“We are important for a lot of things, specifically for situations like this, when there is a hurricane coming.”
“We will inform the ship where to go to avoid really bad weather that could potentially cause damage.”
Collect, analyze, and forecast weather data for aviation and naval operations. Operate meteorological equipment and provide weather briefings.
ASVAB VE+MK+GS: 162 OR GS+AR+MK: 165
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Weather decides whether aircraft launch, and Aerographer's Mates are the sailors who tell the captain what the sky and the water are about to do. You work in a meteorology and oceanography office aboard a carrier or ashore, releasing balloons, reading satellite and radar feeds, and plotting fronts across an ocean basin. Briefings go out to pilots, the bridge watch and the strike group staff, usually on a clock that does not care that the data just changed. You also analyze water temperature and sound propagation so sonar crews know how far they can actually hear. Underway the job runs in rotating watches, because forecasts do not pause overnight.
You learn synoptic meteorology, atmospheric physics and the practical craft of turning model output into a forecast someone will fly on. Instrument work covers upper air soundings, radar interpretation, and the sensors that measure wind, pressure and sea state. Oceanography adds bathymetry, tides, currents and acoustic prediction, which is a specialty very few civilians ever touch. You get fluent at briefing, which means standing in front of aviators and officers and explaining uncertainty without hiding behind it. Data quality control and record keeping round it out, since one bad observation corrupts every forecast built on top of it.
Forecasting builds comfort with being wrong in public and getting steadily better because of it. You develop disciplined judgment, since the honest answer is often a probability rather than a promise. The watch rotation teaches you to hand off work cleanly and to trust the sailor who relieves you. Briefing senior officers while still junior grows a quiet confidence that carries into any room you walk into later. Over time you also become genuinely observant about the physical world, reading clouds and swell the way other people read street signs.
Military weather experience is one of the cleaner translations the Navy offers, because forecasting is essentially the same job in a civilian office. Veterans move into the National Weather Service, private forecasting firms serving airlines, shipping and energy companies, and broadcast operations. The oceanography half opens doors with survey companies, offshore energy and research vessels that need sound and sea state expertise. Many Aerographer's Mates finish a meteorology degree on service education benefits, which is the usual requirement for forecasting jobs with the most room to grow. The work is technical, respected and unlikely to be automated away.
Published personal accounts with source links. Each describes an individual experience, not a typical assignment or a guarantee of your own experience.
“We are important for a lot of things, specifically for situations like this, when there is a hurricane coming.”
“We will inform the ship where to go to avoid really bad weather that could potentially cause damage.”
“Being very observant and knowing what’s going on around us is very important in this rate.”
“We take weather observations every hour, and during flight operations it’s every half hour.”
“We are very accurate, which shows all the training we do go through.”
Quotes are from U.S. government public-domain news stories (DVIDS, army.mil and other official sources). Individuals and units are named as reported at time of publication.
Your day starts by pulling the latest satellite imagery, radar, and buoy data to build the weather picture for aviation and shipboard operations. You launch weather balloons, run forecasting models, and issue briefings to pilots and the commander on visibility, winds, and sea state. Continuous monitoring and updating of forecasts keeps flight and mission planning on track through changing conditions.
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.
Possibilities for serving Sailors, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Assignment-dependent qualification and insignia earned aboard a qualifying surface ship or afloat staff—not automatically awarded for this rating.
For enlisted Sailors in an eligible surface assignment, including support ratings. Complete the command's current qualification standards, assessments and approval process. A shore or submarine assignment alone does not establish eligibility; confirm current enrollment rules with the command.
Assignment-dependent aviation qualification and insignia; support Sailors may qualify at authorized aviation commands.
Requires a qualifying aviation assignment or an authorized support-command arrangement, required in-rating technical qualifications and command approval. Current enrollment and pay-grade prerequisites must be checked; this is not a promotion or a badge awarded just for holding this rating.
Restricted to qualifying expeditionary assignments; recognizes tested field and unit-specific proficiency, including support duties.
Requires assignment to a command authorized to administer EXW and completion of its general and unit-specific personnel qualification standards and approval process. Published NSW program evidence establishes this route, not that every Navy unit offers it. Confirm current command authorization and prerequisites.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Navy AG Aerographer's Mate, 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 Navy directs enlisted Sailors to rating-specific Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDRs), and officers to their community managers and officer career-progression guidance. Rating conversion and commissioning are separate application paths, not automatic promotions.
Navy career planning: LaDRs, officer progression, and commissioningService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) appointments require separate applications and program-specific qualifications. The reviewed active-duty page contains FY28 cycle requirements, not Reserve eligibility. Its 1 October 2026 application deadline has passed; this is not an open application offer or a verified designator match for this listing.
Navy active-duty LDO/CWO applicant requirementsSpecialty-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.
Collect, analyze, and forecast weather data for aviation and naval operations. Operate meteorological equipment and provide weather briefings.
Weather decides whether aircraft launch, and Aerographer's Mates are the sailors who tell the captain what the sky and the water are about to do. You work in a meteorology and oceanography office aboard a carrier or ashore, releasing balloons, reading satellite and radar feeds, and plotting fronts across an ocean basin. Briefings go out to pilots, the bridge watch and the strike group staff, usually on a clock that does not care that the data just changed. You also analyze water temperature and sound propagation so sonar crews know how far they can actually hear. Underway the job runs in rotating watches, because forecasts do not pause overnight.
You learn synoptic meteorology, atmospheric physics and the practical craft of turning model output into a forecast someone will fly on. Instrument work covers upper air soundings, radar interpretation, and the sensors that measure wind, pressure and sea state. Oceanography adds bathymetry, tides, currents and acoustic prediction, which is a specialty very few civilians ever touch. You get fluent at briefing, which means standing in front of aviators and officers and explaining uncertainty without hiding behind it. Data quality control and record keeping round it out, since one bad observation corrupts every forecast built on top of it.
Military weather experience is one of the cleaner translations the Navy offers, because forecasting is essentially the same job in a civilian office. Veterans move into the National Weather Service, private forecasting firms serving airlines, shipping and energy companies, and broadcast operations. The oceanography half opens doors with survey companies, offshore energy and research vessels that need sound and sea state expertise. Many Aerographer's Mates finish a meteorology degree on service education benefits, which is the usual requirement for forecasting jobs with the most room to grow. The work is technical, respected and unlikely to be automated away.
ASVAB VE+MK+GS: 162 OR GS+AR+MK: 165. 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.
Navy enlisted occupational standards, NAVPERS 18068F, July 2026, Appendix B (rating enumeration) · 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.
Advertised — Navy, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* 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.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.