Upcoming Episode

• Acquisitions officer Col Rob Mishev ‘99 speaks on his experience bringing his ideas and skills from executive search and consulting into DoD innovation as a reservist

Pulse of the Wing

Space Force Training

With Gen Saltzman in the Springs for the 39th annual Space Symposium, I figured it was an appropriate time to discuss some recent changes he made to the Space Force (USSF) officer training pipeline. While filling out preferences, cadets will notice that there are no Space Force Specialty Codes (SFSCs) to indicate specific jobs within the USSF, but rather just an option to enter the USSF. Every newly pinned on USSF LT must first become a guardian. This means going through an 18-month training pipeline where they learn about the space enterprise as a whole. The active duty service commitment (ADSC) doesn’t start until training ends. This means getting familiar with all three potential jobs they could specialize in: intelligence, cyber, and satellite/radar operations before tracking into one.

OPINION - I know lots of cadets who immediately took USSF off their dream sheets as soon as they heard this announcement. I think that this change to requirements is a good thing for such a lean force because it ensures a few things: 1. people who apply really want to be apart of an important organization, there isn’t room for laggards in a lean, innovative, and adaptive organization like the USSF. 2. Because it doesn’t seem like there will be a Space Force Academy stood up any time soon, the Space indoctrination period is pretty important to help establish and maintain the culture. 3. Officers will be far better decision makers having knowledge in each of the three specialties. This goes against the regular division of labor that large bureaucratic organizations rely on, but the USSF is supposed to be agile.

I’m still a cadet without much to my name so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I am pleased to hear that the USSF is implementing things like this instead of having a one-size-fits-all approach. It shows that they really looked at the problem they are trying to solve and basing their decisions off that rather than be biased by regular military stereotypes.

Let me know what you make of all this at the email address below!