Conduct offensive and defensive cyberspace operations to support Marine Corps missions. Analyze network vulnerabilities and develop cyber countermeasures.
ASVAB CL: 110 or GT: 110; accession Marines also require Cyber Test: 55
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Cyberspace Warfare Operators serve on mission teams that either defend Marine Corps networks or operate against an adversary's. Most hours are spent at a workstation inside a controlled facility, reading logs, mapping infrastructure, building and testing tools, and briefing what you found. The work is organized around approved mission sets with firm legal boundaries, so authorities and documentation matter as much as technical skill. Because the Marine Corps is small, operators often support a deploying force directly, giving a commander effects that once required an aircraft. Expect shift work and long patient stretches where nothing visible happens for days.
Training covers networking fundamentals, operating system internals, scripting, traffic and malware analysis, and the tradecraft of moving quietly through a network. You learn to think like an attacker and a defender in the same week, which is exactly what makes the skill set valuable. Because the field runs on evidence, you get precise at writing findings that an analyst, a commander, or a lawyer can follow. You hold a high level security clearance and work in a joint environment beside other services and agencies. Every Marine is a rifleman first, so recruit training and annual weapons qualification stay part of your record no matter how technical the job gets.
Curiosity that refuses to drop a loose end is the trait this work rewards most. You develop real discipline about rules and authorities, since the line between a lawful operation and a crime is procedural. Weeks of effort with no visible progress build patience that few people your age ever have reason to develop. The field also teaches intellectual humility, because the person on the other side is clever and motivated too. Small teams where the newest member may spot what everyone else missed give you genuine confidence about speaking up.
This is one of the strongest civilian translations anywhere in the military, and the clearance by itself opens doors. Security operations centers, incident response firms, penetration testing companies, and federal agencies actively compete for people with this background. Private employers pay well for demonstrated offensive and defensive experience that is difficult to acquire any other way. Many veterans stack industry certifications onto the military training and move into contractor roles supporting the same missions they just left. Others use the GI Bill for a computer science degree while already working, which compounds fast in this field.
Your morning opens at a secure workstation reviewing network activity and the day's cyber tasking. You spend hours conducting offensive and defensive cyberspace operations, hunting for vulnerabilities, and developing countermeasures to protect Marine networks. Much of the work is deep analysis at the keyboard, collaborating with intelligence and network teams on the mission.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Marines, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Earned skill levels: tan, gray, green, brown and black belt. Applies across combat and support specialties.
Belts require documented training, sustainment and performance testing under authorized instructors. Higher belts have additional prerequisites, including applicable grade and professional-education requirements; neither promotion nor elapsed service awards a belt. Confirm the current requirements for the next belt with your instructor.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Marines 1721 Cyberspace Warfare Operator, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceMarine NCO grades are E-4 and E-5; staff NCO grades are E-6 through E-9. At E-8 and E-9, first sergeant/sergeant major and master sergeant/master gunnery sergeant have distinct leadership roles. Warrant and commissioned officers are separate career tracks. This service-wide structure is not a verified promotion ceiling for this MOS.
Marine Corps ranks and career-track distinctionsService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
The FY27 regular warrant program requires technical and professional qualifications for the requested warrant MOS and selection. A listed warrant destination does not establish an enlisted feeder match. The February 2026 deadline has passed; this announcement documents a selection route, not a currently open opportunity.
Marine FY27 regular warrant selection announcementSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Conduct offensive and defensive cyberspace operations to support Marine Corps missions. Analyze network vulnerabilities and develop cyber countermeasures.
Cyberspace Warfare Operators serve on mission teams that either defend Marine Corps networks or operate against an adversary's. Most hours are spent at a workstation inside a controlled facility, reading logs, mapping infrastructure, building and testing tools, and briefing what you found. The work is organized around approved mission sets with firm legal boundaries, so authorities and documentation matter as much as technical skill. Because the Marine Corps is small, operators often support a deploying force directly, giving a commander effects that once required an aircraft. Expect shift work and long patient stretches where nothing visible happens for days.
