Joint Fires Observer

Forward observers in the U.S. military are artillery observers who carry the Military Occupational Specialty designator of 13F in the United States Army and 0861 in the United States Marine Corps. They are officially called Fire Support Specialists in the U.S. Army and Fire Support Men in the U.S. Marine Corps. They are colloquially known as FiSTers, regardless of whether they are members of a FiST (Fire Support Team). The Battalion Fire Support Officer (FSO) is the Officer in Charge of a Battalion Fire Support Element.

Forward Observers in the U.S. Army hold the Military Occupational Specialty of 13F for enlisted and 13A for officers designating them as members of the Field Artillery corps. After completion of Basic Military Training enlisted soldiers attend a ten-week course on the fundamentals of Call-For-Fire techniques as well as general field craft and small unit tactics at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From there those being assigned to Airborne units, most notably the 82nd Airborne Division,173rd Airborne Brigade, and 75th Ranger Regiment will attend the United States Army Airborne School after the completion of training at Ft. Sill. Additionally both Ranger School and United States Army Pathfinder School are open to both enlisted and officers serving as Forward Observers. Members of Forward Observer teams are required to attain and maintain a Secret security clearance due to the requirement for Forward Observers to be aware of not only the mission of their own unit but of other U.S. and allied units in the same operating area. Officers are referred to as Fire Support Officers (FSO) while enlisted troops hold the title of Forward Observers.

Once training is complete members are assigned to a Forward Observer Platoon generally part of a Headquarters and Headquarters Company inside a larger Infantry, Cavalry, Armor, or Artillery Battalion. Observer teams are expected to be able to move, communicate, interact and carry out missions as members of these units with a high level of proficiency in addition to their responsibilities as Forward Observers. Observers must be able to work independently for long periods of time and, because 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 as some missions can often last for days or weeks. Currently three methods of directing artillery fire are taught in the U.S. Army. The first and most common is called a Grid Mission where artillery fire to directed based on the map grid coordinate of the target based on a standard map. The second is Shift From Known Point where artillery based on his direction and distance from a fixed, pre-established geographic or man made point. The third and least common is Polar where the observer gives their current grid location and provides distance and direction to the target. This is typically unpopular due to the FDC confusing the observer's location as the target.

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