An artillery observer is a soldier responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support (ground attack by aircraft) onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect-fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away. The observer serves as the eyes of the artillery battery, calling in target locations and adjustments to the Fire Direction Center (FDC) via radio or (less commonly) landline. The FDC then translates the observer's orders into firing solutions for the battery's cannons. Artillery observers are often deployed with combat arms maneuver units, typically infantry companies or armored squadrons. Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Close air support (often abbreviated CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly troops, in support of ground combat operations. ... Indirect fire is the use of artillery to fire at targets out of the crews line of sight, by firing in a high arc out to long distances and/or over blocking terrain. ... Remains of a battery of English cannon from Youghal, County Cork. ... A landline or main line is a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre. ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers. ... Soldiers from U.S. 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment provide overwatch for other troops with their M1 Abrams main battle tank in Biaj, Iraq. ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ...

Artillery observers are considered high-priority targets by enemy forces, as they control a great amount of firepower, are within visual range of the enemy, and are often located deep within enemy territory. The artillery observer must therefore be skilled not only in fire direction, but also in stealth and, if necessary, direct combat. Firepower is a measure of the ability of weapons, specifically weapons which involve fire or explosion, to inflict harm, damage, or kill. ...

In the British and Canadian armies, an artillery observer is known as a Forward Observation Officer (FOO, pronounced /fuː/), or Fire Effects Detachment (FED). Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

In the U.S. Army, an artillery observer is known as a Forward Observer (FO). A mechanized FO team usually comprises an officer and several enlisted personnel (a technician, a driver/radio operator, plus any extra personnel) traveling in an infantry fighting vehicle. A non-mechanized FO team travels on foot (analogous to light infantry), and generally includes a gunner trained to operate a Squad Automatic Weapon for self-protection. Mechanized military units are otherwise slow-moving or immobile military units that have had trucks or other ground transport systems added to their formation to add to or improve their mobility. ... An officer is a member of a military or naval service who holds a position of responsibility. ... In military service, an enlisted rank is generally any rating below that of a commissioned officer. ... A Warrior vehicle with UN markings, during the making of the eponymous film. ... Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ... A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ...

In the Royal Australian Artillery an artillery observer team is called a Joint Offensive Support Team (JOST) and is made up of the Forward Observer Officer (usually a captain), his assistant (usually a Bombardier - two stripes) and two Artillery Signalers (Gunners - no stripes). They are trained in calling in field artillery fire missions as well as naval gunfire and close air support (CAS) missions from the Air Force. For Bombardier Group, Canada see: Bombardier United Kingdom Bombardier and lance-bombardier are British Army ranks used in the Royal Artillery instead of (respectively) corporal and lance-corporal. ... Gunner refers to a rank in the Royal Artillery, or can refer to anyone whose main job is to operate a gun. ... Naval gunfire support (NGFS) comprises the use of naval artillery to provide fire support support for amphibious assault troops. ...

Forward Observers in the US Marine Corps/US Army

Artillery observers carry the (MOS) designation of 13 Foxtrot (13F) in the U.S. Army and 0861 in the U.S. Marine Corps. Commonly referred to as FO's (Forward Observers), FISTs (FIre Support Team), or COLTs (Combat Observation Lasing Team), their more general official designation is “Fire Support Specialist”; other designations referring to specific positions held depending on the mission. A Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is a job classification in use in the United States Army and Marine Corps. ...

For a variety of reasons, the position of Fire Support Specialist is often thought of as among the most dangerous and challenging in the armed forces. Due to the substantial firepower they control, their communications and reconnaissance abilities, and their small numbers, artillery observers of any variety are regarded as targets of very high importance to enemy forces. Their skills in reconnaissance must be met with similarly high intelligence and ability to think quickly in situations of extreme stress, as a minor mental error during a fire mission could lead to the forward observer accidentally ordering an artillery bombardment on friendly forces or even on himself. There exist 2 duties associated with Forward Observer Teams according to general military doctrine and the FIST field manual 6/20. Primary duty consists of bringing to arms all indirect fire assetts (artillery, mortars, naval gunfire and air strikes). Secondary duties consist of reporting battlefield intellegence to the command echelon.

