About This Career

Weapons maintenance technicians are responsible for servicing and maintaining the Military’s weapons and ordnance support equipment. They ensure these assets are fully operational at all times. These experts plan, organize, and perform every service necessary to keep these systems in pristine working condition so they are ready when needed.

This career is part of the Government and Public Administration cluster National Security pathway.

A person in this career:

• Conducts weapon systems component removal, repair, replacement procedures, often using special tools and test equipment
• Supervises and performs unit maintenance and recovery of all self-propelled field artillery cannon weapon systems, including automotive, turret, carriage-mounted armament, associated fire control systems, and chemical protection subsystems
• Prepares and maintains equipment logs, equipment modification and utilization records, exchange logs, and calibration data cards; completes maintenance and supply forms and records
• Maintains, operates, and supervises maintenance on ground and air missiles, spacelift boosters, payloads, guidance and control systems, and subsystems
• Performs and manages maintenance, inspection, storage, handling, modification, accountability, custody, and repair of nuclear weapons, weapon components, associated equipment, and general or specialized test and handling equipment
• Performs operations and basic level maintenance of submarine anchor systems, arms ammunition and explosives, weapons shipping and handling systems, submarine launched mines, missiles and torpedoes, weapons delivery systems, vertical launch systems, countermeasure systems, and participates in weapon handling functions
• Performs quality control measures; inspects, tests, adjusts components to specific tolerances; determines shortcomings and malfunctions in electronic, electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, optical, and electromechanical assemblies, sub-assemblies, modules and circuit elements, with common and system special design test equipment
• Manages maintenance, processing, acquisition, and operation of ground and air launched missiles, aircraft missile rotary launchers and pylons, spacelift boosters, payloads, related subsystems, test, calibration, support and handling equipment, and facilities
• Trains personnel in operation and maintenance of small arms, crew served weapons, grenades, and nuclear capable ballistic missiles

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Moving the arms, legs and torso together when the whole body is in motion
• Seeing clearly up close
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours