Armed Forces Operational Officer Duties & Responsibilities

The role and function of an Armed Forces Operational Officer includes the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Taking responsibility for the welfare, morale and motivation of subordinates;
  • Briefings, operational reports and presentations;
  • Taking responsibility for your own personal and professional development.
  • Communicating effectively with your unit, colleagues with other roles and responsibilities, and professional and community groups, both orally and in writing.

In battle and other operations:

  • Preparing or modifying operational strategies and plans;
  • Motivating and leading subordinates to achieve objectives, often in difficult and dangerous conditions;
  • Keeping ships, aircraft, vehicles, weapons and other equipment operational.
  • Allocating equipment, manpower and resources effectively to achieve objectives;

Identifying objectives and assessing ways of achieving them;At base or on exercise:  

  • Training new recruits in basic skills;
  • Assessing the effectiveness of training.
  • Instructing personnel of other ranks and preparing them for promotion;
  • Training and developing subordinates of all ranks and bringing them to a high state of operational readiness;

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Armed Forces Operational Officer duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Armed Forces Operational Officer roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.