Commands or supervises low-altitude air defense units and employment of low-altitude air defense capabilities.
Officer - College Degree Required
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Low Altitude Air Defense Officers lead the Marines who protect a force from aircraft and drones flying low and fast. You commission through Officer Candidates School, ROTC, or the Naval Academy, complete The Basic School, and then train in air defense. A platoon spreads into small teams with shoulder fired missiles, vehicle mounted systems, and counter drone equipment, so much of your job is positioning them and keeping communications alive across dispersed positions. Days mix tactical planning, coordination with aviation and ground commanders over airspace control, gunnery training, and the maintenance and readiness reporting of specialized equipment. Deployments put your teams aboard ship or at forward airfields where the drone threat has become a daily problem rather than a hypothetical one.
You learn air defense doctrine, aircraft recognition, missile employment, radar and sensor basics, and the airspace coordination measures that keep friendly aircraft safe. Counter unmanned aircraft work has become a central part of the field and involves detection, electronic defeat, and engagement decisions made in seconds. Leading dispersed teams teaches communication planning and the discipline of issuing intent clearly enough that people can act without you. You learn maintenance management and property accountability for technical equipment. The Basic School gives you the infantry foundation to operate with the units you defend.
Commanding teams spread across miles of terrain builds real trust in subordinates and the self control not to micromanage them. The engagement decision, made quickly and with imperfect identification, develops the ability to commit under uncertainty and live with the result. You gain technical credibility with specialists, which comes only from learning the work well enough that they believe you. Field conditions and split operations build physical toughness and a high tolerance for discomfort and boredom. The role also teaches you to brief senior commanders concisely, since air defense coordination happens in crowded planning rooms where nobody has time.
There is no civilian job that looks like running an air defense platoon, and it is fair to say so plainly. What transfers is the leadership record, the clearance, and the counter drone expertise that is in growing demand. Defense contractors hire former air defense officers as trainers, test and evaluation staff, and program managers on counter drone systems, and airports and critical infrastructure operators are building similar programs. Emergency management, security operations leadership, and federal agencies value the planning and command experience. Many officers convert the record into an operations management career or a business graduate degree on the GI Bill.
You open the day in the air defense operations center reviewing the airspace picture and system status boards. Throughout your shift you control ground-based air defense assets, coordinate airspace with adjacent units, and manage engagements against simulated or real air threats. You work closely with radar operators and higher headquarters to keep a clear, deconflicted picture of the sky.
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.
$77,814–$144,392
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 7204 Low Altitude Air Defense Officer, 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.
Commands or supervises low-altitude air defense units and employment of low-altitude air defense capabilities.
Low Altitude Air Defense Officers lead the Marines who protect a force from aircraft and drones flying low and fast. You commission through Officer Candidates School, ROTC, or the Naval Academy, complete The Basic School, and then train in air defense. A platoon spreads into small teams with shoulder fired missiles, vehicle mounted systems, and counter drone equipment, so much of your job is positioning them and keeping communications alive across dispersed positions. Days mix tactical planning, coordination with aviation and ground commanders over airspace control, gunnery training, and the maintenance and readiness reporting of specialized equipment. Deployments put your teams aboard ship or at forward airfields where the drone threat has become a daily problem rather than a hypothetical one.
You learn air defense doctrine, aircraft recognition, missile employment, radar and sensor basics, and the airspace coordination measures that keep friendly aircraft safe. Counter unmanned aircraft work has become a central part of the field and involves detection, electronic defeat, and engagement decisions made in seconds. Leading dispersed teams teaches communication planning and the discipline of issuing intent clearly enough that people can act without you. You learn maintenance management and property accountability for technical equipment. The Basic School gives you the infantry foundation to operate with the units you defend.
There is no civilian job that looks like running an air defense platoon, and it is fair to say so plainly. What transfers is the leadership record, the clearance, and the counter drone expertise that is in growing demand. Defense contractors hire former air defense officers as trainers, test and evaluation staff, and program managers on counter drone systems, and airports and critical infrastructure operators are building similar programs. Emergency management, security operations leadership, and federal agencies value the planning and command experience. Many officers convert the record into an operations management career or a business graduate degree on the GI Bill.
Officer - College Degree Required. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
A civilian can pursue this specialty through an officer accession path, subject to eligibility and assignment. 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.
Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* 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.