Ordnance is a military term used to define weapons and ammunition. Most armies, navies, and air forces have ordnance departments. It is the responsibility of the ordnance department to design, make, repair, and distribute weapons and ammunition. People involved in the design and manufacturing of ordnance are trained in the field of military engineering. Those who are charged with the repair and distribution of ordnance are called Ordnance Specialists. Military engineering has become an increasingly specialized science, resulting in engineering subdisciplines such as ordnance, which applies mechanical engineering to the development of guns.
Those who choose military engineering as a career can find jobs designing and manufacturing weapons for all branches of the military: the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. An Ordnance Specialist is a highly skilled, highly trained person, who transports, stores, inspects, prepares, and disposes of weapons and ammunitions. Ordnance Specialists do all sorts of jobs like defusing unexploded bombs and locating, identifying, and disposing of chemical weapons. They also load nuclear and conventional explosives and ammunition on aircraft, ships, and submarines.
They also inspect mounted guns, bomb release systems, missile launchers to determine need for repair or destruction. Ordnance Specialists have to lift and carry artillery shells and other heavy ordnance. Some helpful attributes are being able to keep calm under pressure, being able to maintain concentration, and also having an interest in working with guns and explosives. The training requirements vary, however everyone must go through 15 to 25 weeks of classroom instruction. This instruction includes practice in ordnance maintenance. The training length varies depending on specialty.
However the courses typically include maintenance of nuclear weapons, handling, testing, and maintenance of missiles and rockets. Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps offer certified apprenticeship programs for some specialties in this occupation. There are no direct civilian counterparts for many of the military ordnance specialties. However, there are many occupations that are related. For example, civilian engineers work for government agencies and private industry doing research and development.
Ordnance Specialists find civilian jobs working for police departments as bomb-disposal experts. Some also work as gunsmiths or work for munitions manufacturers and firearms makers. Military ordnance engineers work mostly indoors in laboratories and manufacturing plants. Ordnance Specialists work both indoors and outdoors. They work in repair shops while assembling explosives and repairing weapons. They work outdoors while repairing equipment in the field and loading weapons on tanks, ships or aircraft. Part B To serve in the military, a person must be at least 17 years old.
To enlist, a person must pass a physical exam and an aptitude test. An enlistee must also meet military standards of discipline and be a United States Citizen. Opportunities for growth in this field are fairly good. The military hires approximately 750 new ordnance specialists each year. At this time there are about 10,000 ordnance specialists. The highest rank a person can achieve is that of Manager of a Weapons Maintenance Unit. In order to become an Ordnance Specialist you must first go through regular military basic training then work under close supervision of a trainer in the field of ordnance.
In time you will become a trainer or supervisor. After that comes the main goal, that of Manager of a Weapons Maintenance Unit. Pay depends mainly on your rank or grade as well as the length of time you have served in the military. Bonuses and the situation in which you are serving (flight duty, sea duty, or hazardous duty) also affect pay. Part C Military engineers require the same technical training as civil engineers. The most important subjects to take in high school are mathematics, science, and English.
The mathematics courses should include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and introductory calculus. Chemistry and physics are also important sciences for students to take. Helpful electives include foreign languages, economics, history, and other social studies courses. To enter the engineering profession, most students complete a four-year bachelors degree program at a college or university. In addition to a course of study in their chosen engineering fields, engineering students must take several advanced mathematics and science courses.
Most undergraduate degree programs also include courses in subjects such as economics, history, languages, management, and writing to equip students with skills that will be needed in their later work as engineers do. Many programs require the completion of an independent study or design project before graduation. Part D Three schools where you can receive basic military and ordnance training are Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel, and Wentworth Military Academy. VMI and The Citadel are four-year institutions.
Wentworth Academy is a school housing sixth graders through junior college. Virginia Military Institute is located in Lexington, Virginia, a town of about 7,000 people located in the southwestern part of the state. Tuition, room and board, and other expenses are: Virginia cadetsNon-Virginia cadets Tuition$ 3,655$11,485 Room and Board$ 4,210$ 4,210 Auxiliary Fee$1,970$1,970 Technology Fee$ 50$ 50 Quartermaster Chg. $ 865$ 865 Total fees$10,750$18,580 There is a cadet enrollment of 1,200 from throughout the nation and several foreign countries.
Applicants must be unmarried, 16 to 22 years of age, physically fit for enrollment in ROTC and graduates of an accredited secondary school with 16 or more academic units including English (4), Social Studies (3), laboratory sciences (3), foreign language (3), mathematics (3), and electives (2). Other qualifications include rank in the top half of the senior class with grades substantially above passing, above average scores on the college boards, SAT1, or American College Testing’s ACT and satisfactory character recommendations.
Financial aid is usually awarded on the basis of financial need; scholarships are also awarded for academic excellence and include room and board supplements for ROTC scholarship recipients. The HOPE scholarship is not accepted at schools outside of the State of Georgia. Housing is provided on campus and there are a variety of sports including football and basketball. The Citadel is located in Charleston, South Carolina, an historic seaport town with about 80,414 people.
Fees at the Citadel include many expenses such as lab fees, athletic fees, most books, school supplies, uniforms, alterations, and laundry and dry cleaning. Fees per year are: 98/99 Expenses for98/99 Expenses for South Carolina StudentsOut-of-State Students Freshman$12,750Freshman$17,750 Sophomore$10,050Sophomore$15,050 Junior$10,050Junior$15,050 Senior$10,050Senior$15,050 Applicants to The Citadel must be high school graduates or hold the GED, must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2. 00 on a 4. 00 scale, an SAT score of 920 or above or and ACT score of 20 or above or a TOEFL score of 500 or above.
Applicants must be between 16 and 22 years old and cannot be married. These requirements are the minimum necessary for being considered to the Corps of Cadets. On rare occasions, exceptions may be made to these requirements. Financial aid is available and so are academic scholarships. The HOPE scholarship is not accepted. There is campus housing and a full sports program is available. Wentworth Academy and Junior College is located in Lexington, Missouri. Lexington is located along the banks of the Missouri River with a population of about 5,000.
With many Antebellum homes scattered throughout the town, Lexington offers a nice blend of the past and the present. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College accepts males in grades 6 through junior college. The female program begins in the 11th grade and continues through the junior college. Cadets may enter the program in need of academic improvement, Wentworth motivates new cadets of at least average ability to realize their full potential. Tuition and other expenses are $18,695 per year. Other expenses include uniforms, spending money, insurance, normal laundry and dry cleaning and haircuts.
Wentworth has financial payment plans available as well as tuition loan programs through private lending sources. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College is open to any student who is a high school graduate or has a high school equivalence diploma or is certified as having passed the GED. To be considered a full time student, all college students are required to carry a minimum of 12 semester hours. Housing is available on campus and the junior college offers a variety of sports and other activities. The HOPE scholarship is not accepted since Wentworth is not in Georgia.
