Operate, maintain, and repair naval weapons systems including missiles, guns, and close-in weapons systems aboard ships.
ASVAB AR+MK+EI+GS: 205 OR AR+GS+2MK: 205
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Gunner's Mates maintain and operate the guns, launchers and small arms aboard surface ships, which is equal parts mechanics and hydraulics. Routine days involve inspections, lubrication, hydraulic checks, electrical troubleshooting and the careful accounting that ammunition and weapons always demand. You run the ship's armory, issuing and maintaining rifles, pistols and machine guns, and you help train the crew to shoot and stand security watches. Underway you support live fire exercises, ordnance handling and replenishment evolutions, often working long hours on a hot weather deck. Sea tours alternate with shore assignments in training, maintenance or security billets, so the rhythm of the job changes across a career.
You learn hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical linkage and the electrical control of machinery that has to work precisely on the first attempt. Weapons maintenance teaches disassembly, inspection, tolerance measurement and reassembly to specification, which is quality control practiced in miniature every day. Ordnance handling builds strict safety procedure, inventory accountability and the habit of checking your own work against a written manual. Small arms instruction gives you real teaching experience along with a marksmanship foundation you can keep developing later. You also pick up rigging, material handling and the coordination of a team through a checklist driven evolution on deck.
Handling ordnance builds a permanent kind of carefulness, since these systems punish shortcuts immediately and usually in front of witnesses. You develop accountability, because everything you sign for is counted, recorded and then inspected again by somebody who reports elsewhere. The job grows physical stamina and a willingness to work in heat, weather and awkward spaces without complaining much about any of it. Running the armory teaches you to say no to people who outrank you when the procedure clearly requires that answer. Gunner's Mates tend to become steady, unexcitable people who work through a problem in order rather than attacking it.
Civilian armorer and gunsmithing work, law enforcement armory positions and firearms industry jobs hire this experience with very little translation. Hydraulic and mechanical maintenance skills transfer to manufacturing, heavy equipment service and industrial machinery repair, all of which hire continuously. Manufacturing quality control and inspection roles value someone who measures to tolerance and documents honestly, which describes this rating accurately. Range management, firearms instruction and security work with agencies, ranges and contractors are common and comfortable landing spots. Some veterans use benefits for a mechanical or manufacturing technology degree and move into engineering support or shop supervision.
Published personal accounts with source links. Each describes an individual experience, not a typical assignment or a guarantee of your own experience.
“I looked into the Navy because I wanted more opportunities to travel.”
“The LCS community is small, which makes it easy to get to know everyone, and that’s my favorite part of my job.”
“I enjoy the people I work with and that’s a must when you are deployed away from your family and friends back home.”
Quotes are from U.S. government public-domain news stories (DVIDS, army.mil and other official sources). Individuals and units are named as reported at time of publication.
You begin the day in the armory and gun mounts inspecting weapons, running system checks, and reviewing maintenance schedules. Your work is operating, maintaining, and repairing the ship's guns, missile launchers, and close-in weapon systems, and managing the magazines and small arms. During drills and live fire you serve at the mount, troubleshooting misfires and keeping the weapons ready to shoot.
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 Sailors, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Assignment-dependent qualification and insignia earned aboard a qualifying surface ship or afloat staff—not automatically awarded for this rating.
For enlisted Sailors in an eligible surface assignment, including support ratings. Complete the command's current qualification standards, assessments and approval process. A shore or submarine assignment alone does not establish eligibility; confirm current enrollment rules with the command.
Assignment-dependent aviation qualification and insignia; support Sailors may qualify at authorized aviation commands.
Requires a qualifying aviation assignment or an authorized support-command arrangement, required in-rating technical qualifications and command approval. Current enrollment and pay-grade prerequisites must be checked; this is not a promotion or a badge awarded just for holding this rating.
Restricted to qualifying expeditionary assignments; recognizes tested field and unit-specific proficiency, including support duties.
Requires assignment to a command authorized to administer EXW and completion of its general and unit-specific personnel qualification standards and approval process. Published NSW program evidence establishes this route, not that every Navy unit offers it. Confirm current command authorization and prerequisites.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Navy GM Gunner's Mate, 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 Navy directs enlisted Sailors to rating-specific Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDRs), and officers to their community managers and officer career-progression guidance. Rating conversion and commissioning are separate application paths, not automatic promotions.
Navy career planning: LaDRs, officer progression, and commissioningService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) appointments require separate applications and program-specific qualifications. The reviewed active-duty page contains FY28 cycle requirements, not Reserve eligibility. Its 1 October 2026 application deadline has passed; this is not an open application offer or a verified designator match for this listing.
