Military Occupational Specialty
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Military Occupational Specialty (
MOS) is a job classification in use in the
United States Army and
Marine Corps.
The occupational specialty system uses a system of letters and numbers to identify general and specific jobs of military personnel. Different branches of the military use different alphanumeric systems, but all differentiate between
comparative military ranks (enlisted personnel),
warrant officers, and
commissioned officers.
In the
U.S. Air Force, a system of
Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is used. In the
Navy, a system of
naval ratings and designators is used along with
Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system.
Note: The U. S. Army is currently restructuring its designations. Major changes have been made and will continue to be made into 2007.For more information, please see the
List of United States Army MOS.
Enlisted personnel
The MOS code (MOSC), consisting up to nine characters, provides more defined information than a soldier's MOS. It is used in automated management systems and reports. The MOSC is used in active and reserve records, reports, authorization documents, and other personnel management systems.
The elements of the MOSC are as follows:
*First three characters: The MOS.
*Fourth character: A number that indicates skill level in the MOS.
*Fifth character: A letter or number and a special Qualification identifier (SQI). It may be associated with any MOS unless otherwise specified.
*Sixth and seventh characters: An additional skill identifier (ASI). They are alphanumeric combination and may only be associated with specified MOSs.
*Eighth and ninth characters: Two-letter requirements and qualifications which are a language skill identifier (LSI). They can be found in AR 611-6.
The fourth character of the MOSC represents skill level and grade as follows:
*0 is used to identify personnel undergoing training for award of a primary MOS (PMOS).
*1 equals PV1 through SPC or CPL (Or SP4 for older ranks)
*2 equals SGT (or SP5 for older ranks)
*3 equals SSG (or SP6 for older ranks)
*4 equals SFC
*5 equals MSG and SGM/CSM
The O (Oscar) following the skill level in an MOS without an SQI is commonly misunderstood to be a zero, and the convention of referring to skill levels as 10-level, 20-level, etc., is common among Army personnel.
Commissioned Officers
In regards to Commissioned Officers, occupational codes are structured a bit differently. A new Army officer first receives his/her "Career Branch". This is similar to the Occupational Fields of the enlisted personnel. They range from 11 to 68 (Infantry to Medical Service Corps). Inside of their Occupational Field, there are usually several codes available. For example, in Field 12 (Armor) there are 3 specialties available: 12A (Armor, General), 12B (Armor), and 12C (Cavalry). After an Officer's fifth or sixth year of service, he/she will receive a "Functional Area" designation. More broad than a "Career Branch", this is a general skill set that the Officer is proficient in. For example, an Artillery Officer who has had schooling in communications and public speaking could end up with a Functional Area in Public Affairs (designated number 46).
The U.S. Marine Corps begins by separating all jobs into "occupational fields" (OccFld), in which no distinction is made between officers and enlisted Marines. The fields are numbered from 01 to 99 and include general categories (Infantry, Logistics, Public Affairs, Ordnance, etc.) that specific jobs fall under.
Each field contains multiple MOS's, each designated by a four-digit numerical indicator and a job title. For example, the infantry field (03) has seven enlisted classifications: Rifleman (MOS 0311), Light Armored Vehicle Crewman (MOS 0313), Reconnaissance Man (MOS 0321), Machine Gunner (MOS 0331), Mortarman (MOS 0341), Assaultman (MOS 0351), Antitank Assault Guided Missileman (MOS 0352), and Infantry Unit Leader (MOS 0369).
Each of the jobs have authorized ranks associated with them. For example, anyone ranking from
Private to
Sergeant can be a Rifleman (0311), but only Marines ranking from
Staff Sergeant to
Master Gunnery Sergeant can be an Infantry Unit Leader (0369).
Duties and tasks are identified by rank because the Marine Corps MOS system is designed around the belief that increased duties and tasks accompany promotions. The first two digits designate the field and, the last two digits identify the promotional channel and specialty. For example, the MOS 0311 indicates that it is in Occupational Field 03 (Infantry) and designates the "Rifleman" (11) MOS. For warrant officers, the MOS 2305 indicates that it is in Occupational Field 23 (Ammunition and Explosive Ordnance Disposal) and designates the "Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer" (05) MOS. For officers, the MOS 0802 indicates that it is in Occupational Field 08 (Field Artillery) and designates the "Field Artillery Officer" (02) MOS.
The U.S. Navy divides their occupational specialties into
ratings for enlisted personnel and
designators for officers.
Enlisted Personnel Ratings
The U.S. Navy indicates its "Ratings" by a two or three character code based on the actual name of the rating. These range from ABE (Aviation Boatswain's Mate - Equipment) to YN (Yeoman). Each
Sailor and
Chief Petty Officer wears a rating badge indicating their rating as part of their rate (rank) insignia on full dress and service dress uniforms. The
U.S. Coast Guard uses an enlisted rating system nearly identical to the Navy's. For additional information, please see the
List of United States Navy ratings.
Commissioned Officer Designators
Officers in the Navy have a designator. It is similar to an MOS but is less complicated and has fewer categories. For example a Surface Warfare Officer with a regular commission has a designator of 1160; a reserve officer would have an 1165 designator. A reserve surface warfare officer specializing in Nuclear training (ie: Engineer on a carrier) would have a designator of 1165N. Navy officers also have one or more 3-character Additional Qualification Designators (AQD) that reflect completion of requirements qualifying them in a specific warfare area or other specialization; in some senses this functions more like the MOS in other services. An officer with the Naval Aviator designator of 1310 might have an AQD of DV3,
SH-60F carrier anti-submarine warfare helicopter pilot, or DB4,
F-14 fighter pilot. An officer designated 2100, Medical Corps Officer (
physician) may hold an AQD of 6CM, Trauma Surgeon, or 6AE,
Flight Surgeon who is also a Naval Aviator. Some AQDs may be held by officers in any designator, such as BT2, Freefall Parachutist, or BS1, Shipboard Tomahawk Strike Officer. Navy officer designators and AQD codes may be found in NAVPERS 15839I,
The Manual of Navy Officer Manpower and Personnel Classification.
*
Air Force Specialty Code*
Comparative military ranks*
List of Naval Officer Designators*
AR 611-1 Military Occupational Classification Structure Development and Implementation
*
DA Pam 611-21 Military Occupational Classification And Structure
*
U. S. Air Force Classification Branch - has current documents describing the classification system and specific classifications
*
about.com: U.S. Army Enlisted Job Descriptions & Qualifications*
Marine Corps Order P1200.7Z - 2004 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) Manual - PDF file
*
NAVPERS 15839I, The Manual of Navy Officer Manpower and Personnel Classification; also available as
PDF files*
NAVPERS 18068F Navy Enlisted Occupational Standards; also available as a
PDF file