Training covers networking fundamentals, operating system internals, scripting, traffic and malware analysis, and the tradecraft of moving quietly through a network. You learn to think like an attacker and a defender in the same week, which is exactly what makes the skill set valuable. Because the field runs on evidence, you get precise at writing findings that an analyst, a commander, or a lawyer can follow. You hold a high level security clearance and work in a joint environment beside other services and agencies. Every Marine is a rifleman first, so recruit training and annual weapons qualification stay part of your record no matter how technical the job gets.
This is one of the strongest civilian translations anywhere in the military, and the clearance by itself opens doors. Security operations centers, incident response firms, penetration testing companies, and federal agencies actively compete for people with this background. Private employers pay well for demonstrated offensive and defensive experience that is difficult to acquire any other way. Many veterans stack industry certifications onto the military training and move into contractor roles supporting the same missions they just left. Others use the GI Bill for a computer science degree while already working, which compounds fast in this field.
ASVAB CL: 110 or GT: 110; accession Marines also require Cyber Test: 55. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
NAVMC 1200.1L, FY26 Military Occupational Specialties Manual (effective October 1, 2025), chapter 1 · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
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 an official recruiter.
Bonus-listed — Marines, as of 2026-09-27. Max bonus $15,000Published amount: $15,000Max bonus $15,000 is a display ceiling, including unconfirmed figures and illustrative estimates, not a confirmed offer. Separate programs are not added together.
Latest source review — 2026-10-25
FY27 MARADMIN 405/26 confirms BY electronic-maintenance and DG cyber/crypto group bonuses $15,000, shipping alternatives $5,000/$10,000, and extra-year alternatives $7,000/$15,000. Active-component applicants may receive ONLY ONE enlistment bonus. A PEF does not guarantee an individual PMOS. SMCR paragraph 6 specifies $10,000, while the introduction also mentions $6,000: confirm the applicable written agreement. Six-year Reserve obligation, validated quota, training and funding conditions apply; IIADT applicants are ineligible. Older FY26 entries are retained, not certified as current.
Historical amounts are retained. A displayed maximum is not a guaranteed payment. Confirm current written contract terms.
Bonus range review — 2026-10-10
Conditional planning range: $0–$15,000. $0 means no eligible or available bonus; the upper endpoint is from the listed program amount, not a likely payout or guaranteed offer. Historical/expired amounts do not verify a current offer. Do not add separate programs without written stacking authorization. Existing source dates and eligibility conditions remain controlling. Additional program amounts, when available, are explained in their own comments.
Range evidenceFY27 program effective October 1, 2026. BY/QY electronic maintenance or DG/QQ cyber/crypto program contract required. Assignment to an individual PMOS is not guaranteed. This newer evidence supplements, and does not replace, the retained FY26 entry.
Latest source review — 2026-10-25
FY27 MARADMIN 405/26 confirms BY electronic-maintenance and DG cyber/crypto group bonuses $15,000, shipping alternatives $5,000/$10,000, and extra-year alternatives $7,000/$15,000. Active-component applicants may receive ONLY ONE enlistment bonus. A PEF does not guarantee an individual PMOS. SMCR paragraph 6 specifies $10,000, while the introduction also mentions $6,000: confirm the applicable written agreement. Six-year Reserve obligation, validated quota, training and funding conditions apply; IIADT applicants are ineligible. Older FY26 entries are retained, not certified as current.
Historical amounts are retained. A displayed maximum is not a guaranteed payment. Confirm current written contract terms.
Range review 2026-10-10: Conditional planning range: $0–$15,000. $0 means no eligible or available bonus; the upper endpoint is from the listed program amount, not a likely payout or guaranteed offer. Historical/expired amounts do not verify a current offer. Do not add separate programs without written stacking authorization.
Reviewed 2026-10-03; program ends 2027-09-30. Not a guaranteed offer.
SourcePublished enlistment program: $15,000.
A listed program does not guarantee a bonus, job assignment or an available slot. Confirm your exact contract, component, ship date and eligibility with a recruiter.
MARADMIN 526/25 (3 Nov 2025)Deployment likelihood: Lower*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.