If there was a mass mobilisation and you were drafted into the army to start fighting tomorrow, how would your surveying skills translate to the theatre of war??ÿ
For myself, I imagine the post of forward observer would be a risky but interesting endeavour that would have some overlap with my surveying practice, albeit my physical shape might not be adequate for a rapid retreat.
One other role I would assume surveyors would be easy to adopt would be relating to artillery, though nowadays it is probably more software based than good old fashion aiming by a skilled operator.
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I do not know what percentage of PLS's came from the military, but in my limited experience with with 5 companies, three LSs were former artillerymen.
I was an Electronics Warfare Technician in the US Navy. The army does have sort of a similar MOS so I would probably be utilized in that fashion. Missile defense and locating / removing enemy emitters from the battlefield.
Drone operation would be one, albeit a much grander scale.
I was a Fire Controlman in the US Navy, sort of like a floating artilleryman and the math was similar. A surveying buddy was a surveyor in the army and they were right up front and had very short life expectancies in battle.
My watch station in CIC was right next to the Electronics Warfare guys and I still keep in touch with some many decades later. 12 hours a day on watch and you hear every story a man has down to the most insignificant details. Then you start back over at the beginning telling and hearing the same stories.
The next "war" will only involve a few buttons being pushed and we are good at that. (and so is SWMBO!)
@flga-2-2
Cue Tom Lehrer
Well I am not a PLS so disclaimer. But I did geodetic surveying in the USMC. Surveying skills cover a large swath of disciplines in the military. Your knowledge could draft you into many different positions. One by nature we are problem solvers. AKA most farmers are as well mechanics carpentors etc. next you could fall into a gis unit. Using your knowledge for slopes terrain and many other cartography questions. Even looking at surfaces for bases and all. Just a high up approach. Line of site studies choke points. As a surveyor you already know this math and have been doing these same things for different reasons and at a smaller area. Layout of bases temp bases runways roads etc. even buildings bridges. The Navy CB’s do lots of bridges etc. lease agreement surveys. So boundary for areas that we lease for. Just in other countries. Ground proofing satellite and drone imagery lidar msi rsi etc etc. planning missions you have those skills. Field engineering. The list never ends. Lets just say you would be highly employable as a drafty. Lol. on artillery side more to it than being a forward observer. Just swap dms for gons and you will be using old theodolites again and sending rounds down range.
I was a Fire Controlman in the US Navy, sort of like a floating artilleryman and the math was similar. A surveying buddy was a surveyor in the army and they were right up front and had very short life expectancies in battle.
My watch station in CIC was right next to the Electronics Warfare guys and I still keep in touch with some many decades later. 12 hours a day on watch and you hear every story a man has down to the most insignificant details. Then you start back over at the beginning telling and hearing the same stories.
That is cool.
I was on second shift and CIC was very quiet, no chitchat. So I mostly read EPLs.
I was shoved into a back corner and the closest manned station to me was an OS. lol
@olemanriver artillery fire is not as complicated as it used to be with technology advancements. My son in law directs artillery in the Army. It's all electronic these days.
I was on second shift and CIC was very quiet, no chitchat. So I mostly read EPLs.
I was shoved into a back corner and the closest manned station to me was an OS. lol
Uhhh..... What?
@jflamm they sit at an elaborate video console with flight controllers here in the US and fly missions worldwide, also collecting flight video. Military drones are pretty sophisticated and far more advanced than those that we use in our world of practice.
My body is too broken and worn out for the military to consider me for anything more than a civilian consultant.
