Posted on Aug 22, 2022
If Special Forces adds an 18R Special Forces Robotics Sergeant to the ODA, will the ODA be larger or will an MOS be removed or merged?
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I heard the 18R idea discussed on The Indigenous Approach, a podcast put out by 1st SF Command.
Posted in these groups: Intelligent Robotic Systems
Special Forces
Special Forces
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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It's still at the proof of concept stage. No where near the point where it will effect T/O&E or manpower. Eventually it will most likely be an added billet just like the other respective positions. It will most likely start out as a co-lateral or secondary billet in addition to what they already have ongoing. If it proves useful to be it's own field it may evolve. It's still super early in the testing phase.
https://www.army.mil/article/254558/army_special_operations_forces_use_project_origin_systems_in_latest_soldier_experiment
https://www.army.mil/article/254558/army_special_operations_forces_use_project_origin_systems_in_latest_soldier_experiment
Army Special Operations Forces use Project Origin systems in latest Soldier experiment
DUGWAY, Utah — Army Green Berets from the 1st Special Forces Group conducted two weeks of hands-on experimentation with Project Origin Unmanned Systems...
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If you hang around in SF command long enough you'll see they talk about changing everything all the time. The way they talk it always sounds like these changes are right around the corner but they never materialize. For instance, they were pitching a graded scale of special pays for multiple qualifications like JM and Ranger. That was six years ago and it still hasn't happened.
SF Command is a huge bureaucracy, there's about 25,000 Green Berets in the Army and there's a lot of resistance to change. Add all the retired SF Officers and NCOs who still work at SWC and USASOC, and you have a lot of culture behind you. Talking about changing the layout of an SF team would cause a huge amount of pushback from those people.
A more likely outcome is that someone will dedicate one one team to being a robotics team, just like we have dive teams, maritime teams, mobility teams, and free fall teams. Or, one of the battalions will set up a robotics section and either attach a support guy or let the teams sign one out.
SF Command is a huge bureaucracy, there's about 25,000 Green Berets in the Army and there's a lot of resistance to change. Add all the retired SF Officers and NCOs who still work at SWC and USASOC, and you have a lot of culture behind you. Talking about changing the layout of an SF team would cause a huge amount of pushback from those people.
A more likely outcome is that someone will dedicate one one team to being a robotics team, just like we have dive teams, maritime teams, mobility teams, and free fall teams. Or, one of the battalions will set up a robotics section and either attach a support guy or let the teams sign one out.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
Changing the layout of the ODA has been done before though, right? I understand there used to be both Heavy Weapons and Light Weapons Sergeants.
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SFC (Join to see)
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA I'm sure over the last 50+ years they've made a few changes, but they also effectively shut down SF for a while and then started them back up years later. Even when you look at the SFODA makeup as far back as Vietnam it was still a 12 man team with almost the exact same positions. The former XO position is now a Warrant position and instead of heavy and light weapons, it's a junior and senior weapons.
What SF usually does when they want to add a capability is to add augmentees. They get augmented with Psyops, CA, drone operators, dogs and dog handlers, and even CBRN.
Here's an excerpt detailing the SFODA composition in Vietnam:
The 12-man SFODA was the primary unit employed in Vietnam. It consisted of
the following positions: a commanding officer, an executive officer, an operations
sergeant, a heavy weapons leader, a light weapons leader, an engineer sergeant, a medical
specialist, an assistant medical specialist, a radio operator supervisor, a chief radio
operator, an intelligence specialist, and an assistant intelligence sergeant.
What SF usually does when they want to add a capability is to add augmentees. They get augmented with Psyops, CA, drone operators, dogs and dog handlers, and even CBRN.
Here's an excerpt detailing the SFODA composition in Vietnam:
The 12-man SFODA was the primary unit employed in Vietnam. It consisted of
the following positions: a commanding officer, an executive officer, an operations
sergeant, a heavy weapons leader, a light weapons leader, an engineer sergeant, a medical
specialist, an assistant medical specialist, a radio operator supervisor, a chief radio
operator, an intelligence specialist, and an assistant intelligence sergeant.
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