Operations Research Systems Analysis (ORSA) officers are the Army’s premier data analysts, capable of using various quantitative and qualitative analytic tools to inform senior leaders making the Army’s toughest decisions.
Redefine Your Impact: Lead with Data as an Army ORSA (FA49)
You’ve led Soldiers and proven your operational chops. Ready to shape decisions at the highest levels?
A high-impact career doesn’t have to end at Battalion or Brigade Command. Today’s fight is data-driven, and the Army needs officers who turn data into decisions. Functional Area 49 (FA49) seeks leaders with diverse branch backgrounds, sharp analytic skills, and a bias for solving hard problems.
We are Operations Research / Systems Analysts (ORSAs)—the Army’s experts in data science, advanced analytics, and optimization. We don’t just show data; we deliver evidence-based recommendations so commanders decide faster and better.
Enable evidence-based recommendations for senior leaders using scientific methods.
Why Choose FA49
- Strategic impact: Inform budgets, force design, and predictive tools that affect national security.
- Career momentum: All FA49 CPT and MAJ assignments are Key Developmental (KD).
- Balanced OPTEMPO: Strategic work with more predictable schedules.
- Deep expertise: Data science, modeling & simulation, optimization, and AI—skills in demand now.
Unparalleled Professional Development
The Army invests heavily in ORSAs:
- ~23 ACS slots annually (about 20 MS and 3 PhD)
- 3 TWI fellowships with top industry partners.
What Problems You’ll Tackle
- Resources & Readiness: Portfolio optimization, resourcing, cost-benefit tradeoffs, personnel assignments.
- Operations & Logistics: Supply chains, transportation networks, inventory, demand forecasting.
- Strategy & Modernization: Campaign modeling, risk analysis, test & evaluation, multi-criteria decisions.
Skills You’ll Master
- Data Science: Python/R, data engineering, scraping, visualization.
- Statistics: Regression, forecasting, design of experiments, data mining.
- Modeling & Simulation: Monte Carlo, discrete-event, queuing, campaign models.
- Optimization: Linear/nonlinear programming, networks, scheduling.
- Decision Analysis: Decision trees, game theory, value-focused thinking.
If you’re an operationally seasoned officer who wants to solve tough problems and make strategic impact, your next move should be FA49.
Ready to lead at the intersection of data and decisions? Contact the FA49 proponent office to learn about the application process.