Setting SHORAD up For Failure

FY24 NDAA’s Odd Omission

By First Lieutenant Alexander Philip Mosher, U.S. Army

Article published on: September 1, 2025 in Air Defense Artillery Bulletin 2025 E-Edition

Read Time:< 6 mins

Ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and Middle East have left little doubt over Air Defense’s status as a combat arms branch. As the DoD continues to both deter and prepare for near-peer threats in Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) environments, the integration of Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD) with maneuver forces has become a non-negotiable precondition of readiness. Fitness is yet another precondition of readiness, especially for combat arms. Congress recognized this fact in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (FY24 NDAA) which mandated that the Secretary of the Army increase minimum fitness scores for close combat Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) no later than 18 months after its enactment (i.e. June 2025). The Secretary of Defense likewise recognized this, leading to raised PT standards for ‘combat specialties’ in the new Army Fitness Test (AFT). Neither the NDAA nor the AFT include any Air Defense MOS’s among the combat MOSs with raised standards. ¹ , ² This article examines the relevant portion of FY24 NDAA and argues certain Air Defense MOS’s should be included in raised minimum fitness standards.

FY24 NDAA’s Fitness Requirements in Context

FY24 NDAA is widely acknowledged as a compromise NDAA, with members of Congress and the Senate clashing over various ‘culture war’ issues. ³ One of the controversies, although not of the culture war, was the implementation of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). After concerns from lawmakers over the ACFT’s low passing standards. ⁴ SEC 577 of the FY24 NDAA mandated:

Not later than 18 months [June 2025] after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall implement increased minimum fitness standards as part of the Army Combat Fitness Test for all soldiers of the following military occupational specialties or areas of concentration:

11A, 11B, 11C, 11Z, 12A, 12B, 13A, 13F, 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D, 18E, 18F, 18Z, 19A, 19C, 19D, 19K, 19Z

(b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 365 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army provided a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives describing the methodology used to establish standards under subsection (a). ⁵

The Act designated certain MOS’s of the Infantry, Engineer Branch, Field Artillery, Special Forces and Armor as close combat. ⁶ It appears that MOS’s were selected from their respective branches on the likelihood of being within combat. For example, the list includes 12Bs (Combat Engineers) but does not include 12Ns (Horizontal Construction Engineers). Although 12As (Engineer Officers) may or may not lead units of Combat Engineers, the possibility that they might justify their inclusion.

The Case for Air Defense’s Inclusion

Air Defense is growing, particularly SHORAD. As Air Defense grows, the minimum standards it must meet will determine the ethos and aptitude of the branch. As per the Army Force Structure Transformation, forthcoming Air Defense units will include:

Four additional IFPC battalions, providing a short to medium-range capability to defend against unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, rockets, artillery and mortars.

Nine counter-small UAS (C-sUAS) batteries nested within IFPC and division air defense battalions.

Four additional Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Battalions, which counter low altitude aerial threats, including UAS, rotary wing aircraft, and fixed wing aircraft. ⁷

It is unclear why the authors of FY24 NDAA concluded M-SHORAD or C-sUAS (not to mention existing Stinger and Avenger units) do not qualify as close combat forces. The M-SHORAD/SGT Stout is a Stryker platform which requires fit crewmen whether they’re Air Defenders, Infantrymen or Tankers. Regarding C-sUAS, combatting drones is now common enough in the Middle East that there are at least four drone ‘aces.’ ⁸ , ⁹ The omission is more curious still considering the MOS’s included from Field Artillery. The NDAA mandates raised standards for 13As (Field Artillery Officers) and 13Fs (Fire Support Specialists). Both of these MOS’s are integrated into Infantry and Armor Battalions and Companies and are directly attached to maneuver units to coordinate indirect fires. Again, not all 13As are integrated into Infantry or Armor units but the possibility that they might justify their inclusion. The same is true for 14As (Air Defense Officers) and 14Ps (Air and Missile Defense Crewmembers). These Air Defense Artillery MOS’s are integrated into Infantry and Armor units in parallel roles to their Field Artillery peers. Instead of coordinating indirect fires they coordinate defensive fires. This is particularly true for Air Defense’s M-SHORAD/SGT Stout platform which integrates at the same echelons as Field Artillery’s Bradley Fire Support Teams (BFISTs) and just as close to the forward line of troops.

One might suspect that the exclusion of Air Defense was not a willful decision but an error of omission. Air Defense is one of the less well-known combat arms and media attention often falls on High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) where physical fitness is less imperative. If so, correcting this oversight should be a painless addition to a future NDAA or modification of the existing AFT. Indeed, in a recent interview on the origin and purpose of the Army Fitness Test, CSM Christopher Mullinax noted that the 21 designated combat specialties were only a starting point and that there should be a future opportunity to expand them. ¹⁰

Following FY24 NDAA’s pattern of specifying MOS’s within a given branch, the following Air Defense MOS’s should receive increased minimum fitness standards as part of the Army Fitness Test:

1. 14A (Air Defense Artillery Officer)
2. 14P (Air Missile Defense Crew Member)

Although not all 14As lead M-SHORAD, Stinger or other close combat SHORAD units, the possibility that they might justify their inclusion. Since enlisted Air Defenders will enter Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as 14Us rather than a specific 14 series MOS ¹¹, AIT Drill Sergeants and instructors can ensure future 14Ps have the required physical aptitude before assigning them to the 14P MOS. Officers as leaders should meet raised minimum standards without assistance.

Conclusion

Air Defense is a combat arm and SHORAD is a close combat arm. Both lessons learned from recent conflicts and forthcoming changes to the Army’s force structure affirm this fact. The readiness of SHORAD, like other close combat MOS’s requires raised physical fitness standards. For SHORAD, to meet the air and missile defense challenges of the 21st Century, Congress and the DoD have the responsibility to raise its minimum AFT standards to the same level as other combat arms.

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