Trump Budget Calls for More Airmen, Guardians in 2026

Over half a million troops would serve in the Air Force and Space Force in 2026, the Trump administration said last week, keeping the workforce essentially flat as Airmen and Guardians tackle a growing list of missions around the globe.

The Air Force would gain nearly 3,300 active-duty Airmen and almost 1,700 in the reserve components under the president’s budget plan, for modest growth of about 1 percent across the total force, according to new details published by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. The Space Force would gain 326 Guardians, an increase of about 3 percent over 2025.

In total, the active-duty Air Force would grow to 321,500 Airmen, while the Space Force would hit 10,400 Guardians for its highest end strength since the smallest military branch was founded in 2019.

If enacted, the increase would mark the third-straight year of active-duty growth since 2024, when nearly 316,000 Airmen and 9,500 Guardians were in uniform. The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are also poised for slight increases to 67,500 and 106,300 Airmen, respectively.

All told, the Department of the Air Force would encompass 505,700 troops across the active-duty, Reserve and Guard. That’s nearly 5,300 more service members than the Air Force and Space Force currently employ. Overall, the U.S. military would grow to 1.3 million active-duty troops—an increase of less than 1 percent compared to 2025.

It’s unclear what missions the additional air and space personnel would perform. A spokesperson for the Department of the Air Force, which encompasses the two services, declined to provide more details on its workforce because the Pentagon has not fully released its 2026 budget draft.

The plan to grow comes as the Department of the Air Force appears to have reversed its recruiting woes of the past few years. The proposed uptick in uniformed personnel also stands in contrast to the Pentagon’s effort to slash its civilian workforce in tandem with the rest of the federal government, alleging cost savings and improved productivity.

The Department of the Air Force expects to lose about 12,600 civilian staffers, or 6 percent of its civilian workforce, to resignations and retirements spurred by the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts. The purge disproportionately affects the Space Force, in which civilians comprise about one-third of the total staff.

The White House has noted in budget documents that its estimates may not reflect all of the “management and administrative actions underway or planned in federal agencies.”

After service members landed pay raises over 4 percent for three years in a row—including a 14.5 percent bump for junior enlisted in April—the Trump administration is calling for a 3.8 percent raise starting Jan. 1, 2026. Other benefits, like the tax-free housing allowance, are valued at an additional $85,700 per person for enlisted troops and $146,100 for officers in 2026, the White House said. 

The Defense Department is expected to publish more specifics later this month on how it would spend $892.6 billion in discretionary funding next year.