Army Job Profile: 11C Indirect Fire Infantryman

In the Army, military occupational specialty (MOS) 11C, Indirect Fire Infantryman, is a member of a mortar squad, section or platoon. The mortar is an infantry unit’s most powerful weapon. And despite its name, the job of infantryman has been open to female soldiers since 2016.

It’s not possible to enlist directly for MOS 11C. The first step is to enlist under the Army's 11X Infantry Enlistment Option, and during training, you will be designated as either MOS 11B, Infantryman, or MOS 11C, Indirect Fire Infantryman.

The infantry is the main land combat force and backbone of the Army. It's equally important in peacetime and in combat.

Duties of the Army's MOS 11C

These soldiers perform some of the most dangerous jobs in the army. They fire and recover anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, and locate and neutralize mines in live mine fields. This MOS is also responsible for navigating between points on the ground, orienting maps and operating and maintaining communications equipment.

Indirect infantry soldiers may operate in an NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) contaminated area.

A big part of their jobs includes constructing and camouflaging weapons in firing positions, including mortars and maintaining mortars, including safety checks. The way to best describe this position is that the solider performs as a member of a mortar squad providing indirect fire support.

More experienced Indirect Infantry soldiers may lead and control mortar squads, supervise and train subordinates, provide tactical and technical guidance to subordinates, and professional support to subordinates and superiors in a variety of roles, including maintenance of mortar positions.

During combat, the MOS 11C supervises the construction of mortar positions and receives and implements combat orders. They’ll direct and deploy personnel, and direct and adjust indirect supporting fire.

Reading and understanding maps is also a huge part of this job; MOS 11C will use maps and map overlays and determine elevation and grid azimuth.

Training for MOS 11C

Infantrymen in the Army receive 14 weeks of One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning in Georgia. The training involves classroom and field-simulated combat exercises. They’ll learn weapons operation and maintenance, minefield safety, map reading and navigation, preparing fighting positions and other related skills. Infantrymen in training should expect to participate in frequent squad maneuvers, target practice and war games.

Testing Requirements for 11C Indirect Fire Infantryman

Infantrymen need an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test score of 90 in the combat (CO) aptitude area. The subtests for CO aptitude include arithmetic reasoning (AR), Coding Speed (CS), Auto and Shop Information (AS) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC).

No security clearance is required, but you’ll need to have correctable vision of 20/20 and not be color blind.

Civilian Equivalent to MOS 11C

Since much of this job is done in combat situations, there really is no civilian occupation that is exactly the same as MOS 11C. However, police officers and security guards are jobs that would make use of the skills developed through MOS 11C training and experience