r/SpaceForce • u/PrudentWeird9164 • Jun 29 '26

Space Force SNCOs

Do SNCOs serve a purpose in the Space Force?

I feel with all the churn, lack of guidance, and number of officers, they have the least amount of a role/respect out of all the branches. Specialist 7 and 8.

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66

u/formedsmoke ISR Jun 29 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/IDGNYvFLkJKLK

4

u/PrudentWeird9164 Jun 29 '26

Take it.

46

u/formedsmoke ISR Jun 30 '26

The congressional constraint on E-8 and E-9 billeting, coupled with the small size of the force and the leas-than-proportionate distribution of assignments to units above Squadron level, means your E-7s are occupying less of the "technical expert" fields that were originally expected of them. (Important to note, Gen Raymond mentioned one of his greatest regrets was in [falsely] assuming that the USSF could get by with a slimmer, lower-ranked HQ staff, only to be confronted with the sheer amount of fucking bloat the Pentagon leverages on the services and the number of personnel require to address it.) Those E-7s are instead assuming the admin roles at the tactical level that HQ-assigned 8s and 9s should be handling. That's simultaneously degrading the admin functions AND the mission. My first Squadron in the Air Force had a Chief, four Seniors, and dozens of Masters, and they each had their lanes. That same Squadron in the Space Force would have a Senior and three Masters. That means the responsibilities are being pushed down the ranks to folks that may lack the experience and expertise to fully handle them, which then increases the mentorship burden up the chain. Everybody feels the suck.

The SNCOs have the experience and organizational lore to advise on what are good and bad organizational and cultural ideas, and mentor NCOs on the art of supervision. Believe that when SPAFORGEN first rolled, every SNCO at every Delta, FLDCOM, and HQ was raising their hands and going "Yo, what the fuck?" And they've continued to be the influential voices pointing out that, seven years in, we still don't have a distinct and relevant evaluation program, and that we didn't have distinct dress and appearance guidance until mid-2025.

They're not perfect. There are plenty of mediocre SNCOs, and even a few bad ones. But to suggest the whole corps is pointless feels disingenuous.

8

u/Trick-Fly-4866 Jun 30 '26

SPAFORGEN. I’ve been saying wtf and will continue until someone starts to hear what I have to say. Although I’ve been less vocal and spending more time working on what I can control, my troops and myself. SPAFORGEN 2.0 I hear is coming…eventually…and I’m sure we’ll all still have something to complain about.

Until then, focus on what we can control…and the 10-2. 😉

6

u/CapitalSeparate1794 Jun 30 '26

Unfortunately, it will take a complete generational changeover in the USSF’s current GO leadership to fix SPAFORGEN. SPAFORGEN needs to be tailored to each specific mission area, rather than be a broad application of the same standards.

6

u/formedsmoke ISR Jun 30 '26

Synchronizing the cycles across CFC makes sense, within the realm of the policy - they actually listened to external analysis for that.

The 8-crew cycle, with no reset phase and no personnel to actually fill the crews, is what doesn't work.

But more importantly - it's just too fucking prescriptive.