottlenecks and keeps the uniform ordering and delivery efficient.”
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Currently, guardians are not required to wear the new service dress uniform, Holmes said. The uniform will remain optional until the Space Force determines when all guardians must wear it.
The uniform is the equivalent of the Air Force’s service dress uniform, Holmes said, which can be worn in daily office work and in more formal settings like change of command ceremonies. But the Space Force version will vary considerably from the modified “blues” uniforms most Space Force members wear today. It is made from a poly-wool blend with added Lycra fabric for stretch, comfort, and breathability,she said.
Guardians’ nametags will be optional for their shirts and not worn on their jackets, Holmes said. Based on wear-tester feedback for the final design, the uniform’s pants are no longer baggy. The uniform also has an optional skirt for women.
The first guardians who will be able to pre-order the service dress uniform for delivery in November will be recruiters, military training instructors, Honor Guard members, White House social aides, senior leaders, and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets slated to graduate in December.
By December, guardians will begin wearing the new uniform when graduating from basic military training and officer training school, Holmes said. Guardians serving in the National Capital Region are expected to receive their service dress uniforms by mid-December.
All other guardians can order the new uniform starting in November if they are stationed near military clothing stories, or beginning in January if they don’t have access to such stores, Holmes said. In both cases, they are expected to receive their uniforms starting in June.
The Space Force’s service dress uniform has undergone some changes since its prototype was first revealed in 2021. At the time, critics took issue with the uniform’s pants, which New York Times style writer Steven Kurutz described as “saggy and baggy and in serious need of tailoring.”
The day Kurutz’s column appeared online, Space Force posted on X: “We heard your feedback. New pants, new fit coming soon.”
Tuesday’s announcement comes on the heels of the Space Force’s new dress and appearance policy, which was released last month. The policy consolidated previous grooming and uniform standards for guardians and included updates from the last Space Force Uniform Board. “Each military service establishes grooming and dress standards based on its mission and the philosophy behind how it chooses to present itself,” Ann Stefanek, a Department of the Air Force spokesperson, told Task & Purpose in August. “The Space Force has tailored its uniforms and appearance standards to reflect its unique mission and operational demands. These standards are designed to ensure a professional military appearance while providing functionality for guardians operating across a range of mission environments.”
