Hundreds of soldiers transfer to newly created jobs in robotics and space

Hundreds of soldiers officially switched jobs into two new career fields in the Army last week, a major shift as the force works to adapt to new technologies. About 600 soldiers transferred into a job created specifically for space operations, while warrant officers became the first to graduate from a new robotics and autonomous weapons course.

The troops joined two new military occupational specialties, MOSs, on Oct. 1. The 40D Tactical Space Operations Specialist is an enlisted MOS, meant to support the Army’s expanding space operations. More than 600 soldiers working in various fields were reclassified into the new role.

Meanwhile, 10 warrant officers were the first to become 390A Robotics Technicians, graduating from the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, following a 19-week training course. The new technicians will operate within Army special operations. 

Special Operations first to get robot-focused soldiers

Army Special Operations Command confirmed it was developing the new career field in the fall of 2024. The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School’s commander, Maj. Gen. Jason Slider told Task & Purpose the intent of the new job is to have soldiers within formations who are experts in robotics and autonomous operations to operate new weapons and advise leaders.

At Friday’s graduation, Slider said the new warrant officers serve as a “systems architect.”

The new robotics techs went through a 19-week-long course, which included coding, operating uncrewed systems and how to counter them, as well as how to create autonomous systems that can navigate using onboard sensors rather than relying on GPS or radio signals. According to the Army, the course concluded with soldiers having to design, print and code a new robotics system under “tactical field conditions.”

Soldiers in the MOS will not be assigned as a member of a core 12-man Special Forces “A-team” nor face Special Forces selection, but will be assigned to units in Army special operations fields to start.

The Army is already working to grow the number of soldiers in the new MOS. On Oct. 1, the acting Secretary of the Army ordered that manning slots by created for 390A soldiers, as well as the 15X (Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Specialists) MOS, in “all applicable Army units.”

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to create a new four-star command, the Autonomous Warfare Command. In a memo the following day, Army leadership ordered a series of steps to help facilitate acquiring and fielding autonomous systems into formations. The directive calls for integrating autonomous capabilities into armor, sustainment, training and fires formations, among others.

Push to fill roles in new Space Operations branch

After about 3,000 soldiers applied over the summer to reclassify into a new space job, the first 600 soldiers selected officially started last week as 40D Tactical Space Operations Specialists. They join the existing 40A field, made up of officers, as part of the Army’s Space Operations Branch.

The Army announced the new branch in June as a new, independent arm of the Army, akin to infantry, aviation, or the chemical corps. Along with reclassifying the 600 soldiers, the Army announced the branch’s new insignia, which features the Earth with a sword and arrow behind it, encircled by a lightning bolt-like ring.

The initial 40D members are drawn from air defense artillery, the Signal Corps, and military intelligence, the Army said. Soldiers in the new career field train at the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Roles in the branch include satellite operations, missile warning systems, and GPS tracking.

“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,” Col. Felix Torres, commandant of the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence, said in the Army’s announcement. He said soldiers will train in satellite communications, stratospheric warfare, navigation warfare, and countersensing. “The education and training we provide is not provided anywhere else.” 

Previously, the Army relied on soldiers in other fields to temporarily work space-focused assignments. These short-term stints made it hard to build expertise in the fields, the Army said.