Manages defense against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats during homeland security operations.
ASVAB ST: 100
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
CBRN specialists handle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense, which in practice means detection equipment, decontamination and training everyone else to survive. Drill weekends involve operating and maintaining detectors and monitors, running decontamination lanes, inspecting protective masks and teaching classes to the rest of the unit. The protective suit and mask are worn often enough to be genuinely uncomfortable, and anyone honest will tell you it is hot, heavy work. Guard CBRN units support civil authorities, so state missions can include hazardous material response, industrial incident support and consequence management after a disaster. Between drills most specialists hold ordinary civilian jobs, and a number already work in industrial safety or emergency management.
You learn to operate, calibrate and troubleshoot chemical and radiological detection instruments, and to interpret readings rather than simply report numbers. Decontamination operations teach site layout, water and runoff management, personnel processing and the discipline of working inside protective equipment. Hazard prediction, plume modeling and reporting build a technical vocabulary that overlaps heavily with civilian hazardous material response. You become an instructor, because teaching protective equipment use to an entire company is a standing part of the assignment. Equipment accountability and maintenance records round it out, since a detector that is out of calibration is worse than no detector.
Working sealed into a suit in summer heat builds a specific kind of toughness and a healthy respect for your own limits. You develop calm around genuine hazards, and that calm comes from understanding them rather than from ignoring them. Teaching adults who did not want to be in your class grows patience and real presentation confidence. Procedural discipline gets trained in hard, because shortcuts in contamination control stay invisible right up until they are not. Specialists tend to become the people who read the safety data sheet first and get listened to when they do.
Hazardous materials and industrial safety are solid civilian fields, and you build toward them while the Guard record grows alongside your job. Fire department hazmat teams, environmental remediation firms, chemical plants, refineries and utilities hire people with documented detection and decontamination experience. County and state emergency management offices recruit from this population because you already speak the civil support language fluently. Occupational safety and environmental health degrees build directly on the work, funded by federal benefits and whatever tuition support your state offers. Industrial hygiene, radiation safety and safety management roles are realistic destinations, and none of them require leaving your hometown.
You start at the CBRN room checking detectors, protective masks, and decon equipment before the morning brief. The day is spent training the unit on chemical and radiological threats, calibrating detection gear, and rehearsing decontamination lanes for homeland-security missions. If a hazardous incident occurs, you suit up, survey the area, and lead the decon effort to keep everyone safe.
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.
These annual examples assume full-time active duty, not part-time drill pay.
Possibilities for serving Soldiers, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
National Guard participation also requires component/unit school-seat approval; confirm availability and requirements with your unit.
Earned by successfully completing Ranger School's demanding leadership and field training.
Not restricted to combat MOSs. Requires selection, a school slot and current course prerequisites. The tab does not mean assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Recognizes successful airborne qualification, including the required training jumps.
Support specialties can attend too; the Army explicitly gives human resources and wheeled-vehicle mechanics as examples. Requires a school slot and medical, physical and course qualification.
Earned through Air Assault School, covering helicopter operations, sling loads and rappelling.
Available across job specialties, not just combat roles, subject to unit nomination, available seats and current school requirements.
A waiver-dependent opportunity outside engineering; earned by successfully completing the Sapper Leader Course.
Conditional opportunity: Soldiers outside engineering must submit a waiver to attend. Approval is not guaranteed; all other course requirements still apply.
Recognizes tested Soldier proficiency in specialties outside the infantry, Special Forces and medical expert-badge tracks.
A skills-based distinction for support and other eligible MOSs. Current proponent requirements and successful testing apply; holding this MOS does not award the badge.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For National Guard 74D CBRN Specialist, 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 referenceThe Army National Guard describes technical warrant specialties and a separate helicopter-pilot route. Technical options depend on the Soldier's MOS. This branch-level information does not establish eligibility, a state vacancy, or a promotion ceiling for this listing.
Army National Guard warrant career guidanceService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Guard applicants work with their State, Territory, or DC Warrant Officer Strength Manager on qualifications and a predetermination packet. Approval and required training are separate from promotion; an Army feeder match alone does not establish Guard eligibility or a state vacancy.
USAREC National Guard applicant processSpecialty-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.
Manages defense against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats during homeland security operations.
CBRN specialists handle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense, which in practice means detection equipment, decontamination and training everyone else to survive. Drill weekends involve operating and maintaining detectors and monitors, running decontamination lanes, inspecting protective masks and teaching classes to the rest of the unit. The protective suit and mask are worn often enough to be genuinely uncomfortable, and anyone honest will tell you it is hot, heavy work. Guard CBRN units support civil authorities, so state missions can include hazardous material response, industrial incident support and consequence management after a disaster. Between drills most specialists hold ordinary civilian jobs, and a number already work in industrial safety or emergency management.
You learn to operate, calibrate and troubleshoot chemical and radiological detection instruments, and to interpret readings rather than simply report numbers. Decontamination operations teach site layout, water and runoff management, personnel processing and the discipline of working inside protective equipment. Hazard prediction, plume modeling and reporting build a technical vocabulary that overlaps heavily with civilian hazardous material response. You become an instructor, because teaching protective equipment use to an entire company is a standing part of the assignment. Equipment accountability and maintenance records round it out, since a detector that is out of calibration is worse than no detector.
Hazardous materials and industrial safety are solid civilian fields, and you build toward them while the Guard record grows alongside your job. Fire department hazmat teams, environmental remediation firms, chemical plants, refineries and utilities hire people with documented detection and decontamination experience. County and state emergency management offices recruit from this population because you already speak the civil support language fluently. Occupational safety and environmental health degrees build directly on the work, funded by federal benefits and whatever tuition support your state offers. Industrial hygiene, radiation safety and safety management roles are realistic destinations, and none of them require leaving your hometown.
ASVAB ST: 100. 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.
Official occupation evidence · 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.
Advertised — National Guard, as of 2026-09-28Deployment 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.