Soldiers Join New Space Operations Branch

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - More than 600 Soldiers reclassified to the new 40D Tactical Space Operations Specialist MOS, Oct. 1, 2026.

These Soldiers join the new Army Space Operations branch and become the newest warfighters in the space domain.

"We had nearly 3,000 Soldiers apply, and selected over 600 of the most capable, professional Soldiers in the Army," said Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson, command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. "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."

While the 40D enlisted and 40A officer branch designations are new, the Army's legacy in space is not. On Oct. 1, 1984, the five-person Army Staff Field Element was established to to formulate policy and monitor space-related education. This transitioned Army space from a technology development endeavor to creating doctrine and executing operations. 40A and 40D Soldiers represent the evolution, rather than the advent, of Army space operations.

Previously, the Army transferred Soldiers from other MOSs to temporarily fill Army space operations assignments- only to lose their expertise and institutional knowledge when they returned to their home branch. Army space operations demand trained and ready Soldiers who can advise maneuver commanders operating in and through contested space environments to project power on and from the land. The 40D MOS creates a permanent supply of enlisted space Soldiers to fulfill the requirements of the Army and the joint force.

"The Army is the largest user of space capabilities in the joint force, and space integration is absolutely critical to multidomain operations at every echelon," said Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. "Establishing the Space Operations Branch is an important step in the Army's continuous transformation. It provides the Army with the professional structure to deliver space-based effects directly to our Soldiers and units at the tactical edge enabling commanders to fight and win in a contested, multidomain environment."

To meet the joint force's growing demand, 40D Soldiers undergo a rigorous training regimen 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," said Col. Felix Torres, commandant of the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence "The education and training we provide is not provided anywhere else."

Ultimately, the Space Operations Branch codifies what Army space Soldiers have provided for decades, while evolving formations to rapidly meet the demands of the Army and the joint force.

The 40A and 40D Soldiers fill critical Army Space operations assignments at echelon in units across the Army. For example, Soldiers in the 1st Space Brigade incorporate critical space-based capabilities such as theater missile warning, GPS and long-haul satellite communications into warfighter planning efforts, advising maneuver commanders to fight and win in and through a contested and degraded space operating environment.

"The 1st Space Brigade is the Army's only purely space-focused organization that does space operations and interdiction at the brigade level," said Col. Michael Dyer, commander of the 1st Space Brigade.

"Our value proposition to the Army and joint force has grown exponentially, and that's only going to increase as we continue to face adversaries with space capabilities."

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