When U.S. Space Cmdr. Gen. John Raymond stood at a Pentagon podium shortly after the 100-day mark of the Space Force, he related that hand-washing and social distancing were keeping space professionals safe. Still, he barely touched on another effect of the coronavirus epidemic: personnel numbers.

“Today, there’s one person in the United States Space Force, and that’s me,” he said at the March briefing. “We’ve identified who the second airman will be, and that’s Chief Master Sgt. Towberman.”