Air traffic control for civilian airport support during emergencies.
ASVAB G: 55
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Controlling traffic part time is harder than it sounds, because proficiency is perishable and certification has to be maintained. Air Guard controllers work tower or radar positions during drill and additional days, at airfields that often share airspace with civilian traffic. A shift is continuous talking and thinking, holding a moving picture of every aircraft and where each will be in two minutes. Deployments and state activations can put you running control from a portable facility supporting relief flights into a damaged airport. Many Air Guard controllers are FAA or contract tower controllers during the week, which makes the two jobs reinforce each other directly.
You learn separation standards, phraseology, radar interpretation and the rules that govern how aircraft move through controlled airspace. Training builds the ability to keep a three dimensional picture updated in your head while speaking and listening at once. Position certification comes only after months of working traffic with an instructor plugged in behind you. The Federal Aviation Administration recognizes military controller experience toward civilian control tower operator credentials, which is the point for most people in this field. Coordination with pilots, supervisors and neighboring facilities instills a communication discipline that never leaves you.
Concentration gets trained to a level where you hold the busy picture without dropping the one aircraft that matters. You learn to own a mistake instantly, because hiding an error here is dangerous rather than merely awkward. The work builds confidence in your own judgment, since you make continuous calls and cannot ask permission for each one. Controlling part time also teaches deliberate preparation, because you cannot coast in on last weekend's proficiency. Controllers generally become direct, unhurried communicators, and it shows in the rest of their lives.
This is among the cleanest translations in the Guard, because federal and contract towers hire experienced military controllers on purpose. The path does not require a four year degree first, and the pay in civilian control work is strong and stable. Air Guard service is a well worn route for people who want the FAA career and the military record at the same time. Beyond the microphone, the experience supports airport operations, airline dispatch and aviation safety positions. Where your state adds tuition assistance, an aviation degree becomes an affordable extra rather than a debt.
Your shift starts in the tower or radar approach room, scanning the scopes and briefing the traffic picture with your crew. You spend the day sequencing aircraft, issuing clearances, and separating traffic to keep the airspace safe and moving. When you're supporting a civilian airport during an emergency, calm, precise instructions keep relief flights landing and departing on time.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
These annual examples assume full-time active duty, not part-time drill pay.
Possibilities for serving Soldiers, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
National Guard participation also requires component/unit school-seat approval; confirm availability and requirements with your unit.
Earned by successfully completing Ranger School's demanding leadership and field training.
Not restricted to combat MOSs. Requires selection, a school slot and current course prerequisites. The tab does not mean assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Recognizes successful airborne qualification, including the required training jumps.
Support specialties can attend too; the Army explicitly gives human resources and wheeled-vehicle mechanics as examples. Requires a school slot and medical, physical and course qualification.
Earned through Air Assault School, covering helicopter operations, sling loads and rappelling.
Available across job specialties, not just combat roles, subject to unit nomination, available seats and current school requirements.
A waiver-dependent opportunity outside engineering; earned by successfully completing the Sapper Leader Course.
Conditional opportunity: Soldiers outside engineering must submit a waiver to attend. Approval is not guaranteed; all other course requirements still apply.
Recognizes tested Soldier proficiency in specialties outside the infantry, Special Forces and medical expert-badge tracks.
A skills-based distinction for support and other eligible MOSs. Current proponent requirements and successful testing apply; holding this MOS does not award the badge.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For National Guard 1C1X1 Air Traffic Control, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Army National Guard describes technical warrant specialties and a separate helicopter-pilot route. Technical options depend on the Soldier's MOS. This branch-level information does not establish eligibility, a state vacancy, or a promotion ceiling for this listing.
Army National Guard warrant career guidanceService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Guard applicants work with their State, Territory, or DC Warrant Officer Strength Manager on qualifications and a predetermination packet. Approval and required training are separate from promotion; an Army feeder match alone does not establish Guard eligibility or a state vacancy.
USAREC National Guard applicant processSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Air traffic control for civilian airport support during emergencies.
Controlling traffic part time is harder than it sounds, because proficiency is perishable and certification has to be maintained. Air Guard controllers work tower or radar positions during drill and additional days, at airfields that often share airspace with civilian traffic. A shift is continuous talking and thinking, holding a moving picture of every aircraft and where each will be in two minutes. Deployments and state activations can put you running control from a portable facility supporting relief flights into a damaged airport. Many Air Guard controllers are FAA or contract tower controllers during the week, which makes the two jobs reinforce each other directly.
You learn separation standards, phraseology, radar interpretation and the rules that govern how aircraft move through controlled airspace. Training builds the ability to keep a three dimensional picture updated in your head while speaking and listening at once. Position certification comes only after months of working traffic with an instructor plugged in behind you. The Federal Aviation Administration recognizes military controller experience toward civilian control tower operator credentials, which is the point for most people in this field. Coordination with pilots, supervisors and neighboring facilities instills a communication discipline that never leaves you.
This is among the cleanest translations in the Guard, because federal and contract towers hire experienced military controllers on purpose. The path does not require a four year degree first, and the pay in civilian control work is strong and stable. Air Guard service is a well worn route for people who want the FAA career and the military record at the same time. Beyond the microphone, the experience supports airport operations, airline dispatch and aviation safety positions. Where your state adds tuition assistance, an aviation degree becomes an affordable extra rather than a debt.
ASVAB G: 55. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Official occupation evidence · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Deployment likelihood: Lower*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
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