13F Fire Support Specialist
About the role
Join the Army National Guard as a Fire Support Specialist and become part of an elite field artillery team. You will provide the intelligence needed to support infantry and tank units in combat operations while learning highly sought-after skills that will help you in your civilian career. Also known as the Forward Observer, Fire Support Specialists act as the eyes of an artillery unit and are primarily responsible for target acquisition and relaying that information to artillery units at all levels.
Responsibilities
- Establish, maintain, and operate communications equipment
- Operate laser range finders
- Encode and decode messages
- Assist in preparing and distributing fire support plans
- Determine target locations using computers or manual calculations
- Supervise and train other Soldiers (advanced team members)
- Prepare observer target lists (advanced team members)
- Initiate suppressive fire (advanced team members)
- Select and man observation posts (advanced team members)
Helpful Skills
- Physically and mentally fit to perform under pressure
- Ability to multitask
Civilian Career Opportunities
Skills learned as a Fire Support Specialist can prepare you for a rewarding civilian career in computer consulting, information technology support, or data processing.
Training
In the Army National Guard, you will learn these valuable job skills while earning a regular paycheck and qualifying for tuition assistance. After 10 weeks of Basic Training, you will attend six weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT), which includes a combination of hands-on and classroom training where you will learn to compute target locations, proper ammunition handling techniques, system operations, and artillery tactics.
Requirements
- Military enlistment in the Army National Guard
- Must be at least a junior in high school, or have a high school diploma or a GED certificate
- Must be between the ages of 17 and 35
- Must be able to pass a physical exam and meet legal and moral standards
- Must meet citizenship requirements