TITLE:
NAVAL ELECTRONIC SENSOR OPERATOR
IN THE CANADIAN FORCES
MASTER SEAMAN MATT MARSHALL: I’m Master Seaman Matthew Marshall from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I’m a Naval Electronic Sensor Operator onboard HMCS Fredericton.
Naval Electronic Sensor Operators, or NES Ops, fill three key roles in modern naval warfare: detection, identification and engagement of the enemy. As part of the ship’s operations team, NES Ops zero in on enemy ships, submarines and aircraft through sophisticated radar and electronic warfare systems. NES Ops can detect objects up to several hundred kilometres away and gather intelligence on everything above the sea so that the ship’s captain and above-water warfare team can make well-informed warfighting decisions.
NES Ops are the first line of defence on a ship and they fire the ship’s weapons to defend it against potential threats from sea, air or land.
MARSHALL: We do everything from fingerprinting radars, to fire control gunnery and missile shoots.
Naval Electronic Sensor Operators actively defend the ship from all threats on the water and in the air. That means operating radar-jamming equipment, deploying rocket decoys to cause confusion, and firing weapons systems like the main 57-mm Bofors gun, anti-air and anti-surface missiles, and the close-in weapons system or CIWS.
MARSHALL: Firing the guns, working with missiles, blowing stuff up — I mean, there’s nothing that feels better than training, training, training, and then at the end of the day seeing the results of your training.
The Royal Canadian Navy commonly practises their skills in task groups with other nations, in war games that simulate realistic daily military scenarios and naval confrontations. Onboard Canadian warships, NES Ops are the experts in radio and radar intercept, electronic warfare and intelligence gathering. They may also have the opportunity to specialize as a Shipborne Air Controller or operate unmanned aerial vehicles which extend the ship’s surveillance capabilities.
MARSHALL: The atmosphere in the ops room can be pretty hectic at times. To the untrained eye it might seem pretty chaotic. But it’s controlled chaos, everyone has a job, everyone knows where to go, what to do, how to do it and we practise through team training, simulated gunnery, simulated warfare exercises, in case anything were to actually happen.
MARSHALL: I love sitting down and doing the fire control aspect, seeing those rounds go downrange – seeing the splash as it hits the target is really exciting. My favourite system onboard is hands down the CIWS. There’s nothing cooler than a chain gun that can shred basically anything coming towards you.
After their training is completed, Naval Electronic Sensor Operators are posted to their first ship either in Halifax, Nova Scotia or just outside Victoria, B.C., where they’re employed as a junior electronic support measures operator at sea.
Junior NES Ops complete practical training to ensure they have the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenges at sea. They may deploy on exercise or domestic and international operations as a part of the above-water warfare team.
Additional opportunities are readily available such as being a ship’s diver, and being a member of a naval boarding party or a Naval Tactical Operations Group.
A typical day at sea for any sailor can include practical experience and team training such as simulated fire, flood or medical emergencies called “damage control”, that involve the entire ship’s company. As sailors, NES Ops also have duties such as being a ship hand, or on lookout.
When not on duty, sailors have time to exercise and relax with colleagues. They eat their meals together, have personal access to internet and email, and communicate regularly with friends and family back home by satellite telephone.
MARSHALL: What better way to get out and see the world than join the Navy. I’ve never had a job that was so fulfilling as this one, knowing that I made a difference at the end of the day, having a tangible result to all my hard work.
TITLE:
NAVAL ELECTRONIC SENSOR OPERATOR
IN THE CANADIAN FORCES