US Army transfers 600 enlisted soldiers to Space Operations Branch

The U.S. Army bolstered its Space Operations Branch by 600 soldiers, the service recently announced, officially creating the branch’s first permanent enlisted cadre. The soldiers, drawn from across the force, voluntarily applied and were selected to reclassify as MOS 40D Tactical Space Operations Specialists, the Army said. “We had nearly 3,000 soldiers apply, and selected over 600 of the most capable, professional soldiers in the Army,” Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson, command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said in the release. “We drew talent from Military Intelligence, Air Defense Artillery and the Signal Corps, but the 40D MOS is open for anyone to apply. “Ultimately, we are looking for soldiers who master their current jobs and consistently stand apart from their peers.”The Army announced in January that it was opening applications for the specialty to soldiers in grades E-4 through E-9 across the active-duty Army, National Guard and Army Reserve.Previously, the service temporarily pulled soldiers from other specialties to help with space operations. However, the soldiers’ experience was often lost when they returned to their original branches. “For too long, enlisted soldiers with specialized space training and experience rotated through critical space assignments, eventually returning to their basic branches,” Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said in a separate release. “The rotational system served the U.S. Army well in the past but will not meet the demands of the future, which requires a professional and sustainable approach to training, career progression and leader development for Army Space soldiers.The Army’s Space Operations Branch was officially established in June, bringing together the newly-created enlisted occupational specialty and functional area 40As, the Army’s Space Operations Officers. Though 40As have been part of the force since 1999, they have not had enlisted peers until now. The newly minted Tactical Space Operations Specialists will receive training at the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado.“Our space operations soldiers bring unmatched value to the Army and joint force because of the education and training they receive to execute space integration and interdiction missions — specifically counter-SATCOM, stratospheric warfare, navigation warfare and counter-sensing,” Col. Felix Torres, commandant of the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence, said in the release. Space systems, the Army said, help soldiers with navigation, weather, communication and early warnings. Soldiers in the 1st Space Brigade, the Army’s only singularly-focused space unit, have theater missile warning capabilities and long-distance satellite communications, for example. Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.