Announced in early May, a new Army enlisted military occupational specialty, 40D, Space Operations Specialist is set to begin recruiting serving Soldiers for around 900 positions. The new MOS is a nonaccessions MOS and only available to those in grades E4-E9.
Soldiers interested in transitioning to MOS 40D must have a minimum of two years of prior service in another MOS and the ability to obtain a Top Secret security clearance.
Creation of the MOS was needed as the Army continues to increase its reliance of space-based assets. Currently, the Army currently has commissioned officers in functional area 40A as its permanent space cadre and this move will help round out the force and increase tactical and technical expertise as the service enables its vision to support multidomain operations. In particular, the Army updating space doctrine and developing its counter-space capability by fielding new EW systems.
“Establishing the Space Operations MOS is a zero-growth effort,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). “A space enlisted MOS will help stabilize career progression and retention for Soldiers and NCOs who temporarily leave their current MOSs for three years to support space operations.”
They will learn all aspects of space operations and global missile defense, thereby becoming the best possible senior enlisted advisors.
Personnel previously “loaned” to the space community will transition back to air defense, signal, and intelligence units, but the manpower authorizations will convert to space operations for accessions open to every MOS in the Army.
The new MOS is expected to become formalized in October of 2026. In the meantime, Soldiers will attend Initial Qualification Training and Additional Skill Identifier 3Y.
A Soldier with 18th Space Company, 1st Space Brigade, operates a miniaturized tactical space system in a small tactical vehicle guarded by a British Army Special Operations Brigade soldier during Project Convergence Capstone 4 experimentation at White Sands Missile Range, Feb. 28, 2024. (US Army photo by Brooke Nevins)
Meanwhile, the Army plans to deactivate two space control companies in the 1st Space Brigade and simultaneously activate two space control companies in the planned Theater Strike Effects Groups, the first of which will be embedded with Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in October, 2027. As far as enabling systems go, the Army has fielded five of the Tactical Integrated Ground Suite Version 2 (TIGS V2) which are manportable electronic attack systems. TIGS V2 was developed based upon the Broadband Advanced Ground Radio (BAdGR) effort by SMDC.
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