Warfare Specialist

Service:Surface Fleet
Branch:Warfare
Level:Rating,Apprenticeship
Technology
Weapons
Strategic
Tactical
Warfare
AWT
AWW
EW
UW
Gunner in action
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At a glance

What you’ll do

Being a Warfare Specialist in the Royal Navy means you’re the person who identifies our targets, and our threats. Whether working in the Operations Room or on the ship's Weapon Systems you will be the heartbeat of the war-fighting effort. This job comes with serious responsibility, get it wrong and the ship could sustain damage, get it right and the enemy is defeated.

If you have questions, talk to us

Your role

There are four sub-specialisations for Warfare Specialist:

  • Abovewater Warfare Tactical:  You will work with some of the most advanced and sophisticated RADAR and Computer Systems on the planet.
  • Abovewater Warfare Weapons:  You will be trained to operate state-of-the-art weapon and missile systems.
  • Electronic Warfare:  You will operate specialist equipment to assist to intercept and analyse electromagnetic (RADAR) emissions to determine their identity.
  • Underwater Warfare:  You will become the Royal Navy's 'Submarine Hunters', trained in how to operate the most advanced SONAR systems.

What you’ll get

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • Attain a Level 3 Data Technician Apprenticeship
  • Study for GCSEs, A-Levels, NVQs or a degree
  • Gain specialist vocational qualifications as your career progresses

Skills you'll develop

  • The ability to work accurately and calmly under extreme pressure
  • Become a master at analysing complex information, using your tactical knowledge to produce concise and insightful reports

Career progression

What you'll need

Eligibility

  • You must be aged 16 to 39
  • No qualifications are required for this role
  • A British or Dual National
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
     

Skills and interests

  • An ability to thrive in high-pressure situations; we will teach you to thrive in a high-pressure situation
  • Teamwork
  • A passion for life at sea
  • A real sense of adventure, with a high level of physical and mental fitness
Check Eligibility

Starting your career

Joining process

Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, the joining process is as follows.

  • Submit an application 

    Once you’ve registered your interest and have satisfied the basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form

  • Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA) 

    You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension.
    To prepare, you can practise the DAA

  • Interview

    A formal interview to talk through your suitability for the role. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform

  • Medical and eye tests 

    These are quite comprehensive and must be completed by one of our Ministry of Defence-approved doctors

  • Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT) 

    This involves completing a 2.4km run on a treadmill within a certain time, at a fitness centre near you

  • Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)

    This four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, including a Swimming Test and a fitness assessment, is a pass or fail course

  • Start training 

     Once you’ve passed a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh


Initial training

Your Royal Navy career begins with 10 weeks’ basic training at HMS Raleigh, a shore base in Torpoint, Cornwall. The discipline, teamwork, organisational, firefighting and weapon handling skills you learn here will stay with you right through your career. During week 8 or 9 you will be informed which sub-specialisation you have been streamed; AWT, AWW, EW or UW.

Aim to get yourself as fit as possible before you arrive. You’ll be doing a lot of physical exercise, and you’ll find it much easier if you’re already in shape.

There's also a swimming test, so if you can't swim, make sure you learn by the time you join us.


Professional training

Once you have the essential military and maritime skills under your belt, it’s time to start your specialist training. You’ll spend a further three months at the Maritime Warfare School, where your training includes:

  • Setting up and operating systems that monitor the surface and air space
  • Gaining information about flight paths, landmarks and shorelines
  • Learning to detect and report radio jamming
  • Using radio circuits to pass vital information
  • Gaining hands-on experience of life on board a warship