Working in the Army as an engineer is a challenging job. You have to have a combination of building skills and combat terrain ability, which will assist in your duties. Combat Army Engineers supervise, assist or serve as a member of a team engaged in engineering tasks. They are involved in engineering tasks such as building roads, moving forces across rivers and streams, constructing bridges, as well as other types of engineering tasks. Some of the duties that you may be engaged in as an Army Corp of Engineer can include:
Working to situate and place explosives for demolition, assembling and operating prefabricated elements of bridges and embankments, operating and serving on a combat engineer vehicle as a crewmember, such as a combat Armored earthmover or such as an armed vehicle launch bridge, and installing and preparing firing systems for explosives and ammunition.
A Army Combat engineer will work to construct field fortifications such as shelters, gun emplacements, bunkers field fortifications. They work to operate heavy and light engineer vehicles, and to locate and defuse mines by using a mine detector and by visual means. Training for an Army Engineer begins with Army basic combat training, and then after 9 weeks of boot camp you will progress to individual advanced training. You will work to study in both simulated field conditions as well as in the classroom training. During your school training which lasts about 7 weeks, you will learn bridge building, how to construct rigging and rough carpentry skills, basic engineering principals as well as a variety of construction principals.
If you have a history in using construction equipment or tools, and if you have an interest in working in construction and dealing with power tools you may be well suited for this position. You will have an opportunity to work with other soldiers, and to help instruct more junior members of the engineer team.
Working as a member of the Army Engineer team you will work to determine settings and firing solutions for wheeled combat engineer vehicles and tracked vehicles, working in fire team mobile movements, directing the construction of fighting positions and engineering team movements, and how to conduct reconnaissance operations. Working as an Army combat engineer will give you training for many different types of civilian construction employment.