ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --
Editor’s Note: This story was published Nov. 12, 2025
The United States Space Force recently completed its first Regional Space Advisor selection board, held Oct. 14-17, 2025. The board reviewed officers in the grades of O-3 to O-5 fit to be Regional Space Advisors, Guardian leaders deliberately developed to enhance USSF capabilities, evolve and expand partnerships to strengthen relationships, secure common interests, and promote shared values in space.
In the CY25 board, the Space Force selected over 100 Guardians, 51 for the Regional Space Advisor Academics Course, and 54 awarded constructive credit for prior international affairs/security cooperation work experience.
“The RSA program is important as RSAs are the only international affairs workforce in the USSF,” said Maj. Joseph Babitsky, Headquarters Space Force, Global Partnerships Division Regional Space Advisor program manager. “While other services have Foreign Area Officer career fields, until now, the USSF has not had its own international affairs or security cooperation workforce.”
While not a separate career field as with the other services, USSF RSAs will be expected to serve as the Space Force’s contribution to the larger IA/SC community across the joint force. RSAs will complete extensive training through the Defense Security Cooperation University and RSAAC, currently under development by the National Security Space Institute and will begin training RSAs in 2026.
As stated in the USSF’s International Partnership Strategy, “our greatest asymmetric strategic advantage is the global network of allies and partners and like-minded nations who remain committed to security and stability in space.” Guardians with an enhanced understanding of the international security environment, as well as the programs and mechanisms available to strengthen partnerships in the space domain, are vital to the success of the Space Force.
According to the selection memo, RSAs will serve in specific RSA-designated assignments based on the needs of the USSF. They will help build partnerships with military, civil, and commercial organizations in partner nations to actualize CSO Planning Guidance to “Expand Cooperation to Enhance Prosperity and Security” in the space domain. Space Force Doctrine Document 1 states that, “mission success and the ability to prevail against our strategic competitors is unattainable without robust foreign partnerships,” and RSAs are charged with ensuring that the USSF will achieve strength through partnerships.
“Guardians trained as RSAs are expected to represent the service and the nation on the international stage in assignments that utilize their unique skills, such as serving as a liaison officer or exchange officer to an allied nation, at the Pentagon creating international affairs policy, and integrating our allies and partners into our acquisitions processes, to name a few types of the billets RSAs are currently filling,” Babitsky said.
The USSF conducted the selection process through a central board run by the Enterprise Talent Management Office, which included a panel of five colonels, one from each Space Force specialty code, as well as a brigadier general board president. Guardians submitted applications through MyVector for consideration and panel members scored applicants on their fitness for the program.
“The RSA program was only open for O-3 to O-5 applicants this year, but Headquarters Space Force Global Partnerships Division, which manages the program, is exploring the possibility of opening it up to senior non-commissioned officers and civilians as the scope of the program and international affairs workforce requirements increase,” Babitsky said.
The list of selectees can be found on myFSS (CAC required). For more information on the RSA program, please see Space Force Instruction 16-116; Regional Space Advisor Program.
