The Space Force is offering a $25,000 bonus to recruits who commit to at least eight years of active duty under a program announced Monday.

The program, which runs through Nov. 30, is open to all incoming recruits, regardless of their chosen specialty, and is capped at 100 enlistees.

"As a highly technical service, the Space Force must continue to adapt how we recruit, develop, and retain talent," Katharine Kelley, deputy chief of space operations for personnel, said in a news release. "This pilot program supports long-term readiness by giving Guardians greater stability at the start of their careers while ensuring the Service benefits from their expertise after extensive technical training."

The Space Force requires recruits to complete extensive technical training before they begin operational missions. But the service said traditional four- and six-year enlistments "have limited the operational experience the member and the service receives once training is complete."

Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna said in the release that the eight-year commitment offers recruits an incentive "to make a profound commitment to our mission."

"In return, we are building the enduring stability and deep technical mastery required to secure our nation's interests in, from and to space for the long haul," he said.

The $25,000 bonus will be paid after recruits complete technical training.

The announcement came a day before the Government Accountability Office issued a report that found the Space Force faced a personnel shortfall of about 25% in fiscal 2025 "when comparing assigned personnel with total personnel requirements."

The GAO said the Space Force should update its methods for determining its personnel requirements after finding units were inconsistent in their efforts to assess how many Guardians they needed to conduct operations.

Some units have been operating with outdated personnel requirements that date to those units' responsibilities in their former military branches and that "do not reflect mission growth," according to the report.

The GAO suggested the Space Force establish a "comprehensive strategic workforce plan" to determine exactly how many Guardians, civilian employees, and contractors it needs to support its growing mission.

"Without such a plan, the Space Force may not be able to systematically plan for and manage a workforce that meets current and future mission needs," the report stated.

The Space Force, created in 2019 during President Donald Trump's first term, is the Department of War's smallest military branch, with about 10,000 Guardians and 5,000 civilian employees. The service plans to increase its military strength to about 13,200 troops in fiscal 2027, according to a budget proposal sent to Congress in April.

The Space Force also plans to nearly double its budget next year, from about $40 billion to about $72.2 billion, as it seeks to build up space-based missile defense systems and compete with China's expanding space operations.