Armed-forces artificer

An Artificer is an appointment held by a member of an armed-forces service who is skilled at working on mechanical devices in the field. The specific term "artificer" for this function is typical of the armed forces of countries that are or have been in the British Commonwealth and refers to a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. Articifer is a job title and not a rank.

Qualification to hold the position and title of Articifer requires years of service in order to gain the experience and rank required. In the British Army only soldiers in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers with the rank of Sergeant who have also qualified as Class 1 tradesmen are eligible for consideration for the Articifers course. Upon completion of the 12 month Articifers course, soldiers are promoted to Staff Sergeant (One rank above Sergeant in the British Army) and presented with the Articifers badge. Articifers are addressed as Tiffy, and may oversee the maintenance and repair of a units mechanical equipment, help develop new equipment, or become further qualified on specific equipments.

Corps of Artificers served during the American Revolution and American Civil Wars.

Examples include:

• Artificer Sergeant Major, an appointment held by a Warrant Officer Class 1 in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
• A soldier of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers selected for special electro-mechanical training and rapid promotion to the rank of Staff Sergeant
• Royal Artificers, a corps of the British army which in 1813 became the Royal Sappers and Miners, which in 1856 merged into the Royal Engineers
• Armament Artificer, an Appointment by suitability qualified NCO technicians in the ordnance corps of the Irish Defence Forces who inspect, service and repair the heavy ordnance weapons in artillery, air defence, Cavalry and Naval formations
• Royal Navy Artificer, a highly skilled naval rating that has successfully undergone a five year formal apprenticeship in skill of hand and specialist knowledge training in Her Majesty's ships and training establishments, a position superseded in 2010 by the introduction of Engineering Technicians (ET's).