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Tactical Action Officer (TAO) (GUN BOSS) - the Weapons Department consists of more than 275 men and women in ratings including: Aviation Maintenance Administrators (AZ); Aviation Ordnancemen (AO); Electrician's (EM); EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Technicians; Gunner's (GM); Machinist's (MM); and Yeomen (YN) who are responsible for providing ordnance and support to the Battlestar Air Wing squadrons. These 275 people are divided into six different divisions and an EOD detachment.

Assistant Tactical Action Officer (ATAO) (ASSISTANT GUN BOSS) - is the top NCO and the 2nd in command in the department. He is an SCPO who should be as well acquainted with the Weapons Department and the Ships Magazine. The duties performed include: operating and maintaining missile launching systems, point defenses/gun mounts and other ordnance systems and equipment; training and supervising crews in the use of all types of ordnance equipment, from large caliber guns and missile systems to small arms; stowing, securing, requisitioning and reclassifying explosives: operating and maintaining magazine flooding and sprinkling systems; making mechanical, electrical and electronic casualty analysis using technical publications, circuit diagrams and blueprints; repairing, maintaining, testing and calibrating ordnance equipment; servicing hydraulic and pneumatic systems; repairing, maintaining, testing and calibrating microprocessing equipment; repairing damaged hydraulic sealing surfaces, mating areas and threads; performing mechanical wire connections including soldering; operating and maintaining night optical devices; operating optical scanning and marking devices to label, identify and report explosives' utilization/expenditure.

QUARTER-GUNNERS, are NCOs under the direction of the ATOA. The carry out many duties described for the ATOA, but the main responsibility is keeping the point defenses and turrets in proper working condition for service. Their duties also include the stowage of the magazines, filling the store-rooms, account, care, and distribution of all the stores for the department. The number of Quarter-Gunners in any ship is always in proportion to the number of her batteries, one Quarter-Gunner being allowed to every ten turrets.