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ArmyTechnical / CyberRank #89 of 101 by 4-year cost
25B

IT Specialist

15-week pipeline · BCT + AIT · Fort Eisenhower, GA (Cyber Center of Excellence)
Training Pipeline
$31K
15 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$3K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$295K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$31K11%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K86%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$10K3%
Training: 11% · MILPERS: 86% · Equipment: 3%= $295K
By the Numbers

The private sector pays $80K–$120K for the same skills DoD pays $32K base pay for. Retention is the Army's biggest 25B problem — and it costs $31K to train each one who leaves.

A 25B with 4 years experience and a TS/SCI clearance can earn 3× their Army salary the day they ETS.

Training Pipeline
Duration
15 weeks
Type
BCT + AIT
Location
Fort Eisenhower, GA (Cyber Center of Excellence)
Pipeline Cost
$31K

Every 25B earns CompTIA Security+, A+, and Net+ certifications during AIT — the same credentials that earn $80,000+ in the private sector.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·Government-Issued Laptops
  • ·Network Infrastructure Equipment
  • ·NIPR/SIPR Workstations
  • ·Server Hardware
Annual Equipment Burden
$3K/yr
IT equipment amortized (typically GFE — Government Furnished Equipment)
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$63K/yr
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~4,200
Avg Career Length5 years
Annual Training Bill$130.2M
Total Force 4yr Cost$1.2B
Read 25B Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
Other Army Profiles
18X
Special Forces Candidate → 18 Series
$1.1M
4-year total
153A
Rotary Wing Aviator (Warrant Officer)
$825K
4-year total
89D
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist
$617K
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.