Established in 1961, the Data Systems Technician (DS) rating was in existence until October, 1998, when its duties were merged into the Electronics Technician (ET) and Fire Controlman (FC) rating under the job title Electronics Data Systems Technician. Sailors who were in the DS rating specialized in work on Navy computers handling tactical data, as well as repairing, maintaining, calibrating, and cleaning video processing units, tape storage systems, data-link terminals, and digital displays.
The lion’s share of those tasks were incorporated into the new job, but the rapid advance of computer networking means they are now responsible for maintaining and configuring data-link and tactical networks. Any computer-based equipment falls under the bailiwick of today’s Electronic Data Systems Technician, from copiers and AV equipment to fiber optic lines. Creating and updating technical documentation is a major part of the job, which includes keeping records of equipment maintenance and repairs.
The rating badges for the old DS rating and the ET rating both feature graphical representations of a helium atom in which orbits of the two electronics are displayed, with the two electrons being represented by Navy stars. But as you can see from the image of the Data Systems Technician rating badge that we offer at Salute Uniforms, the design of the old DS badge augmented the helium atom with four computer flow-chart arrows, namely three inputs and one output.