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GM Career Guide

Navy

GM: Gunner's Mate

Career transition guide for Navy Gunner's Mate (GM)

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Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your GM training built — and where they transfer.

Procedural Compliance

Handling, maintaining, and operating weapons systems and ammunition under strict safety protocols where deviations cause casualties

Operating in zero-tolerance safety environments — directly transferable to explosives handling, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and nuclear facility operations

System Modeling

Understanding mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems of naval weapons platforms and their maintenance requirements

Comprehending complex mechanical-electrical systems — applicable to industrial maintenance, manufacturing engineering, and heavy equipment servicing

Team Synchronization

Coordinating gun crews and weapons handling teams where every member must execute precisely in sequence

Leading teams through choreographed, safety-critical procedures — valued in manufacturing, construction, and heavy industrial operations

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Industrial Machinery Mechanic

SOC 49-9041

Your mechanical skills, hydraulic systems knowledge, and safety discipline translate directly to maintaining industrial manufacturing equipment.

Explosives Engineer (Mining)

SOC 17-2111

Your ordnance handling expertise and safety training give you a direct path to commercial explosives work in mining, demolition, and construction.

Weapons Systems Test Technician

SOC 17-3029

Your operational weapons knowledge makes you valuable to defense contractors for testing and quality assurance of the systems you've maintained.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Gunner's Mate A School, Great Lakes, IL

680 training hours14 weeksUp to 10 semester hours recommended

Topics Covered

  • Naval weapons systems
  • Ammunition handling and stowage
  • Small arms and crew-served weapons
  • Missile launching systems
  • Ordnance safety and handling
  • Weapons maintenance and repair
  • Magazine sprinkler systems

Certification Pathways

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
MK 45 / MK 38 Gun Weapon SystemsElectromechanical weapons systems and automated control platforms
CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) PhalanxAutomated tracking and defense control systems
3M (Maintenance and Material Management System)Preventive maintenance and asset management platforms (CMMS)
Ordnance Information System (OIS)Inventory control and materials management systems
TMDE (Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment)Electronic and mechanical test and diagnostic instruments

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