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ArmyCombat ArmsRank #44 of 101 by 4-year cost
12B

Combat Engineer

14-week pipeline · BCT + AIT · Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Training Pipeline
$36K
14 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$10K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$330K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$36K11%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K77%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$40K12%
Training: 11% · MILPERS: 77% · Equipment: 12%= $330K
By the Numbers

Combat engineers are trained to both build and destroy — a dual qualification that makes their training curriculum one of the most materiel-intensive in the Army.

Training Pipeline
Duration
14 weeks
Type
BCT + AIT
Location
Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Pipeline Cost
$36K

Demo materials alone cost $5,000 per 12B trainee before they graduate — and they're taught to destroy what took years to build.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·M4A1 Carbine
  • ·M9 ACVR (Demo Kit)
  • ·Mine Detector
  • ·Breaching Equipment
  • ·Personal Protection Equipment
Annual Equipment Burden
$10K/yr
Demo materials, breaching tools, and engineering equipment share 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~3,200
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$115.2M
Total Force 4yr Cost$1.1B
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.