mos.directory

Marine Corps MOS · Aviation

5953 Air Traffic Control RADAR Technician

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

Browse Marine Corps

Overview

An Air Traffic Control RADAR Technician surveys, sites, and installs precision approach and surveillance radar systems. The technician inspects and maintains systems, loads operational software, tunes and aligns equipment, diagnoses faults, replaces faulty components, and verifies repairs.

Minimum clearance: Secret

Minimum ASVAB: EL 110

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: navmc-1200-1l-fy26 (source date 2025-03). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Core Skills

  • Radar site surveys and system installation
  • Operational software loading and system alignment
  • Technical support during system flight inspections
  • Fault isolation and corrective repair verification

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

Radar installation, preventive maintenance, fault isolation, and repair verification transfer directly to electronic equipment service work.

How to prepare: Build a troubleshooting work sample that documents a fault, diagnostic steps, component replacement, and verification of restored operation.

What the civilian work involves
  • Test faulty equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test equipment or software, and applying knowledge of the functional operation of electronic units and systems.
  • Maintain equipment logs that record performance problems, repairs, calibrations, or tests.
  • Install repaired equipment in various settings, such as industrial or military establishments.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Circuit evaluation software
  • Computerized maintenance management system CMMS

Avionics Technicians

Ground radar troubleshooting, system adjustment, and flight-inspection support provide a foundation for aircraft electronics testing and repair.

How to prepare: Complete hands-on training in aircraft electronic installation and test procedures to bridge the gap from ground radar systems. An FAA mechanic certificate, often required by air carriers but not required for every avionics job, requires age 18, English reading/writing/speaking/comprehension, and either 18 months of rating-appropriate practical experience for one rating, 30 months concurrently for both ratings, graduation from an FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Technician School, or completion of the Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council course, followed by knowledge, oral, and practical tests; the FAA evaluates military documentation, and the supplied ground-radar duties do not establish rating-appropriate aircraft maintenance experience.

What the civilian work involves
  • Test and troubleshoot instruments, components, and assemblies, using circuit testers, oscilloscopes, or voltmeters.
  • Adjust, repair, or replace malfunctioning components or assemblies, using hand tools or soldering irons.
  • Set up and operate ground support and test equipment to perform functional flight tests of electrical and electronic systems.

Training & Development

Choose credentials for your target role. COOL funding markers describe program listings, not a guarantee of eligibility or funding.

Getting Started

  • Associate Electronics Technician (CETa)

    Validate foundational electronics, circuit, and test-equipment knowledge for commercial equipment repair.

    For: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

  • ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician (AET)

    Build and validate aircraft electronics fundamentals and maintenance knowledge for the transition into avionics.

    Eligibility and preparation: No mandatory education, experience, or prior certification.

    For: Avionics Technicians

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (7 documents)
  1. NAVMC 1200.1L (FY26, in force): MOS 5953

    [1] MOS 5953 section "a. Summary"; cached text line 47865; NAVMC 1200.1L signed 2025-03-07, in force until 2026-10-01

    Supports: Radar site surveys and system installation, Operational software loading and system alignment, Technical support during system flight inspections, Fault isolation and corrective repair verification, Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (O*NET 49-2094.00), Avionics Technicians (O*NET 49-2091.00)

  2. O*NET: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (O*NET 49-2094.00)

  3. O*NET: Avionics Technicians

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Avionics Technicians (O*NET 49-2091.00)

  4. FAA: Become an Aviation Mechanic

    [4] Requirements and mechanic experience requirements

    Supports: Avionics Technicians (O*NET 49-2091.00)

  5. COOL credential mapping: Associate Electronics Technician (CETa)

    [5] 5953 cached COOL credential feed

    Supports: Associate Electronics Technician (CETa)

    [6]ETA International: Associate Certified Electronics Technician · CETa description and CETa Exam Info; retrieved 2026-09-23

    Supports: Associate Electronics Technician (CETa)

  6. COOL credential mapping: ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician (AET)

    [7] 5953 cached COOL credential feed

    Supports: ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician (AET)

  7. SpaceTEC Partners, Inc.: Qualifications for ASTM NCATT Certifications

    [8] Sole qualifications statement on page; retrieved 2026-09-23

    Supports: ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician (AET)

Defense contractor jobs for 5953

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

Report an error on this page