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MarinesCombat ArmsRank #52 of 101 by 4-year cost
0311

Rifleman

25-week pipeline · Recruit Training + MCT + SOI/ITB · MCRD San Diego, CA or MCRD Parris Island, SC + Camp Geiger, NC
Training Pipeline
$43K
25 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$6K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$318K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$43K13%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K80%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$22K7%
Training: 13% · MILPERS: 80% · Equipment: 7%= $318K
By the Numbers

Every Marine is a rifleman — 0311 is the baseline for the entire USMC. The 25-week pipeline is longer than most armies' basic training, and produces a soldier already integrated into squad tactics.

Training Pipeline
Duration
25 weeks
Type
Recruit Training + MCT + SOI/ITB
Location
MCRD San Diego, CA or MCRD Parris Island, SC + Camp Geiger, NC
Pipeline Cost
$43K

Marine Boot Camp is 13 weeks — 3 weeks longer than Army BCT — and produces the only enlisted combat arms soldiers who qualify with every weapon in the Marine infantry inventory before reporting to their unit.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·M27 IAR or M4A1
  • ·M17 Pistol
  • ·IOTV Body Armor
  • ·GPNVG NVG (select units)
  • ·ATAK Tablet
  • ·Squad Optics
Annual Equipment Burden
$6K/yr
$22,000 in primary kit amortized over 5 years + consumables
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$63K/yr
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~16,000
Avg Career Length5 years
Annual Training Bill$680.0M
Total Force 4yr Cost$5.1B
Read 0311 Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
Other Marines Profiles
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Field Artillery Cannoneer
$434K
4-year total
0352
Anti-Tank Missileman
$365K
4-year total
1371
Combat Engineer
$342K
4-year total

Cost estimates derived from DoD Comptroller per-soldier analysis, RAND Corporation military personnel studies, CBO military compensation reports, service-specific training cost testimony, and published equipment unit costs. Error margin ±15%. Individual costs vary by duty station, assignment, and deployment tempo. This is Phase 3 of the Honest MOS DoD Budget Intelligence Roadmap.