The Army\u2019s special operations forces are considering new tech roles and unit structures to complement their growing partnership with space and cyber personnel across the Defense Department, according to Army Special Operations Command\u2019s top general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of changes could be accomplished internally, though others, like any new jobs, would require Army approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga raised the potential moves when asked during a Wednesday Association of the U.S. Army event about lessons the Army SOF community is learning from the war between Russia and Ukraine, plus other recent conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Army Times also interviewed Braga via phone after the event, where he pitched a new irregular warfare triad that features SOF, space capabilities and cyber units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow we\u2019re organized was optimized for counter-terrorism, and we recognize that a lot of that has to change to be ready for large-scale combat operations,\u201d he said. \u201cI cannot imagine a future state of warfare that does not have more drone technology and an application of AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, the service\u2019s publicly acknowledged special operations forces don\u2019t have a clear career pathway for operators who are skilled in modifying and using small drones, 3D printing, AI and coding, or similar skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Braga wants to change that, and he says the options on the table extend to curriculum modifications at USASOC\u2019s schoolhouses and shifts in force structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re experimenting even with force design…What is the SOF unit of action of the future?\u201d he speculated. \u201cIs it two people and 20 drones? Is it one person and 100 drones?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 12-solder Operational Detachment-Alpha, the default unit of the service\u2019s Special Forces, is even up for review. Braga highlighted that its structure was set in 1952, when the three domains of warfare were land, sea and air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday, that same organization, that unit of action has to operate in land, sea and air, cyber and space and the information environment and do all the things they were doing previously,\u201d the USASOC commander said. ” So can you ask those same people to do all of those same things?…Those are the things I think we have to to really take a hard look at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the panel, Braga offered insight on where discussions to innovate USASOC tech talent management currently stand. He thinks that many of the people who could fill tech-centered roles are already in the SOF community \u2014 they just need a chance to specialize and advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have some amazing individuals who are building drones from scratch…programming drones, creating backdoors, 3D printing, learning Python on their own. These people already exist,\u201d he argued. \u201cWhat we don\u2019t have right now is a proper career field and pipeline for them to maintain that talent and reinforce that [technology in special operations] can still be a successful career [for them].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The general indicated the command is leaning towards proposing a warrant officer career field specializing in technology on the modern battlefield \u2014 with potential roles including \u201cdrone operator, drone integrator, drone builder, robotics, manned-unmanned teaming, leveraging artificial intelligence, coding, tactical cyber\u201d and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But because creating a new MOS requires significant study and Army-level approvals, \u201can immediate target\u201d is finding other ways to identify and retain tech-savvy soldiers, like through additional skill identifiers, Braga explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The USASOC chief isn\u2019t sure, though, whether such a future career field would need to be an 18-series MOS code alongside the other Special Forces troops, which require prospective members to pass selection and a rigorous qualification course. There\u2019s a chance that ongoing Army-wide efforts to integrate technology and small drone technology could \u201cadapt and absorb\u201d any ARSOF-specific role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI could envision a future where I would need and want and desire, an 18-series who might be needed to go further in the contact layer, and maybe do something that might be more physically demanding on a physical operation,\u201d explained Braga. \u201cI could envision someone who I don\u2019t need to do that…[they] might be a drone integrator, drone builder, drone operator, that could [fight] remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And although the analysis process for establishing a new career field can take time, Braga is confident that his command has the resources and flexibility to ensure that his operators have access to the skills and tech they need in the interim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USASOC controls three centers of excellence that produce its operators, plus \u201cwe own our whole warrant officer pipeline, we have a lot of flexibility,\u201d explained Braga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is where we\u2019re going…because I think we have to move out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Army Special Operations Command is looking for ways to build and develop tech expertise in its ranks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[100,23,92,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3376],"class_list":["post-20897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"6ATPY72UJRH2NMHMOI2KMJWGEY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2022\/07\/28\/new-mos-and-formations-could-come-to-army-spec-ops-in-tech-savvy-era\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n