Operates tactical air defense control systems; this MOS is distinct from Air Traffic Controller MOS 7257.
ASVAB GT: 105
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Tactical Air Defense Controllers work inside the radar and air control facilities that watch the airspace over a Marine force and direct aircraft within it. Your shift is spent at a scope, identifying every track in the sector, separating friendly aircraft from unknown ones, and passing control instructions over radio. When an intercept is required you vector a fighter onto a target, and when the airspace is crowded you keep helicopters, jets, and drones from conflicting. The equipment is expeditionary, so you also help set up, power, and tear down radars and shelters in the field rather than working in a fixed tower. Shifts run around the clock and demand sustained concentration in a dim room with a lot happening at once.
You learn radar theory, air surveillance, identification procedures, intercept control, and the airspace control measures that govern a combat area. Radio discipline and standard phraseology become automatic, and clear concise speech under pressure is a taught skill here. You build the ability to hold a three dimensional picture of many aircraft in your head and to project where they will be. The field also teaches you to operate and troubleshoot tactical radar and communications systems, not just use them. This experience is recognized by the FAA as qualifying air traffic control experience, which is a genuine advantage in that hiring process.
Sustained focus becomes a trained capacity rather than a matter of mood. You learn to speak calmly and precisely when the situation is urgent, because a hurried transmission causes more problems than it solves. The job builds confidence in your own judgment, since an aircraft is following your instruction and waiting on your next word. Rotating shifts and night watches develop discipline about rest, health, and showing up ready. You also become comfortable admitting uncertainty immediately, which in air control is a safety behavior rather than a weakness.
This is one of the better civilian translations in the aviation field. FAA recognized controller experience helps you compete for air traffic control positions, and contract tower operators also hire veterans with this background. Airline and airport operations centers, flight dispatch, and airspace management support roles draw on the same picture keeping and communication skills. Defense contractors employ former controllers in radar system fielding, test support, and training. The radar and communications equipment knowledge also opens technical field service work if you would rather stay with the hardware.
You climb to the tower or radar room at the start of your shift and take a detailed position handover. The day is spent controlling aircraft in the pattern and airspace, sequencing traffic, and coordinating over radios and radar to keep movements safe. The work demands constant situational awareness as you talk pilots through takeoffs, approaches, and landings.
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 7236 Tactical Air Defense Controller, 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.
Operates tactical air defense control systems; this MOS is distinct from Air Traffic Controller MOS 7257.
Tactical Air Defense Controllers work inside the radar and air control facilities that watch the airspace over a Marine force and direct aircraft within it. Your shift is spent at a scope, identifying every track in the sector, separating friendly aircraft from unknown ones, and passing control instructions over radio. When an intercept is required you vector a fighter onto a target, and when the airspace is crowded you keep helicopters, jets, and drones from conflicting. The equipment is expeditionary, so you also help set up, power, and tear down radars and shelters in the field rather than working in a fixed tower. Shifts run around the clock and demand sustained concentration in a dim room with a lot happening at once.
You learn radar theory, air surveillance, identification procedures, intercept control, and the airspace control measures that govern a combat area. Radio discipline and standard phraseology become automatic, and clear concise speech under pressure is a taught skill here. You build the ability to hold a three dimensional picture of many aircraft in your head and to project where they will be. The field also teaches you to operate and troubleshoot tactical radar and communications systems, not just use them. This experience is recognized by the FAA as qualifying air traffic control experience, which is a genuine advantage in that hiring process.
This is one of the better civilian translations in the aviation field. FAA recognized controller experience helps you compete for air traffic control positions, and contract tower operators also hire veterans with this background. Airline and airport operations centers, flight dispatch, and airspace management support roles draw on the same picture keeping and communication skills. Defense contractors employ former controllers in radar system fielding, test support, and training. The radar and communications equipment knowledge also opens technical field service work if you would rather stay with the hardware.
ASVAB GT: 105. 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.
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.