Overview
- The Army announced Thursday that it formally established the Space Operations Branch on June 12 to unify its space workforce.
- The branch consolidates longtime Army Space Operations officers (FA40) with a new enlisted specialty, MOS 40D, to create a single career field for space professionals.
- MOS 40D becomes effective Oct. 1, 2026, and eligible soldiers in grades E-3 through E-9 can request reclassification through a centralized selection board starting that month.
- The service plans roughly 1,000 initial 40D billets with potential growth to about 1,500 by 2032 and will continue training at the Space and Missile Defense School in Colorado Springs.
- Army leaders say the branch will deliver space effects to units at the tactical edge, ease manpower pressures on Air Defense Artillery, Signal and Military Intelligence branches, and help the service recruit and retain specialized space talent in the face of growing competition from peer adversaries.