Is 0372 (Critical Skills Operator) a Good MOS?
United States Marine Corps · Military Occupational Specialty
Quick Facts — 0372 (Critical Skills Operator)
AIT / Training
40 weeks
Training Location
MARSOC Assessment and Selection, Camp Lejeune, NC then Individual Training Course (ITC)
Career Field
Special Operations
Verdict: Not enough data
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Score Breakdown
About 0372 Critical Skills Operator
Marine Raider — the primary special operations MOS of Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). CSOs are multi-dimensional operators capable of working across the full spectrum of special operations. Training pipeline: Assessment & Selection (A&S), then the 10-month Individual Training Course (ITC), then 6-month language school, then 18 months of unit-level training before first deployment.
40 weeks
MARSOC Assessment and Selection, Camp Lejeune, NC then Individual Training Course (ITC)
Special Operations
Recruiter vs. Reality
What the Recruiter Says
You'll be a Marine Raider — the Marine Corps' contribution to US Special Operations Command. MARSOC operators conduct direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, and counterterrorism worldwide. You'll speak a foreign language, master advanced combat skills, and operate in small teams in the most austere environments on earth.
What It's Actually Like
The pipeline is approximately three years from the day you walk into A&S to the day you deploy as a qualified CSO. ITC alone is ten months and the attrition rate is what you'd expect when you take Marines who are already good and ask them to be exceptional — north of 50% don't finish. You need to be an E4 or E5 with at least three years in, a first-class PFT of 225+, intermediate swim qual, and SOF screening scores that your career planner will know about. The language requirement is non-negotiable — six months at DLI or equivalent, and you will maintain that language for the rest of your career. Once you're operational, you will deploy. The autonomy and capability of a Marine Special Operations Team is the closest thing in the conventional military to being left alone to solve hard problems with a small group of people who are genuinely good at their jobs. Every day you spend in the pipeline earns you something that can't be faked.