Navy active-duty LDO/CWO applicant requirementsSpecialty-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.
Operate, maintain, and repair naval weapons systems including missiles, guns, and close-in weapons systems aboard ships.
Gunner's Mates maintain and operate the guns, launchers and small arms aboard surface ships, which is equal parts mechanics and hydraulics. Routine days involve inspections, lubrication, hydraulic checks, electrical troubleshooting and the careful accounting that ammunition and weapons always demand. You run the ship's armory, issuing and maintaining rifles, pistols and machine guns, and you help train the crew to shoot and stand security watches. Underway you support live fire exercises, ordnance handling and replenishment evolutions, often working long hours on a hot weather deck. Sea tours alternate with shore assignments in training, maintenance or security billets, so the rhythm of the job changes across a career.
You learn hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical linkage and the electrical control of machinery that has to work precisely on the first attempt. Weapons maintenance teaches disassembly, inspection, tolerance measurement and reassembly to specification, which is quality control practiced in miniature every day. Ordnance handling builds strict safety procedure, inventory accountability and the habit of checking your own work against a written manual. Small arms instruction gives you real teaching experience along with a marksmanship foundation you can keep developing later. You also pick up rigging, material handling and the coordination of a team through a checklist driven evolution on deck.
Civilian armorer and gunsmithing work, law enforcement armory positions and firearms industry jobs hire this experience with very little translation. Hydraulic and mechanical maintenance skills transfer to manufacturing, heavy equipment service and industrial machinery repair, all of which hire continuously. Manufacturing quality control and inspection roles value someone who measures to tolerance and documents honestly, which describes this rating accurately. Range management, firearms instruction and security work with agencies, ranges and contractors are common and comfortable landing spots. Some veterans use benefits for a mechanical or manufacturing technology degree and move into engineering support or shop supervision.
ASVAB AR+MK+EI+GS: 205 OR AR+GS+2MK: 205. 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.
Navy enlisted occupational standards, NAVPERS 18068F, July 2026, Appendix B (rating enumeration) · 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 — Navy, as of 2026-09-28Latest source review — 2026-10-25
The October 2 CNRC message, effective for initial classification/reclassification after October 3, supersedes the August message and confirms the Navy.com source rates. Funding is stated through December 11, 2026; individual contracts remain unverified. Most source rates cover October–December FY27, while named special-operations and nuclear programs cover October–September FY27. Its shipping table lists MU $10,000 and Nuclear Field $20,000, differing from the website's older up-to-$25,000 shipping headline. The table's FY27 window is October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027; the surrounding prose has inconsistent year wording. Elevated-PST bonus remains $20,000. The $140,000 headline includes loan repayment, not cash signing bonus alone. AECF/AV-to-rating mapping conflicts remain unresolved.
Historical amounts are retained. A displayed maximum is not a guaranteed payment. Confirm current written contract terms.
Bonus range review — 2026-10-10
Current published source rate: $5,000 (GM-5YO). Conditional planning range: $0–$5,000. $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. Older amounts are retained as historical evidence; use this dated source comparison rather than assuming they are still payable. Source-rate payment follows qualifying A/C school completion.
Range evidenceGM-5YO. October 2 message applies after October 3, 2026 classification/reclassification. Source rate requires October–December FY27 shipping. Source-rate payment requires specified training/NEC milestones. Funding stated through December 11, 2026; current individual contracts not verified. Older amounts remain historical evidence. Confirm governing contract before relying on a range.
Latest source review — 2026-10-25
The October 2 CNRC message, effective for initial classification/reclassification after October 3, supersedes the August message and confirms the Navy.com source rates. Funding is stated through December 11, 2026; individual contracts remain unverified. Most source rates cover October–December FY27, while named special-operations and nuclear programs cover October–September FY27. Its shipping table lists MU $10,000 and Nuclear Field $20,000, differing from the website's older up-to-$25,000 shipping headline. The table's FY27 window is October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027; the surrounding prose has inconsistent year wording. Elevated-PST bonus remains $20,000. The $140,000 headline includes loan repayment, not cash signing bonus alone. AECF/AV-to-rating mapping conflicts remain unresolved.
Historical amounts are retained. A displayed maximum is not a guaranteed payment. Confirm current written contract terms.
Range review 2026-10-25: Conditional planning range: $0–$5,000. $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 2026-10-25; program ends 2026-12-31. Not a guaranteed offer.
SourceDeployment likelihood: Higher*
* 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.