Soldiers in this MOS must meet a number of requirements not demanded of many other military careers. The artillery observer must be acutely aware of the position and movements of their own troops as well as those of the opposing forces. Because of the strategic importance of this information, U.S. Army FO's must qualify for security clearance, the [level] depending on their specific position. They must be able to work independently for long periods of time, as some missions can be last for days or even weeks, and because of the clandestine nature of their work and their frequent placement on or behind enemy lines, the ability to operate with minimal support is of great importance. Their physical demands are extremely high as the FO's must survive and fight alongside paratroopers, airmobile infantry, light infantry, mechanized infantry, United States Marines and even United States Army Rangers. As well they must survive in an armored and cavalry environment. Because of this, their grunt/rifleman skills must be on a level that allows them to have an optimal survival rate. They are given exceptionally hard physical, infantry and United States Army Combatives/United States Marine Corps MCMAP training in addition to their FO training. A security clearance is a status granted to individuals, typically members of the military and employees of governments and their contractors, allowing them access to classified information, i. ... An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ... Air assault (or air mobile) is a military term used to describe the movement of friendly assault forces by rotary-wing aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain. ... Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ... Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The 75th Ranger Regiment —also known as the United States Army Rangers— is an elite light infantry special operations force of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC); with headquarters in Fort Benning, Georgia. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ... The term grunt is slang for an infantryman in the U.S. military and some of the other armed forces of the English speaking world, and both Army and Marine The equipment laden soldiers were said to emit grunting sounds under the weight of modern combat equipment. ... For other uses, see Rifleman (disambiguation). ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatives FM 21-150 Figure 4-1, Vital Targets. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) is a system developed by the United States Marine Corps to combine existing and new hand to hand and close combat techniques with morale and team-building functions and instruction in what the Marine Corps calls the Warrior Ethos. ...

Fire Support Specialists may be attached to the mechanized infantry or an armored division. When mechanized infantry or armored, fire support teams consist of a driver, a commander, a Fire Support Non-Commissioned Officer, and a Fire Support Specialist of rank of E4 Specialist). This team works within an M7 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, called a B-FIST or Bradley FIST, which is designed for the task of Coordinating indirect fire. FO teams are often attached to Mechanized infantry dismounted teams. In this scenario they break off with small infantry teams and travel on foot akin to light infantry and search for the enemy. They can also break off in two man FO teams and establish an observation post. Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... Specialist arm patch (U.S. Army) Specialist is one section of the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. ... General Characteristics (M2 Bradley) Length: 21 ft 2 in (6. ... Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... An observation post is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements and direct artillery fire. ...

Fire support teams designated to work with infantry companies and platoons play a more direct action role, performing their duties without the aid of a vehicle. Each infantry platoon is assigned a Forward Observer in the rank of E-5 Sergeant, along with his Radio/Telephone Operator (RTO) and a SAW Gunner (see above). These FO's fall under the auspices of the Fire Support Officer and Fire Support Non-Commissioned Officer who work at company-level. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...

Fire support teams designated to work with cavalry troops also play a direct action role. Due to the smaller platoon size in a cavalry troop the forward observer often fulfills the role of both a FO and a scout. As with the infantry the FO and RTO are assigned to be a Platoon Leader's personal asset.

Basic concept of how the FO calls in and adjusts Artillery fire on a target

One specialty of a fire support team is to act as a COLT/STRIKER(Combat Observation Lasing Team). The COLT is a high-technology, deeply inserted, observer/Reconnaissance team often called on to maximize the use of smart munitions such as the M712_Copperhead. COLTs are regularly equipped with a [GLLD, a device used to assist any munition which requires reflected laser energy for final ballistic guidance. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (984x752, 88 KB) Graphic of the Artillery Call for Fire Process. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (984x752, 88 KB) Graphic of the Artillery Call for Fire Process. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... The M712 Copperhead is 155mm cannon-launched, fin-stabilized, terminally optically-guided explosive projectile intended to engage hard point targets such as tanks, SP howitzers or other high-value targets. ...

All US Army 13-series soldiers attend training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, regardless of specialty. The training for 13F's has recently been revamped, eliminating separation between basic training and job training. Recruits complete both Basic Combat Training and their job instruction not only at the same facility, but with the same cadre, all in one long training period. Marines receive their forward observer schooling at Fort Sill as well, though their initial boot camp training is completed elsewhere. Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma; about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. ... U.S. Army recruits learn about bayonet fighting skills in an infantry Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Boot Camp is a software assistant made available by Apple Inc. ...

Joint Fires Observer

A Joint Fires Observer is trained as a universal observer. The JFO is forward deployed and can call in artillery fire, just like a Fire Support Specialist. In addition, JFOs are trained a less extensive version of the JTAC course so they can call air support. A qualified (certified) Service member who, from a forward position, directs the action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive air operations. ...

As the US Army is transitioning its large division-based structure to more mobile brigades under its Army Transformation program, it plans to reduce heavy artillery and depend more on air support. Because of this the Army wants 4000 JTACs assigned to ground units. The US Air Force believes such difficult to produce specialists (currently only 700) should not be organic (permanently assigned) but instead liquid, assigned only when needed. The JFO comes in as a compromise between the Army and the Air Force. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... Graphic legend of Army Transformation Army Transformation describes the future-concept of the US Armys plan of modernization. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

See also

• Field artillery team
• Forward air control