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ArmyCombat ArmsRank #51 of 101 by 4-year cost
11B

Infantryman

22-week pipeline · OSUT (BCT + AIT combined) · Fort Moore, GA
Training Pipeline
$47K
22 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$5K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$321K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$47K15%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K79%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$20K6%
Training: 15% · MILPERS: 79% · Equipment: 6%= $321K
By the Numbers

$47,200 in training costs before the first day at a unit — more than the average American family spends on groceries in 3 years.

The Army's annual 11B training bill ($660M) exceeds the GDP of some Pacific Island nations.

Training Pipeline
Duration
22 weeks
Type
OSUT (BCT + AIT combined)
Location
Fort Moore, GA
Pipeline Cost
$47K

The Army trains approximately 14,000 infantrymen per year — a collective pipeline investment of $660M annually, before a single soldier fires in combat.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·M4A1 Carbine
  • ·M17 Pistol
  • ·IOTV Body Armor
  • ·ACH Helmet
  • ·PVS-14 NVG
  • ·Squad Optics
  • ·ATAK Tablet
Annual Equipment Burden
$5K/yr
$21,800 in primary equipment amortized over ~5 years plus annual 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~14,000
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$660.8M
Total Force 4yr Cost$4.5B
Other Army 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.