The United States Marine Corps Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is a system of categorizing career fields. All enlisted and officer Marines are assigned a four digit code denoting their primary occupational field and specialty.
Occupational Fields (OccFlds) are identified in the first two digits and represents a grouping of related MOSs. Job codes are identified in the last two digits and represent a specific job within that OccFld.
The USMC now publishes an annual NAVMC-type directive in the 1200 SSIC series to capture changes to the MOS system. Previous versions of MCO 1200.17_ series directives are cancelled, including MCO 1200.17E, the last in the series before beginning the annual NAVMC-type directive series.
On 30 June 2016, the Marine Corps announced the renaming of 19 MOSs with gender-neutral job titles, replacing the word or wordpart "man" with the word "Marine" in most. Importantly, not all instances of the word or wordpart "man" were removed (e.g., 0171 Manpower Information Systems (MIS) Analyst, 0311 Rifleman, 0341 Mortarman).
Restrictions on Officer MOSs include:
- Restricted Officers cannot hold nonprimary MOSs and will be limited to PMOS â€" BMOS matches.
- Colonels are MAGTF Officers and, with the exception of lawyers and MOSs 8059/61 Acquisition Management Professionals, will only hold MOSs 8040, 8041, or 8042 as PMOS. Non-PMOSs will not be associated with General Officers and Colonels with the exception of MOSs 822X/824X Foreign Area Officers and Regional Affairs Officers.
- MOSs must be required in sufficient numbers as BMOS in TFSMS to be justified. MOSs with no T/O requirement or no inventory are subject to deletion/disapproval.
- MOSs must serve an HRDP purpose (establish a skill requirement, manpower planning, manages the forces, manage training, identify special pay billets). MOSs not meeting this criteria will be deemed as nonperforming MOSs and subject to deletion/disapproval.
- A single track is limited to a single MOS. Separate MOSs are not appropriate based on grade changes unless merging with other MOSs.
- Billet requirements identified by a MOS must include a training concept when established that builds an inventory of Marines prepared for assignment to the BMOS. A concept that awards an MOS after successfully serving in a billet is not valid.
Below are listed the current authorized Marine Corps MOSs, organized by OccFld, then by specific MOS. Most MOSs have specific rank/pay grade requirements and are listed to the right of the MOS title, if applicable (see United States Marine Corps rank insignia), abbreviated from the highest allowed rank to the lowest. Officer ranks are noted as Unrestricted Line Officers (ULOs), Limited Duty Officers (LDOs), and Warrant Officers (WOs). Those MOSs which are no longer being awarded are generally kept active within the Marine's service records to allow Marines to earn a new MOS and to maintain a record of that Marine's previous skills and training over time.
Types of MOSs
There are three categories of MOSs:
- Occupational Fields 01-79 (Regular OccFlds) â€" Occupational Fields that contains all types of MOSs related to a specific occupational field.
- 80XX (Miscellaneous Requirement MOSs) â€" These are MOSs that do not fit into a regular OccFld but are used on the Marine Corps Table of Organization (T/O).
- 90XX (Reporting MOS) â€" These MOSs do not exist on the USMC T/O. They are used to meet Department of Navy and Department of Defense reporting requirements.
There are six types of MOSs, divided into primary MOSs and non-primary MOSs. Primary MOSs are of three types:
- Basic MOS â€" Entry-level MOSs required for entry-level Marines (both officers and enlisted) or others not yet qualified by initial skills training. In addition, when a Reserve Component (RC) Marine transfers to a new unit and does not possess the MOS required for the billet filled, they will be assigned a Basic MOS as Primary MOS until the completion of required formal school training or is otherwise certified to be MOS qualified, and the previous PMOS will be retained but become an Additional MOS. Promotions for enlisted Marines will be based upon their Basic MOS, or if qualified for a PMOS, then upon their PMOS, never on an AMOS.
- Primary MOS (PMOS) â€" Used to identify the primary skills and knowledge of a Marine. Only enlisted Marines, Warrant Officers, Chief Warrant Officers, and Limited Duty Officers are promoted in their primary MOS. Changes to an Active Component Marine's PMOS without approval from CMC (MM) and changes to a RC Marine's PMOS without approval from CMC (RA) are not authorized. Promotions for enlisted Marines will be based upon their Basic MOS, or if qualified for a PMOS, then upon their PMOS, never on an AMOS.
