美国陆军最近宣布，已向其太空作战部门增派了600名士兵，从而正式组建了该部门的首支常设士兵队伍。这些士兵是从全军范围内选拔出来的，他们自愿申请并经过严格考核后被重新归类为“MOS 40D战术太空作战专家”。
The U.S. Army bolstered its Space Operations Branch by 600 soldiers, the service recently announced, officially creating the branch’s first permanent enlisted cadre. The soldiers, drawn from across the force, voluntarily applied and were selected to reclassify as MOS 40D Tactical Space Operations Specialists, the Army said. “We had nearly 3,000 soldiers apply, and selected over 600 of the most capable, professional soldiers in the Army,” Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Jackson, command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said in the release.
美国陆军太空与导弹防御司令部的指挥军士长里基·杰克逊在声明中表示：“共有近3000名士兵申请了这个职位，我们最终选出了600名最优秀、最具专业能力的士兵。这些人才来自军事情报部队、防空炮兵部队以及信号兵团；不过任何级别的士兵（E-4至E-9）都可以申请这个职位。我们真正需要的是那些能够精通本职工作、并在工作中始终表现出色的士兵。”
“We drew talent from Military Intelligence, Air Defense Artillery and the Signal Corps, but the 40D MOS is open for anyone to apply. “Ultimately, we are looking for soldiers who master their current jobs and consistently stand apart from their peers.”The Army announced in January that it was opening applications for the specialty to soldiers in grades E-4 through E-9 across the active-duty Army, National Guard and Army Reserve.
此前，陆军曾临时从其他部队抽调士兵来协助太空作战任务，但这些士兵在返回原部队后往往无法保留他们的专业技能和经验。美国陆军太空与导弹防御司令部司令约翰·L·拉弗蒂中将指出：“长期以来，拥有专业太空训练和经验的士兵虽然被派往关键太空岗位工作，但最终仍会回到原来的部队。这种轮岗制度在过去确实发挥了作用，但已无法满足未来的需求——未来需要为陆军太空作战人员提供系统化、专业化的培训体系、职业发展路径以及领导力培养机制。”
Previously, the service temporarily pulled soldiers from other specialties to help with space operations. However, the soldiers’ experience was often lost when they returned to their original branches. “For too long, enlisted soldiers with specialized space training and experience rotated through critical space assignments, eventually returning to their basic branches,” Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said in a separate release. “The rotational system served the U.S. Army well in the past but will not meet the demands of the future, which requires a professional and sustainable approach to training, career progression and leader development for Army Space soldiers.
陆军太空作战部门于6月份正式设立，该部门整合了新设立的士兵职业专长以及负责太空作战的40A类军官。虽然40A类军官自1999年起便已编入陆军编制，但直到现在才有了对应的士兵编制。
The Army’s Space Operations Branch was officially established in June, bringing together the newly-created enlisted occupational specialty and functional area 40As, the Army’s Space Operations Officers. Though 40As have been part of the force since 1999, they have not had enlisted peers until now.
这些新招募的战术太空作战专家将在科罗拉多州科罗拉多斯普林斯的太空与导弹防御卓越中心接受训练。
The newly minted Tactical Space Operations Specialists will receive training at the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“经过专门培训后，我们的太空作战士兵能够出色完成各类太空整合与拦截任务，包括反卫星通信、平流层作战、导航战以及反侦察行动，从而为陆军及联合作战部队带来无可替代的价值，”太空与导弹防御卓越中心指挥官费利克斯·托雷斯上校在新闻稿中说道。
“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 — specifically counter-SATCOM, stratospheric warfare, navigation warfare and counter-sensing,” Col. Felix Torres, commandant of the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence, said in the release.
据陆军介绍，各类太空系统可协助士兵完成导航、气象监测、通信联络以及预警工作。
Space systems, the Army said, help soldiers with navigation, weather, communication and early warnings.
例如，隶属于陆军唯一专门负责太空任务的部队——第一太空旅的士兵们便具备战区导弹预警能力以及远距离卫星通信能力。
Soldiers in the 1st Space Brigade, the Army’s only singularly-focused space unit, have theater missile warning capabilities and long-distance satellite communications, for example.