Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Army field commanders will soon benefit from the integration of space systems and products, thanks to the expertise of space operations officers.

One of the Army’s newest officer functional areas or, FA, Space Operations, is designed to meet Army requirements into the 21^st century. It will be known as FA 40 and will be part of the Information Operations career field.

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Force Development and Integration Center or, FDIC, is responsible for the command’s proponency and integration efforts. The FDIC has developed the space operations functional area to give commanders a bench of officers who are space-knowledgeable.

"As we transition to space as our fourth operating medium, the use of space-based assets has become essential to virtually every Army operation, from tactical to strategic levels," said Col. Robert K. Billings, director of SMDC’s FDIC.

FA 40 officers will provide future commanders with the staff expertise necessary to fully exploit the space component of information operations. This will enhance a command’s ability to task, collect, process and act on space-based products, information, and warnings.

According to the new Officer Personnel Management System XXI, FA 40 officers will deal with activities regarding warfighting implications of space operations. This includes communications, command and control, position navigation, weather, terrain, and environmental monitoring satellites, to satellite-based intelligence collection and surveillance operations, joint space activities, information operations, and future applications for space support as they are identified and developed.

The OPMS XXI projects a large number of FA 40 jobs will be located within joint commands. They will be assigned into the joint arena as they progress through more responsibilities.

Besides basic leadership and management skills, the OPMS XXI says that a space operations officer must develop a significant understanding of orbital mechanics, mathematics, and physics, as well as an aptitude for automation technology and engineering. An officer with a degree in astronautical or aeronautical engineering, mathematics, remote sensing, satellite communications, or physics would be a primary candidate for FA 40 selection. Officers whose basic branch is air defense, signal corps, military intelligence, engineer, and field artillery would also be excellent FA 40 candidates.

An officer who is either selected or volunteers for FA 40 could expect to serve in Army and joint staff assignments, theater space planner positions, satellite watch officer positions, Army space support teams as team leader, branch or division chief in SMDC's FDIC, or staff officer assigned to the Army Space Command, the U.S. Space Command or the North American Air Defense Command.