Armed forces technical officer
A technical officer in the armed forces may be responsible, through his or her team, for the maintenance and serviceability of ships, aircraft and land vehicles as well as their associated weapons systems and support equipment. Equally, technical officers may act as project managers on a base or construction site or in research and the development of new equipment and systems. In battle, they have responsibility for keeping equipment, infrastructure and lines of communication operational.
An officer is first and foremost a leader and manager. He or she must lead and manage a team of specialists, directing them when circumstances demand action and using their skills and competence.
As a technical officer, your role will include not only management responsibility, but also a considerable extension of your technical experience to identify, investigate and solve problems. Sometimes, this experience will involve advanced development and applications, such as equipment development with a manufacturer. In the field, it means sorting out basic problems, for example, providing water supplies, building bridges or even setting up a refugee camp and providing all services. In combat, it could be constructing a helicopter pad, destroying a bridge or clearing a minefield. The activities undertaken will revolve around the command and management of a team of specialists, who will include artisan tradesmen, technicians, engineers and other professionals.
Typical work activities include:
All three armed forces recruit graduates as technical officers and provide initial officer training and continuation of technical and professional training. The academic requirements for entry into technical and engineering commissions vary between the forces and even between different branches:
If you have a technical higher education qualification other than a degree, you should seek advice from the university liaison officer (ULO) or local armed forces careers office of the service you wish to join, as acceptability varies between forces, depending on both the subject you have studied and the specialism you are interested in pursuing.
A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not needed, neither is pre-entry experience, but some training with cadet forces, university service units or the Territorial Army (TA) can be helpful.
Generally speaking, you must be a UK, Commonwealth or Irish citizen and have been resident in the UK or Ireland for five years prior to entry to the armed forces, but some exceptions and restrictions apply. Age limits also apply. You will be expected to demonstrate a range of qualities and aptitudes, including:
All three services offer student bursaries or sponsorship, but amounts vary according to the subject you are studying and the needs of the service. University service units also pay students who join and attend training. Up-to-date information on bursaries, entry requirements and familiarisation visits is available from ULOs, local armed forces careers offices and on the three armed forces websites.
Assessment for the Army is via the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB). The AOSB process consists of two assessments - the AOSB Briefing (lasting two days) and AOSB Main Board (lasting four days) for those who successfully complete the Briefing. Assessment includes a series of individual and group tests of your physical, mental, intellectual and practical abilities, along with in-depth interviews. Selection for the RAF involves the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), which includes aptitude tests and a selection interview. This process of testing personality, initiative, fitness and aptitude may take up to four days. For the Royal Navy, potential officers must attend a two-day Admiralty Interview Board. This involves a formal interview and a discussion exercise, together with fitness and mental agility tasks to assess verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills, concentration and spatial orientation.
High standards are required throughout the selection process for all of the armed forces and evidence of leadership potential is sought by all. A perceived lack of service knowledge and a limited grasp of current affairs are cited as common shortcomings at the interview stage, so applicants should pay particular attention to these areas when preparing. It is recommended that you start to build up fitness levels before you commence basic training, as this will enable you to feel more confident and enjoy the training more.
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If you are successful at the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB), you will go on to the officer training course at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst , which lasts for 11 months. This comprehensive programme includes practical skills training (fieldcraft, military skills, drill and fitness training), personal skills training (leadership, decision-making, negotiation, self-confidence, mental agility and communication) and adventurous training (which involves a course, followed by an expedition to test your ability to perform under challenging conditions).
Graduate officer recruits to the Royal Navy undertake a 28-week training period at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth , followed by further specialist training at sea and on their shore bases.
The training for technical graduates entering the Royal Air Force (RAF) differs according to the specific role, but most officers begin their career with the 30-week long Initial Officer Training course at Royal Air Force College, Cranwell . This involves four weeks' preparation in fitness and self-discipline to aid the transition from a civilian to an armed forces way of life, followed by military and leadership training.
After initial officer training, you will be posted to your chosen regiment or corps, to a ship for fleet training, or to a squadron or station respectively, where you will undertake specialist training in the detailed skills and particular knowledge you will need before assuming your first command.
In order to gain the specific technical skills and knowledge you will need before assuming your first command, you are likely to be selected for a sequence of command and staff training and further professional courses, which may include postgraduate study, at the College of Management & Technology , a college of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham, or other universities or colleges, depending upon your specialism.
Further promotion is normally into increasingly senior staff posts. Advancement involves increased responsibility and may lead to a command and staff training course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College , part of the Defence Academy, as a preparation for a senior command or managerial appointment. Such appointments are not limited to roles within your own service, but may be joint service posts or could involve secondment to international bodies, such as the United Nations (UN) or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) .
Throughout your career in the armed forces, you will find that your 'officer commanding' and your commanding officer (in the Army, usually a major and lieutenant colonel respectively) are directly responsible for your professional development and will act as your professional mentors. Continuing professional development (CPD) and training are features of a service career and provide opportunities to gain qualifications and accreditation with civilian professional bodies. For example, officers in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) will, after Sandhurst, attend the military systems engineering course which lasts about six months and a more advanced command course after about six years. They are encouraged to attend external management courses, often at a local college, and may be given secondment to gain a higher degree, which, together with professional experience, will ultimately lead to chartered engineer status.
Many opportunities exist for officers upon retirement from the armed forces because of the management and professional training and experience they gain during their period of service.
The four employers within the armed forces are:
The armed services are an arm of the government, which defines their purpose. At this time, the purposes of the armed services are given as follows:
Much of the time, the armed services achieve these aims through membership of alliances, particularly the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) , but unilateral responsibilities (for example the Falklands conflict) may mean that they act alone and thus need to be equipped and trained for all aspects of modern warfare. Britain's membership of the United Nations (UN) and permanent place at the Security Council may also necessitate the use of armed force in defence of international security (as in Afghanistan) or in support of humanitarian and peacekeeping initiatives (as in Bosnia or after the Asian tsunami). The services have an important diplomatic function in representing Britain overseas and are also involved in training other countries' armed forces, both in the UK and abroad.
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