Branch introduction
The United States Army Signal Corps was established in 1860 with Albert Myer, an army doctor, as the pioneer Signal officer and was enacted as a distinct branch of the army by an Act of Congress in 1963. It has played a significant role since the American Civil War up to date, offering integrated services from military intelligence, weather forecasting to aviation. Signal corps has its headquarters located in Fort Gordon, Georgia.
The Signal Corps have a coat of arms with a shield; a crest; and a motto, “Pro patria vigilans”, inscribed on it. The Signal Corps are customarily recognized with white and orange colors. The branch’s insignia is shown by two crossed flags and a burning torch which symbolize communication or signals (U.S. Signal Corps 2003).
The Signal Corps Officers is an operations support branch, whose function is to provide dynamic and integrated information structure to enable command and coordination of the Army’s combat units at times of calm and conflict.
The success of the armed forces mainly is determined by the capability of the army to be mobile, shoot and coordinate (which is necessary to achieve the other two). The signal corps officers play two important roles in the army, these are; they provide technical communications assistance; and they also play the role of combat leaders in times of an operation.
Branch organization
The Army’s Signal Corps handles all channels of communication for the whole Army force. The Signal Corps Officers aims to ensure guaranteed, secure, consistent and dynamic information structures in all stages of command and control and for whatever the environment. On every operation, information and data management (under responsibility of the Signal Corps) have been more important for the Army and its successive victory.
A Signal Corps Officer, subsequently, is required to be able to plan, set up, integrate, operate and maintain the Army’s voice, data and information networks, protocols and assets. Signal Officers are highly intelligent, forward thinking and possess a lot of knowledge on the variety of technology employed.
The Signal Corps Officers was integrated into the United States Army Regimental System in 1986, with the aim of providing the army with a flow of identification and to enhance that model with an individual system, which could increase an officers likelihood of serving consecutive duties with his/her regiment.
Signal officers guide their seniors on the application of cables, switching, radios, and satellite communication structures and also command signal units at organization, team, and brigade stages. Vacancies to work as communication electronics staff officer are wide and demanding with missions globally at operational level “ranging from the forward edge of the battlefield to the White House Communications Agency in the nation’s capital” (U.S. Army 2000).
Orientation into the unit starts with the Signal Corps Officer Basic Course. At this stage many newly promoted lieutenants may acquire varied operations as platoon leaders in strategic combat signal unit or as objectivity commanders in signal units that manage “strategic fixed station telecommunications switching centers, satellite terminals, and radio relay stations”.
After graduation from college students who have electrical engineering degrees are assigned to work that involves exploring new technologies and bring up new communication gadgets, weapon control systems and other laser related technology.
Branch officer life
The responsibilities of a Signal Lieutenant may include: To plan and execute all modes of communication on operations, both at the time of peace and wartime; Understanding strategic problem solving and the Signal Soldier’s function of a leader in a combined army team or joint force situation; Coordinating recruitment of Signal Officers at all levels of command, from platoon to battalion and higher, in United States and trans-national missions.
Training includes completion of the Signal Officer Basic Course (SOBC), where an individual is trained leadership attributes, tactics, maintenance and operational aspects of the networks and implements applied by the Signal Officers. To be a leader in the Armed Forces takes certain attributes; a leader demonstrates self-discipline, initiative, confidence and intelligence; an individual should be physically fit and be able to work under strenuous conditions.
Leaders solve problems fast enough, always taking into consideration the success of the operation, and respect for their subordinates and other army officers. A good leader show the way from the front and change to circumstances that are ever evolving and is judged by his/her ability to solve problems when faced by a difficult situation.
The Signal Corps has allegiance to other armed forces units such as the National Guard and Regular Army. The functional areas in the branch include the following: FA24 Telecom Systems Engineer, FA34 Strategic Intelligence, FA40 Space Operations,FA47 Academy Professor, FA48 Foreign Area Officer, FA49 Operations Research/Systems Analyst, FA50 Force Management, FA52 Nuclear Counter proliferation, FA53 Information Systems Manager, FA57 Battle Command and Simulation Operations, and FA59 Strategic Plans and Policy.
Branch accession
The criteria of the branch accession depends mainly on the position one is willing to take, however special consideration is given to those individuals who have bachelor’s degree or higher educational advantage in the relevant fields for certain positions and also those with physical ability.
For instance, if an individual would like to become an FA 24, one is evaluated at the four and seven functional designation board and also the through the Officer Service Management Pilot Program. There are usually between two to five corps in the army and are recruited into the branch on a proportion of the general army in-take. Each year about twenty percent of the applicants are taken (U.S. Signal Corps 2003).
Conclusion
With the current advancements in warfare equipments, command and coordination can be attained through applying current information systems developing on the worldwide stage, thus an efficient and reliable team must be in place, and that is the Signal Corps Officers.
The duty of the Signal Corps Officers is to control and enable communication and information services for the coordination and control of the military organs. Signal maintenance involves network operation and control of the electromagnetic spectrum; and engage in design, installation, maintenance, and running of information systems.
For those intending to be recruited into the Signal Corps, one should recognize that being in the army is a challenging and demanding work, and one needs passion, zeal and professionalism in his or her work. Men and women in the Signal Corps team are well disciplined, self-driven, confident, hardworking and intelligent. It takes ones commitments and achievements to ascend up the seniority hierarchy.
Notable branch alumni include: “General of the Army, Henry H. Arnold, Frank Capra, Tony Randall, Jean Shepherd, John C. Holmes, and Julius Rosenberg” (Raines 1999).
Reference List
Raines, R. R. (1999). Getting the Message Through: A Branch History of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 350-407.
U.S. Army. (2000). Branch Skills. U.S. Army Signal Corps. Retrieved from www.hrc.army.mil/site/Branches-Skills/index.htm
U.S. Army Signal Corps. (2003). Mission Statement. U.S. Army Signal Corps. Retrieved from www.branchorientation.com