US Army launches space operations branch to bolster multidomain dominance

The U.S. Army has created a dedicated Space Operations Branch, a structural shift meant to harden the force for modern, multidomain conflict and to give soldiers focused careers in space-related missions.

The new branch brings under one umbrella the Army’s Space Operations Officers—long managed as Functional Area 40—and enlisted Tactical Space Operations Specialists, a field recently codified as Military Occupational Specialty 40D. With the move, the Army is formalizing a professional pathway for troops who plan, protect, and deliver space-enabled effects for ground commanders.

“Land power requires warfighting expertise in all domains. What makes me proud is that our Army is not just building a capability, we’re growing professionals at every echelon,” said Gen. Christopher LaNeve, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff. “That’s what the 40D MOS is about—Soldiers delivering the foundational excellence our Joint Force depends on.”

Army leaders cast the branch as central to integrating space-based capabilities—such as precision navigation and timing, satellite communications, and missile warning—into maneuver across the force. The service emphasized the need for resilient space systems and counterspace tools to protect U.S. assets and blunt adversaries’ attempts to target joint forces from orbit, ensuring soldiers retain the initiative on the ground.

“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 Rafferty, commanding general, 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.”

The Army said the change should also ease strain on Air Defense Artillery, Signal, and Military Intelligence, which have been providing enlisted personnel for space missions on temporary assignments. By shifting those billets into a permanent space branch, the donor specialties can refocus soldiers on core requirements and fill critical vacancies.

Service officials noted that the Army already fields a vast number of space-enabled systems and is scaling its space force structure across formations such as multidomain task forces and theater strike effects groups. The Space Operations Branch is intended to produce “close space support” and “space interdiction” experts who can deploy with units and deliver effects tailored for tactical commanders.

Training will continue through existing pipelines at the Space and Missile Defense School, part of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Enlisted soldiers from E-3 through E-9 may seek reclassification to MOS 40D via a central selection board, with the transfer window opening in October 2026. Officers can continue to apply for FA40, including through the Assured Functional Area Transfer program after serving in their basic branch.

The move comes as the Pentagon continues to sort roles and responsibilities in space following the creation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019. While portions of Army space functions have transferred to the new service, the Army has retained substantial responsibilities to support ground forces directly—an integration the new branch is designed to accelerate.