- Additional MOS (AMOS) â€" Any existing PMOS awarded to a Marine who already holds a PMOS. Example: After a lateral move a Marine's previous PMOS becomes an AMOS, and is retained. Marines are not promoted in an AMOS.
There are also three types of non-PMOSs:
- Necessary (NMOS) â€" A non-PMOS that has a prerequisite of one or more PMOSs. This MOS identifies a particular skill or training that is in addition to a Marine's PMOS, but can only be filled by a Marine with a specific PMOS. When entered as a requirement into the Total Force Structure Management System (TFSMS), a billet bearing a necessary MOS must identify a single associated PMOS even if several PMOSs are acceptable prerequisites.
- Free (FMOS) â€" Non-PMOS that can be filled by any Marine regardless of primary MOS. A free MOS requires skill sets unrelated to primary skills.
- Exception (EMOS) â€" Non-PMOS that is generally FMOS, but include exceptions that require a PMOS.
Reporting MOSs and billet designators are special MOSs.
- Reporting MOSs â€" designated in the 90XX OccFld, but are not found on any USMC T/O as a requirement to fill any billet. They exist solely to capture skills and training that meet Department of Navy and Department of Defense reporting requirements.
- Billet MOSs (BMOS) â€" The MOS listed on USMC T/Os for each billet within the organization, usually PMOS, but also NMOS, FMOS, EMOS, or Billet Designators. Some billets will include notes about acceptable alternate MOSs, such as a BMOS of 0402 (Logistics Officer) that notes an 3002 (Supply Officer) is an acceptable staffing substitute for that billet.
- Billet Designators â€" An FMOS requirement indicator, listed on USMC T/Os as a BMOS that can be filled by any Marine, of the appropriate grade, that is included in the MOS definition (i.e., MOS 8007 Billet Designator-Unrestricted Ground Officer (I) FMOS). Normally, FMOS as a skill designator cannot be a BMOS in the Total Force Structure Management System (TFSMS).
Relationship of MOS to promotions
Officers are selected for promotion for their potential to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the next higher grade based upon past performance as indicated in their official military personnel file. Promotions should not be considered a reward for past performance, but as incentive to excel in the next higher grade. Officers are not strictly promoted based upon their MOS; all MOS carried by an officer are considered during the selection board process.
Enlisted Marines are promoted based upon their Basic MOS, or their PMOS if one has been earned, never their AMOS, FMOS, NMOS, or EMOS.
01 Personnel & Administration
02 Intelligence
03 Infantry
04 Logistics
05 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Plans
06 Communications
08 Artillery
09 Training
11 Utilities
13 Engineer, Construction, Facilities, & Equipment
18 Tank and Assault Amphibious Vehicle
21 Ground Ordnance Maintenance
23 Ammunition and Explosive Ordnance Disposal
26 Signals Intelligence/Ground Electronic Warfare
27 Linguist
Enlisted/Officer
28 Data/ Communications Maintenance
30 Supply Administration and Operations
31 Distribution Management
33 Food Service
34 Financial Management
35 Motor Transport
41 Morale Welfare and Recreation
43 Public Affairs
44 Legal Services
46 Combat Camera (COMCAM)
48 Recruiting and Retention Specialist
55 Music
57 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense
Formally known as Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense (NBCD)
58 Military Police and Corrections
59 Electronics Maintenance
60/61/62 Aircraft Maintenance
Enlisted
Officer
- 6002 Aircraft Maintenance Officer
- 6004 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Officer
63/64 Avionics
Enlisted
Officer
- 6302 Avionics Officer
65 Aviation Ordnance
66 Aviation Logistics
68 Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC)
70 Airfield Services
72 Air Control/Air Support/Anti-air Warfare/Air Traffic Control
80 Miscellaneous MOS's (Category II)
90 Reporting MOS's (Category III) (All MOS are Officer-only)
See also
- Headquarters Marine Corps
- Organization of the United States Marine Corps
- Air Force Specialty Code
- List of United States Army careers
- List of United States Navy ratings
- 1960's Era USMC MOS Code
- 1970's Era USMC MOS Code
References
- "NAVMC 1008-A USMC Numerical Index of Military Occupational Specialties". Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC). Retrieved 2014-11-09.Â
- "MCO 1200.18, Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) Program Order (Short Title: MOS Manual Order)." HQMC. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- Powers, Rod. "United States Marine Corps Enlisted Job Descriptions and Qualification Factors". About.com. Retrieved 2009-02-06.Â