Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Official occupation evidence: Official occupation evidence (reviewed 2026-09-26)
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with a recruiter.
Operate dining facilities, fitness centers, and recreational programs. Manage food service operations and provide quality of life services.
Your day might start in the dining facility firing up the line for hundreds of hungry airmen, or in the fitness center and lodging keeping services running. You manage food service, recreation, and quality-of-life programs that keep the base fed and taken care of. When deployed, you set up field kitchens and mortuary affairs, providing the support that keeps morale and operations going.
Watch Real "Services" VideosASVAB G: 24
E-8
4 years
48%
Mil pay includes base pay and applicable allowances such as BAH and BAS. Housing and food allowances depend on service circumstances; enlistment bonuses are separate, conditional incentives, not a standard part of every career's pay. Per-MOS projections below are estimates, not verified bonus offers.
3.8% across-the-board active-duty pay raise effective Jan 1, 2026 (on top of the targeted 10% junior-enlisted raise from Apr 2025). E-1 base $2,407/mo ≈ $28,886/yr; E-5 with 6 yrs $4,300/mo ≈ $51,599/yr; O-1 with <2 yrs $4,150/mo ≈ $49,802/yr; O-3 with 6 yrs $8,126/mo ≈ $97,506/yr.
Tax-free, varies by ZIP, rank, and dependents. 2026 rates effective Jan 1, 2026 — average 4.2% increase over 2025 (example: E-5 with dependents in Norfolk ≈ $2,430/mo). Rate protection applies: if your area's rate drops, you keep your current amount while stationed there.
Tax-free monthly food allowance. 2026 rates: enlisted $476.95/mo ($5,723/yr); officers $328.48/mo ($3,942/yr).
Blended Retirement System (all members joining 2018+). DoD auto-contributes 1% of base pay to your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and matches up to an additional 4% — a 5% guaranteed return. Vest at 2 years, fully portable if you separate before 20.
BRS multiplier: 2.0% × years × average of highest 36 months base pay (paid for life starting at retirement). 20-year E-7 ≈ $25K–$28K/yr; 20-year O-5 ≈ $55K–$65K/yr. Optional lump-sum (25% or 50%) at retirement, plus continued TRICARE.
$0 premium for active-duty members and their families (TRICARE Prime). Retirees pay modest enrollment fees — 2026 TRICARE Prime: $381.96/yr individual / $765/yr family (Group A); $462.96 / $927 (Group B, joined 2018+). Dental and vision available.
After 36 months active duty: 100% in-state public tuition + monthly housing stipend (BAH at the school's ZIP) + $1,000/yr book stipend, for 36 months. Transferable to spouse/children after 6 years of service. Yellow Ribbon covers gaps at private/out-of-state schools.
Service-connected disability comp is tax-free, monthly, for life — 2026 rates (2.8% COLA, effective Dec 1, 2025): 10% = $180.42/mo, 50% = $1,132.90/mo, 100% = $3,938.58/mo (single, no deps). VA home loan with $0 down/no PMI, VR&E (Chapter 31), VA health care, life insurance (VGLI), and PACT Act expanded toxic-exposure care.
Sources: DoD FY 2026 Military Pay Tables, DTMO 2026 BAH/BAS rates, DFAS BRS, VA.gov 2026 disability rates, VA Education benefits. Bonus programs vary by branch, component, contract and eligibility; confirm any offer with a recruiter. No bonus is included automatically in base pay.
Estimated compensation (base pay + applicable allowances and benefits) at common career milestones. Bonuses are separate conditional offers, not guaranteed or verified as part of these projections. Actual pay depends on rank progression, location and dependents.
Related civilian careers in support services, with national median salaries. Military experience does not guarantee a civilian job or salary.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). Click a career to see full details on O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor). Compare with the Mil compensation above — remember Mil pay includes tax-free housing and food allowances, free healthcare, and a pension.
No occupation-specific initial enlistment offer verified here as of 2026-09-26. This does not mean there is no bonus; ask a recruiter about current options for this job.
Official source: U.S. Air Force — Active Duty Bonuses — Active duty initial enlistment; Reserve and Air National Guard separately. Branch overview is not an occupation-specific offer.
Services specialists run the food, lodging, fitness, and mortuary affairs functions that support a base. Work varies widely by assignment, from dining facility operations to managing base lodging to fitness center programs. Deployed, the role centers on field feeding, billeting, and quality of life support in austere conditions. Mortuary affairs is a solemn part of the career field that some members perform. Inventory, facility upkeep, and customer service are constants throughout.
You learn food service operations, sanitation standards, and large-volume meal production. Lodging and facility management including reservations, housekeeping standards, and maintenance coordination are core competencies. The job teaches inventory control, budgeting, and resource management. You gain customer service and staff supervision experience early. Field feeding adds equipment operation in austere conditions.
The job builds hospitality instincts and genuine attentiveness to other people's comfort. You develop organizational discipline, because services operations run on schedules and standards. It teaches composure and dignity, particularly for those who perform mortuary affairs duties. Services specialists tend to become considerate, dependable people. You also gain supervisory experience ahead of most peers.
Hospitality management, hotel operations, food service, and facilities management all hire directly from this background. Food safety certification and volume experience matter to institutional employers including hospitals, schools, and corrections. Many veterans move into restaurant or hotel management, event operations, or corporate dining leadership. Hospitality management degrees under the GI Bill accelerate the path into general management. Facilities and property management is a steady alternative with good progression.
Job descriptions on this page are general and may be out of date. No military role is free from the risk of injury or death, including roles described as non-combat. See our Disclaimer.