MT vs AB
Missile Technician (USN) vs Aviation Boatswain's Mate (USN)
Two rates that pass each other in the P-way daily and have zero comprehension of what the other one does for 12 hours.
Two ETS dates. Two out-processing briefs. Two very different answers to "what are you going to do now?" The MT spent their enlistment doing this: the food is excellent (submarine crews eat well — it is a tradition and a morale necessity). The AB spent theirs doing this: jet blast, spinning propellers, arresting cables under tension, and aircraft moving in every direction — all on a pitching deck in the middle of the ocean. One of these resumes writes itself. The other requires explanation, a whiteboard, and possibly interpretive dance. The career counselor nodded through both of these descriptions with practiced sincerity.
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.
“Handle the most sophisticated weapons systems in the submarine force. Missile Technicians maintain and operate Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles — the most powerful weapons in the US arsenal. Elite clearance, elite training, elite community.”
You will be assigned to a ballistic missile submarine — an Ohio-class SSBN — and maintain the Trident II D5 missiles in the tubes aft of the submarine's reactor compartment, which is not something that can be described casually. The 14 or 24 missiles (depending on the hull) each carry multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles with yields in the hundreds of kilotons range. Your job is to ensure they work. The testing, maintenance, and handling procedures for strategic nuclear weapons are the most rigorous in any human enterprise, and the scrutiny and inspection culture reflects that. Submarine life means 70 days underwater, surfacing, 30 days tied up, repeat. You will not see daylight for months at a time. The berthing is genuinely cramped. The food is excellent (submarine crews eat well — it is a tradition and a morale necessity). The MT community is small and tight — there are only 14 SSBNs and each has a small MT division. The nuclear weapons handling background makes you nearly unhireable in the conventional sense post-service because the specific work doesn't translate to civilian positions, but the clearance, the precision maintenance culture, and the demonstrated reliability assessments (PRP — Personnel Reliability Program) make you attractive to nuclear power plants, defense laboratories, and every classified program in the DoE complex.
“You'll work on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier — one of the most dangerous and adrenaline-fueled workplaces on earth. ABs launch and recover fighter jets, manage jet fuel operations, and direct aircraft weighing 60,000+ pounds in spaces tighter than a parking lot. It's the closest thing to a controlled disaster the Navy runs every day.”
The flight deck will try to kill you. Jet blast, spinning propellers, arresting cables under tension, and aircraft moving in every direction — all on a pitching deck in the middle of the ocean. The work is physically brutal, the hours are relentless during flight ops, and the safety stakes are absolute. One wrong step and you're a statistic. The ABs who thrive love the intensity and take genuine pride in the fact that nothing flies without them. The civilian airport and aviation fueling industry hires from this background, but nothing on the outside matches carrier flight ops.
The Real Life
Same dimensions, side by side. MT on the left, AB on the right.
Maintaining the Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles aboard Ohio-class SSBNs. MTs are responsible for the strategic nuclear deterrent — the missiles that keep the peace. On patrol: missile readiness checks, system tests, and maintenance in the missile compartment. Off-crew: training, certifications, and facility maintenance.
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A School and follow-on missile technology training at Cape Canaveral (FL) totals approximately 12 months. Covers electronics, missile systems, strategic weapons handling, and nuclear weapons safety. The training is thorough and the security requirements are strict.
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Low to moderate. Missile maintenance work involves some heavy lifting and working in confined spaces aboard submarines, but the technical work itself is primarily equipment-based.
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Missile Technician is one of the most consequential jobs in the military — you maintain the weapons that are the backbone of America's nuclear deterrent. The recruiter may not fully explain what this means: you work on nuclear-armed ballistic missiles aboard submarines. The responsibility is immense and the security scrutiny is constant. The Blue/Gold crew rotation is more predictable than surface Navy deployments, but submarine life is submarine life — weeks underwater with no sunlight, no phone calls, and limited personal space. The training pipeline is long but thorough. The civilian career path is strong in defense contracting (Lockheed Martin Strategic Systems Programs is the obvious destination) and nuclear/missile defense industry. MTs who complete a full career often transition to $80-120K+ contractor positions. The rate demands maturity, attention to detail, and comfort with enormous responsibility.
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