Guardians wondering when they can expect to receive the Space Force’s long-awaited new service dress uniform need wonder no further, as officials shared a timeline for rolling out the threads.
All Guardians should be able to receive the uniform by June 2026, though select batches will get earlier access to avoid clogging the production and delivery process, a service spokesperson explained. Task & Purpose first reported the timeline earlier this week.
The first phase begins in November, when uniforms will be delivered to Guardians in highly visible positions such as recruiters, military training instructors, Honor Guard, White House social aides, senior leaders, and Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets due to graduate in December.
Guardians due to graduate basic military training or officer training school in December can expect to graduate in the new uniform, then Guardians in the National Capitol Region will receive them by mid-December.
Guardians stationed near military clothing sales stores can order the uniform between November and December and expect delivery by June 2026. All other Guardians without access to a store can start ordering online in January and also expect delivery in June.
Purchasing the new uniform is currently optional, with a mandatory wear date not to be established until it is in full production and widely available to all Guardians, the spokesperson said.
“Once this full sustainment is achieved, a mandatory wear date will be published, providing a minimum 12-month lead time,” they added.
The spokesperson explained that the service dress fabric is a poly-wool blend with Lycra elastic material “for stretch, comfort, and breathability.” Nametags are not worn on the jacket and are optional on the shirt. There is an optional skirt for women.
Most Guardians currently wear Air Force blues as theur service dress uniform, with a few Space Force-specific tweaks like a hexagonal name plate and buttons with the Space Force insignia.
The Space Force uniform journey began nearly four years ago when the duds were revealed at AFA’s 2021 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. While some mocked the uniform for its science fiction appearance and its then-baggy pants, then-Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond said in 2022 that the new look was a hit among Guardians during road tours to Space Force bases across the country, with an 81 percent favorable rating.
“If you get 81 percent on anything, it’s a home run,” he said at the time.
By fall 2023, more than 100 Guardians around the world began wearing the prototype three times per week for wear testing. Now the uniforms are about to become a reality for the entire force of 9,500 Guardians, along with the service’s first formal dress and appearance standards which came out last month. The standards are largely the same as those of the Air Force, but unlike Airmen, some Guardians can still wear “mission tabs” on their shoulders indicating their career field.
