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Lead elite teams that implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime. These activities include offensive raids, demolitions, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and counterterrorism. In addition to their combat training, special forces officers often have specialized training in swimming, diving, parachuting, survival, emergency medicine, and foreign languages. Duties include directing advanced reconnaissance operations and evaluating intelligence information recruiting, training, and equipping friendly forces; leading raids and invasions on enemy territories; training personnel to implement individual missions and contingency plans; performing strategic and tactical planning for politically sensitive missions; and operating sophisticated communications equipment.
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Opportunities should be excellent for qualified individuals in all branches of the Armed Forces through 2016.
Employment change. The United States spends a significant portion of its overall budget on national defense. Despite reductions in personnel due to the elimination of the threats of the Cold War, the number of active-duty personnel is expected to remain roughly constant through 2016. However, recent conflicts and the resulting strain on the military may lead to an increase in the number of active-duty personnel. The current goal of the Armed Forces is to maintain a force sufficient to fight and win two major regional conflicts at the same time. Political events, however, could lead to a significant restructuring with or without an increase in size.
Job prospects. Opportunities should be excellent for qualified individuals in all branches of the Armed Forces through 2016. Many military personnel retire with a pension after 20 years of service, while they still are young enough to start a new career. About 168,000 personnel must be recruited each year to replace those who complete their commitment or retire. Since the end of the draft in 1973, the military has met its personnel requirements with volunteers. When the economy is good and civilian employment opportunities generally are more favorable, it is more difficult for all the services to meet their recruitment quotas. It is also more difficult to meet these goals during times of war, when recruitment goals typically rise.
Educational requirements will continue to rise as military jobs become more technical and complex. High school graduates and applicants with a college background will be sought to fill the ranks of enlisted personnel, while virtually all officers will need at least a bachelor's degree and, in some cases, a graduate degree as well.
In 2007, more than 2.6 million people served in the Armed Forces. More than 1.4 million were on active duty—about 505,000 in the Army, 339,000 in the Navy, 340,000 in the Air Force, and 179,000 in the Marine Corps. In addition, more than 1.2 million people served in their Reserve components and the Air and Army National Guard, and 40,000 individuals served in the Coast Guard, which is now part of the Department of Homeland Security. Table 2 shows the occupational composition of the active-duty enlisted personnel in January 2007; table 3 presents similar information for active-duty officers, including noncommissioned warrant officers.
Table 2. Military enlisted personnel by broad occupational category and branch of military service, January 2007
| Occupational Group - Enlisted |
Army |
Air Force |
Coast Guard |
Marine Corps |
Navy |
Total, all services |
Administrative occupations |
8,912 |
23,366 |
1,683 |
9,460 |
22,512 |
65,933 |
Combat specialty occupations |
120,297 |
427 |
856 |
47,250 |
5,508 |
174,338 |
Construction occupations |
16,848 |
4,979 |
— |
5,597 |
5,927 |
33,351 |
Electronic and electrical repair occupations |
35,932 |
37,722 |
4,351 |
14,656 |
51,424 |
144,085 |
Engineering, science, and technical occupations |
36,451 |
46,304 |
1,110 |
22,915 |
38,853 |
145,633 |
Health care occupations |
29,242 |
16,805 |
821 |
— |
24,950 |
71,818 |
Human resource development occupations |
16,464 |
12,741 |
1 |
6,113 |
6,756 |
42,075 |
Machine operator and precision work occupations |
5,727 |
7,134 |
1,583 |
2,301 |
7,913 |
24,658 |
Media and public affairs occupations |
6,541 |
7,574 |
136 |
2,340 |
4,726 |
21,317 |
Protective service occupations |
25,455 |
31,483 |
3,050 |
5,872 |
13,122 |
78,982 |
Support services occupations |
12,014 |
1,608 |
1,268 |
2,289 |
9,930 |
27,109 |
Transportation and material handling occupations |
58,237 |
32,464 |
11,479 |
22,344 |
43,026 |
167,550 |
Vehicle machinery mechanic occupations |
49,679 |
44,025 |
5,821 |
19,340 |
49,166 |
168,031 |
Total, by service |
421,855 |
271,009 |
32,477 |
160,484 |
287,118 |
1,172,913 |
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Table 3. Military officer personnel by broad occupational category and branch of service, January 2007
| Occupational Group - Officer |
Army |
Air Force |
Coast Guard |
Marine Corps |
Navy |
Total, all services |
Combat specialty occupations |
19,421 |
2,861 |
81 |
4,684 |
1,260 |
28,307 |
Engineering, science, and technical occupations |
20,189 |
19,852 |
1,057 |
3,639 |
7,873 |
52,610 |
Executive, administrative, and managerial occupations |
11,262 |
9,013 |
231 |
2,572 |
5,437 |
28,515 |
Health care occupations |
9,953 |
8,970 |
5 |
— |
7,737 |
26,665 |
Human resource development occupations |
2,151 |
2,275 |
184 |
293 |
643 |
5,546 |
Media and public affairs occupations |
237 |
408 |
19 |
170 |
265 |
1,099 |
Protective service occupations |
2,611 |
1,229 |
96 |
327 |
275 |
4,538 |
Support services occupations |
1,596 |
768 |
— |
38 |
884 |
3,286 |
Transportation occupations |
13,112 |
23,540 |
1,736 |
7,188 |
27,049 |
72,625 |
Total, by service |
82,884 |
69,284 |
7,853 |
18,998 |
51,558 |
230,577 |
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Military personnel are stationed throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. About half of all military jobs in the U.S. are located in California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. Approximately 250,000 service members were deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as of April 30, 2007. An additional 363,000 individuals were stationed outside the United States, including 168,000 assigned to ships at sea. About 105,000 were stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany, and another 70,000 were assigned to East Asia and the Pacific area, mostly in Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Unfortunately, no related occupation data exists for this profession.
Each of the military services publishes handbooks, fact sheets, and pamphlets describing entrance requirements, training and advancement opportunities, and other aspects of military careers. These publications are widely available at all recruiting stations, at most State employment service offices, and in high schools, colleges, and public libraries. Information on educational and other veterans' benefits is available from VA offices located throughout the country.
In addition, the Defense Manpower Data Center, an agency of the Department of Defense, publishes Military Career Guide Online, a compendium of military occupational, training, and career information designed for use by students and jobseekers. This information is available on the Internet: http://www.todaysmilitary.com.
The Occupational Outlook Quarterly also provides information about military careers and training in its spring 2007 article "Military training for civilian careers (Or: How to gain practical experience while serving your country)," available online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/spring/art02.pdf.
Sources: O*Net data version 12.0
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Department of Labor
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