ARDMORE, Okla. (KTEN) — Matthew Vaile was initially hesitant about going into the military. Now, he's the first southern Oklahoma recruit in the United States Space Force.

His family encouraged him to look into the Air Force when he was unsure about the next step after high school.

After he took Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which predicts the best role for a military recruit,  the topic of the Space Force came up.

"They said with your ASVAB scores and the jobs you picked, you could get into the Space Force if you want to apply for that," Vaile said. "I did, and I got a job for it."

The Space Force used to be part of the Air Force as the Air Force Space Command. It became its own separate branch in 2019. Despite its name, the Space Force is not sending soldiers into orbit.

"It's a lot of stuff to do with satellites and communications, keeping eyes on our enemies, and transmitting information that is encrypted so nobody can pick up on that," said TSgt Daniel Knowlton, an Air Force recruiter.

Vaile's role will be in cyber operations.

"It performs activities and gathers evidence against foreign intelligence, and it makes sure that our communication is secured," he said.

Vaile leaves for basic training in San Antonio on March 7.