Space is the ultimate high ground, and the US Army just put out a call for a new type of soldier to keep watch on the walls.
America’s oldest military branch opened applications this week for a new type of military occupational specialty (MOS): Tactical Space Operations Specialist. Applications are open to enlisted soldiers with ranks between specialist and sergeant major, and the Army is forecasting an initial force of 1,000 in the specialty, which could grow to 1,500 by 2032.
Space cadets: The announcement creates a new career path for soldiers with interests in space, and gives the Army an opportunity to hold onto space expertise.
The soldiers in the specialty will be expected to perform a range of activities to support troops during conflicts that are increasingly reliant on space-based technologies.
- Soldiers will be expected to deny, disrupt, and degrade adversarial operations through electromagnetic means, and counter space domain threats during a crisis.
- Training will take place at the US Army Space and Missile Defense School in Colorado Springs, CO, and will prep soldiers for high-altitude and missile-defense missions.
Over the top: Applicants should note that this new MOS isn’t a way to get out of going abroad. Soldiers will be embedded with warfighting units, and potential assignments include US Army commands in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Europe, as well as locations in the US.
“Army space soldiers must be on the ground to provide effects to the warfighter, and operate in deep-enemy and extended-deep areas,” US Army Space and Missile Defense Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley said in a statement. “We need them on the front edge of the fight within the space domain, which is 24/7.”
Applications are open until Apr. 30, and selectees will begin training on Oct. 1.
