FIRE CONTROLMAN (FC)
The combat-system technician — the Navy's Aegis, NSSMS, and shipboard fire-control radar maintenance specialist.
OVERVIEW
Fire Controlman (FC) is the U.S. Navy's surface combat-system electronics technician. FCs maintain the Aegis Combat System on cruisers and destroyers, the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System (NSSMS) on amphibious ships, the Phalanx CIWS, the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite, and the Mk 86/Mk 160 gun fire-control systems. The FC rating is the technical backbone of every surface combatant's combat-systems suite.
In 2009 the older Aegis-only FC sub-community was consolidated under the broader FC rating, and the Fire Control Technician (FT) rating remained for submarine fire-control duties. FCs work alongside Operations Specialists in CIC and Gunner's Mates in the weapons spaces, providing the radar and fire-control technical expertise that ties the combat suite together.
The general community covers the U.S. Navy's traditional shipboard ratings — deck, engineering, weapons, and combat-systems Sailors who keep surface combatants and amphibious ships in the fight. Sailors in this community typically rotate between sea and shore tours and are eligible for a wide range of NECs, instructor billets, and enlisted commissioning programs.
A-school for the rating runs ~24 weeks at Naval Station Great Lakes, IL (Center for Surface Combat Systems), where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score AR+MK+EI+GS=223 and an enlistment obligation of 6–6 years. FCs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior FCs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.
Across the active force, FC Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.
WHAT FCs DO
Fire Controlmen perform corrective and preventive maintenance on the Aegis SPY-1/SPY-6 radar, the Mk 99 fire control system, the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite, the Phalanx CIWS, the Mk 86/Mk 160 gun fire-control system, and the SSDS combat system on non-Aegis ships. They run combat-system overall tests, calibrate radars and antennas, troubleshoot at the circuit-card level, and serve as Combat Systems Officer of the Watch on Aegis ships.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Fire Controlmen perform corrective and preventive maintenance on the Aegis SPY-1/SPY-6 radar, the Mk 99 fire control system, the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite, the Phalanx CIWS, the Mk 86/Mk 160 gun fire-control system, and the SSDS combat system on non-Aegis ships. They run combat-system overall tests, calibrate radars and antennas, troubleshoot at the circuit-card level, and serve as Combat Systems Officer of the Watch on Aegis ships.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior FCs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the FC work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
- Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.
HISTORY
The Fire Controlman rating traces its lineage to the Fire Controlman rating established in the early 20th century to operate the analog mechanical fire-control computers, rangekeepers, and director sights that aimed the heavy guns of battleships and cruisers. Pre-WWII Fire Controlmen worked alongside Gunner's Mates to solve the gunnery problem in three dimensions, feeding range, bearing, and lead angle into the Mark 1 Fire Control Computer.
Through the Cold War the rating absorbed the surface-missile fire-control mission as Terrier, Tartar, and Talos missiles entered the fleet, and the FT (Fire Control Technician) sub-rating was established for submarine torpedo and missile fire control. In 2009 the FC and former STG (sonar technician) Aegis sub-community were consolidated to form the modern combat-systems FC rating that maintains Aegis SPY radars, Mk 41 VLS launch systems, the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite, and the Phalanx CIWS aboard every U.S. Navy surface combatant.
The FC rating remains one of the longest enlisted training pipelines in the surface Navy and is the technical heart of every Aegis ship's combat-systems team.
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, ILInitial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
- 2. Fire Controlman A-School~24 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, IL (Center for Surface Combat Systems)Initial rating-skills training for FC accessions.
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourAegis cruisers and destroyers (CG-47 / DDG-51 / DDG-1000)On-the-job training and qualifications in the FC rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Apprentice Fire ControlmanLong A-school pipeline at Great Lakes; first sea tour as combat-systems work-center technician.
- E-4/E-6Petty Officer FCQualify as Aegis console operator and combat-system maintainer; serve as work-center supervisor.
- E-7+Chief Fire ControlmanCombat Systems Officer of the Watch, instructor at Aegis Training and Readiness Center, or Combat Systems Department LCPO.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Aegis cruisers and destroyers (CG-47 / DDG-51 / DDG-1000)
- Amphibious warfare ships (LHA / LHD / LPD)
- Aircraft carriers (Phalanx CIWS, NSSMS)
- Littoral Combat Ships
EXAMPLE NECs
- FC-1116 Aegis Combat System Maintenance
- FC-1119 NSSMS Maintenance
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB AR+MK+EI+GS=223
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Secret security clearance eligibility
- Aegis cruisers and destroyers (CG-47 / DDG-51 / DDG-1000)
- Amphibious warfare ships (LHA / LHD / LPD)
- Aircraft carriers (Phalanx CIWS, NSSMS)
- Littoral Combat Ships