Army Looks at Space Career Path for Soldiers
The U.S. Army might soon offer a space career field just for enlisted soldiers, which could boost their number of space experts and help them tackle modern tech challenges better.
At the Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, who leads the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, showed strong support for this idea on August 6. This plan, still waiting for top Army leaders to approve, aims to create a Space Military Occupational Specialty (MOS).
“It’s clear to me that our Army is missing a major piece of the puzzle when it comes to space operations: a dedicated military occupational specialty that allows NCOs [non-commissioned officers] as well as officers to specialize in space at the earliest stages of their career,” Gainey said.
Right now, only officers have a special career field for space stuff. Soldiers in space roles come from other areas like engineering, air defense, signals, or intelligence. The new MOS would let these soldiers focus on space operations throughout their careers instead of going back to their original fields after one tour.
The broader goal is to set up an Army space branch, which got more attention again after slowing down when the U.S. Space Force was created.
Gainey pointed out how important space capabilities are in today’s warfare, especially since every Army unit needs to be ready to deal with situations where GPS signals might be jammed or faked. A guidance document released in January called “Army Space Vision Supporting Multi Domain Operations” highlights how vital space systems are for ground warfare and notes that rival militaries are using more space-based surveillance.
“We can no longer continue to do business as usual,” Gainey said. “As we look out to 2030, we know that we have to grow our space capability.”
We should always think about new ways to keep up with changes in technology.
The Army is starting a pilot program to send “Theater Effects Strike Groups” to combatant commands. These groups will work on countering enemy satellites that threaten U.S. and allied forces.
These strike groups will use various methods to hide and protect units from enemy satellite views, helping keep tactical operations secret and effective.
