7315 vs 91S
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Officer (USMC) vs STRYKER Systems Maintainer (USA)
The Army deploys with a logistics tail. The Marines deploy with a death stare and whatever fits on the ship. Both get the job done.
Two veterans at a bar. The 7315 says: "Your job is to lead an emerging capability that ground commanders are still learning how to use effectively — which means half your job is education and advocacy, not just operations." The 91S responds: "The base vehicle is a General Dynamics LAV III derivative with a Caterpillar diesel, automatic transmission, and a central tire inflation system (CTIS) that soldiers love and maintenance hates in equal measure." They clink glasses. Neither fully understands what the other one just said. Both nod like they do. This page exists because no career counselor would ever lay it out this clearly.
After the Uniform
The part the recruiter skips: what each job actually translates to once you're a civilian — and what it pays.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. A guide, not a guarantee.
Recruiter vs. Reality
The pitch versus what people who actually did the job report back.
“Marine Corps UAS Officers command and direct unmanned aerial system operations across the MAGTF. You plan and execute ISR missions using the RQ-21A Blackjack and other platforms, integrate UAS into ground and aviation operations, and manage UAS detachments that support battalion and regimental commanders. The Marine UAS community is one of the fastest-growing warfighting functions in the Corps — every major ground operation now expects persistent ISR overhead, and UAS provides it at a fraction of the cost of manned aviation. As a 7315, you sit at the intersection of aviation planning, intelligence operations, and ground force support. You will brief commanders, coordinate airspace with controlling agencies, and build the collection plan that determines what commanders know and when they know it. The community is small, influential, and expanding.”
UAS Officer is a community in transition, and 'transition' in Marine Corps terms means doctrine, equipment, and organizational structure are all moving simultaneously. The RQ-21A Blackjack replaced the RQ-7B Shadow and is itself being evaluated against emerging platforms. Your job is to lead an emerging capability that ground commanders are still learning how to use effectively — which means half your job is education and advocacy, not just operations. Airspace coordination is a constant friction point: small UAS operate in the same airspace as manned aviation, and deconfliction requires persistent coordination with air traffic control and the aviation combat element. The community is also figuring out its own career path — how UAS billets feed into senior leadership, whether 7315 is a terminal assignment or a stepping stone, and how to develop officers who understand both aviation and ground force requirements. Get in early, shape the doctrine, and accept that the playbook is still being written.
“You'll maintain the Stryker family of wheeled armored vehicles — eight variants of a wheeled IFV that has seen consistent combat use and is being upgraded across the force. Stryker BCTs operate at high tempo, which means your skills are in constant use. General Dynamics Land Systems (the Stryker prime contractor) and its partners maintain Stryker fleets under contract and recruit from this MOS. The wheeled armored vehicle maintenance background also has civilian applications in heavy commercial and specialty vehicle maintenance for operators with similar driveline and electrical system complexity.”
The Stryker is an eight-wheeled armored vehicle that exists in approximately fourteen different variants, which means maintaining it requires knowing not just the base vehicle but the specific configuration of whichever variant your unit operates — the Dragoon, the ICV, the ATGM carrier, the mortar carrier, the engineer squad vehicle. Each variant has variant-specific systems on top of the common chassis. The base vehicle is a General Dynamics LAV III derivative with a Caterpillar diesel, automatic transmission, and a central tire inflation system (CTIS) that soldiers love and maintenance hates in equal measure. Your PM schedule is thorough. The Stryker generates maintenance requirements at a consistent rate that keeps you busy. The electronic systems — vehicle intercom, digital systems integration, RWS on some variants — add a layer of diagnostics that is more sophisticated than pure wheeled vehicle work. General Dynamics Land Systems is the primary contractor and actively supports veterans with Stryker maintenance experience. Civilian fleet maintenance for heavy wheeled vehicles — trucks, construction equipment, armored vehicle programs — is the broader civilian pathway. The combination of wheeled vehicle mechanics knowledge and armored vehicle systems experience is more marketable than either alone.
The Real Life
Same dimensions, side by side. 7315 on the left, 91S on the right.
Installing, operating, and maintaining expeditionary airfield systems — short airfield for tactical support (SATS) equipment including catapults, arresting gear, optical landing systems, runway lighting, and aircraft recovery systems. You make it possible for Marine aircraft to operate from austere, forward airfields that would otherwise be unusable. When a location needs an airfield and there isn't one, your equipment and expertise create one.
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MCT at Camp Geiger (NC) or Camp Pendleton (CA) followed by the Expeditionary Airfield Systems Course at MCAS Cherry Point (NC). Training covers expeditionary airfield systems, catapult and arresting gear operations, optical landing system setup, and field maintenance procedures. Duration approximately 10-14 weeks.
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High. Installing, maintaining, and repairing heavy airfield equipment in field conditions. The work involves heavy lifting, working outdoors in all weather, and physically demanding equipment operations.
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Expeditionary Airfield Systems Technician is one of the most niche and underappreciated MOSs in Marine aviation. You install and maintain the catapults, arresting gear, lighting, and recovery systems that allow Marine aircraft to operate from expeditionary airfields — short, rough strips in forward locations that no civilian aircraft would land on. The recruiter probably didn't mention this MOS at all, because it's small and specialized. What they won't tell you: the equipment is heavy, the work is physical, the field conditions are austere, and almost nobody outside of Marine aviation knows you exist. But your work is genuinely critical: without expeditionary airfield systems, Marine aviation is limited to established bases, which defeats the entire purpose of the Marine Corps' expeditionary mission. The civilian career path is narrow but real: naval aviation support contractors, airport operations, and heavy equipment maintenance roles value this specific experience. It's not glamorous, but it's essential.
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