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MarinesCombat ArmsRank #38 of 101 by 4-year cost
0844

Field Artillery Fire Control

24-week pipeline · Recruit Training + MCT + FA Fire Control School · MCRD + Fort Sill, OK
Training Pipeline
$48K
24 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$8K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$334K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$48K14%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K76%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$32K10%
Training: 14% · MILPERS: 76% · Equipment: 10%= $334K
By the Numbers

Fire control Marines are the mathematicians of the artillery battery — converting observer calls into precise firing data in seconds. A single error sends a round into friendlies. The zero-defect standard is built into every training repetition.

Training Pipeline
Duration
24 weeks
Type
Recruit Training + MCT + FA Fire Control School
Location
MCRD + Fort Sill, OK
Pipeline Cost
$48K

0844s operate the fire direction center — the computational hub that converts forward observer calls into firing data. A firing solution error of one mil results in a 500m error at 10km range, so precision is not optional.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·AFATDS Terminal
  • ·Met Equipment
  • ·Survey Equipment
  • ·M4A1 Carbine
  • ·SINCGARS Radio
Annual Equipment Burden
$8K/yr
AFATDS share + fire direction equipment amortized
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$63K/yr
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~600
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$28.8M
Total Force 4yr Cost$200.1M
Other Marines Profiles

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.