Liaison and Director of Special Operations (LADS) Integrator
Northern Strike Plans Group (NSPG) - Michigan Army National Guard
Lansing, MI Openings 1 position Location Joint Force Headquarters, 3423 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lansing, MI 48906 (Bldg 30); regular travel to Camp Grayling, MI; Alpena, MI; Fort McCoy, WI; and other CONUS locations Schedule Full-Time, Monday-Friday, [redacted]. Telework authorized up to 2 days/week at COR discretion; on-site remains the standard. Security Clearance SECRET (personnel) Travel Extensive - approximately 15 trips/year to support exercise planning and execution events Employment Type Full-Time, Contract - contingent on contract award Anticipated Start Date 20 September 2026 Period of Performance Base Year (12 months) + three 12-month Option Years + possible 6-month extension (FAR 52.217-8)

About the Role

Northern Strike (NS) is a JCS J7/JNTC-accredited, HQDA-sponsored, NGB-managed joint Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) that provides readiness-building opportunities for all services and components. Northern Strike 2026 (NS26) executes across a 365-day Joint Exercise Life Cycle (JELC), with planning led by the Northern Strike Planning Group (NSPG).
As the LADS Integrator, you will serve as the primary liaison between conventional forces and Special Operations Forces (SOF), providing SOF planning subject-matter expertise, technical guidance, and mentorship throughout the exercise life cycle. You\'ll manage special operations planning within the exercise execution matrix, and during execution, receive, organize, and present special operations support requests to the approval authority for acceptance.

What You\'ll Do

• Serve as advisor to units - shape unit relationships and act as liaison to conventional forces, providing SOF subject-matter expertise, technical guidance, and mentorship to all SOF participants.
• Facilitate integration, interoperability, and interdependence of Joint, Combined, and Coalition Forces through application of special operations tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
• Advise participants by reviewing Mission Essential Tasks (METs) to integrate with the Universal Joint Task List and Joint Mission Essential Tasks for Special Forces Integration; tie resource constraints to actionable special operations training and conventional-force handoffs.
• Coordinate external support from other commands, military agencies, and DoD/non-government agencies as required; enable high-quality training and enable decisions/resources available to SOF from a JAGIC/SOF LNO position.
• Coordinate with SOF exercise participants\' higher command to ensure training plans meet current command directives.
• Coordinate with operations personnel, leadership, and Range Control to facilitate training of Rotational Training Units (RTUs).
• Attend overlapping Joint Exercise Life Cycle (JELC) meetings and working groups to provide subject-matter expertise and develop/refine products for rotational training units attending future NS rotations.
• Collect lessons learned and best practices during execution; consolidate lessons learned in writing with the Lessons Learned SME for the After-Action Report, ensuring adherence to current doctrine and forwarding issues through the Joint Lessons Learned Information System (JLLIS).
• Coordinate with SOF Centers of Excellence to develop and refine desired training for future exercise evolutions.
• Attend events focused on Special Operations training, tactics, and doctrine, and conduct site visits to SOF commands to elicit exercise participation.
• Request forces via the Joint National Training Capability (JNTC) and funding via the Joint Training Coordination Program (08JTCP) to enable non-USAF-organic Joint Forces training (artillery, mortars, rockets, helicopter gunships).
• Coordinate with Northern Strike fires, maneuver, and aviation planners on joint fires usage during the exercise; liaise with USAF planners on mobility, Air Interdiction (AI), and personnel recovery (PR).
• Build and help staff the required hierarchy for on-ground SOF units and the exercise Higher Command (HICOM); operate within the exercise HICOM during execution, providing LNO capability, subject-matter expertise, de-confliction, and synchronization with coalition forces.

What You\'ll Need

• Skilled in analyzing the requirements of supported units and developing solutions that comply with organizational requirements - including providing reports, technical guidance, and mentorship to units and SOF participants.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in plans and coordination of joint air control in a Joint Operations Area for a Combined Live Fire Exercise.
• Demonstrated experience within the past 5 years supporting Mission Command at the Brigade level or higher.
• Working expertise in Mission Command, the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), and Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP) functions.
• Working knowledge of Joint CALFEX processes, including plans and orders procedures.
• Familiarity with special warfare tasks sufficient to assist SOF units, including: Direct Action (DA), Strategic Reconnaissance (SR), Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD), Unconventional Warfare (UW), Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Security Force Assistance, Hostage Rescue and Recovery, Counterinsurgency, Foreign Humanitarian Assistance (FHA), Military Information Support Operations/Psychological Operations (MISO/PSYOP), and Civil Affairs (CA).
• Working familiarity with the doctrinal references underpinning this role, including (but not limited to): JP 5-0 (Joint Operational Planning), JP 3-0 (Joint Operations), DA PAM 350-38, JP 3-09 (Joint Fire Support), JP 3-09.3 (Close Air Support), CJCSM 3500.03E, FM 3-21.10, FM 6-50, FM 3-22.90, ADP 3-05 / ADRP 3-05 (Special Operations), JP 3-05 / JP 3-05.1, JP 3-29, ATP 3-05.20, JP 3-17, JP 3-18, JP 3-22, DoDD 5100.01, and USSOCOM Publication 1.
• Ability to hold, or promptly obtain, a SECRET security clearance.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively (approximately 15 trips per year) to locations including Camp Grayling, MI; Alpena, MI; Fort McCoy, WI; and elsewhere within the 54 states, territories, and District of Columbia.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfort producing joint-staff-level reports, technical guidance, and after-action documentation.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English fluently.
• Must complete standard onboarding/compliance training (Anti-Terrorism Level I, iWATCH, OPSEC Level I) within 30 calendar days of start, and annual refreshers (including Threat Awareness and Reporting Program training) thereafter.
• Professional appearance and conduct consistent with a military headquarters and field-exercise environment.
• If assigned duties involve Information Assurance (IA) or Information Technology (IT) functions, must hold the appropriate baseline certification under DoD 8570.01-M upon contract award, with full DoDD 8140.01/AR 25-2 compliance within 6 months. This role is not expected to involve IA/IT functions based on its SOF-planning-liaison scope, but this requirement would apply if that scope changes.