Space Force Adopts Selective Approach in Hiring New Coders

The Space Force is receiving an overwhelming number of applications for vacant coding positions as it looks to build a digital workforce, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond recently told the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

According to Raymond, a 2021 Wash100 winner and past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, the service branch is taking a more selective approach in its hiring process since there are more applicants than there are vacancies, FCW reported Wednesday.

The surge in coding applicants comes amid the Space Force’s push to go digital. 

Critical to the transition is developing an expert cadre of “supra coders” and enabling them to apply agile software practices and use artificial intelligence and data science, Raymond wrote in a testimony.

Embracing a digital culture and employing digitally minded and technologically-savvy personnel is a key goal outlined in the service’s “Vision for a Digital Service” document.

Raymond previously said that going digital will strengthen the Space Force’s capabilities to protect satellites from high-tech weapons such as electronic jammers and lasers. He believes that Space Force guardians must be digitally fluent, efficient and agile given the service’s relatively small size.

Onboarding new cyber talent has been a key focus for the Space Force since its inception. The service is looking to expand its cyber workforce by recruiting more specialized cyber personnel from the U.S. Cyber Command and the Air Force.

Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, deputy commander of the Space Operations Command, expects the service to stand up its own cyber protection teams in three to five years.