Artillery and Missile Officers
Manage personnel and weapons operations to destroy enemy positions, aircraft, and vessels. Duties include planning, targeting, and coordinating the tactical deployment of field artillery and air defense artillery missile systems units; directing the establishment and operation of fire control communications systems; targeting and launching intercontinental ballistic missiles; directing the storage and handling of nuclear munitions and components; overseeing security of weapons storage and launch facilities; and managing maintenance of weapons systems.
💡Inside This Career
The artillery officer directs fire support—commanding batteries and coordinating the indirect fires that ground operations depend on. A typical duty period combines technical and leadership activities. Perhaps 45% of time involves fire operations: directing fires, computing solutions, coordinating targets, training crews. Another 35% addresses leadership—maintaining equipment, developing personnel, managing battery operations. The remaining time covers planning and liaison duties.
People who thrive as artillery officers combine mathematical precision with tactical thinking and the calm that accurate fire direction requires. Successful officers develop proficiency with fire control systems while building the judgment that target selection demands. They must deliver accurate fires while preventing fratricide and collateral damage. Those who struggle often cannot handle the technical complexity of modern fire support or find the responsibility for fires stressful. Others fail because they cannot develop the precision that effective gunnery requires.
Artillery leadership represents fire support operations, with officers providing the indirect fires that combined arms success depends on. The field serves Army and Marine Corps artillery and missile units. Artillery officers appear in discussions of combat arms, fire support, and the officers who deliver America's firepower.
Practitioners cite the firepower and the technical challenge as primary rewards. Artillery provides impressive destructive capability. The technical aspects of fire direction are engaging. The combined arms integration is tactically interesting. Career progression exists. The artillery tradition is meaningful. Supporting ground forces is satisfying. Common frustrations include the distance and the complexity. Many find that artillery often operates away from the action it supports. Modern fire support systems are increasingly complex. The liability for errant fires is heavy. Training resource constraints limit live fire. Peacetime training cannot replicate combat stress.
This career requires military commissioning and artillery branch training. Strong mathematical aptitude, tactical thinking, and leadership are essential. The role suits those attracted to fire support with technical precision. It is poorly suited to those wanting close combat, uncomfortable with technical complexity, or seeking simplicity. Compensation includes military pay and benefits.
📈Career Progression
📚Education & Training
Requirements
- •Entry Education: Bachelor's degree
- •Experience: One to two years
- •On-the-job Training: One to two years
- !License or certification required
Time & Cost
🤖AI Resilience Assessment
AI Resilience Assessment
Moderate human advantage but elevated automation risk suggests ongoing transformation
How much of this job involves tasks AI can currently perform
Likelihood that AI replaces workers vs. assists them
(BLS 2024-2034)
How much this role relies on distinctly human capabilities
💻Technology Skills
🏷️Also Known As
🔗Related Careers
Other careers in military
🔗Data Sources
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