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ArmyCombat SupportRank #5 of 101 by 4-year cost
89D

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist

52-week pipeline · BCT + AIT + EOD Tech School · Eglin AFB, FL (Naval School EOD)
Training Pipeline
$195K
52 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$78K
E-5/E-6, post-qualification (typically promoted quickly)
Equipment Burden
$28K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$617K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$195K32%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$310K50%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$112K18%
Training: 32% · MILPERS: 50% · Equipment: 18%= $617K
By the Numbers

$195K to train an EOD specialist who walks toward what everyone else runs from. During the height of OIF/OEF, EOD teams were the single most decorated community in the military — and the most heavily targeted by enemy forces.

Each TALON robot ($230K) that disarms a device protects a soldier whose training cost $195K. The robot is cheaper than the soldier — and intentionally so.

Training Pipeline
Duration
52 weeks
Type
BCT + AIT + EOD Tech School
Location
Eglin AFB, FL (Naval School EOD)
Pipeline Cost
$195K

Army EOD trains at the same Naval School EOD as Navy and Marine EOD — the only joint-service training pipeline with ~30% attrition. The attrition-adjusted cost per graduate exceeds $195,000. Every decision they make with a bomb has no second chance.

~30% pipeline attrition. Cost represents investment per successful graduate.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·TALON Robot ($230K)
  • ·F6A EOD Suit ($85K)
  • ·Total EOD Kit
  • ·Render Safe Tools
  • ·Electronic Countermeasures
  • ·M4A1 Carbine
Annual Equipment Burden
$28K/yr
TALON robot ($230K/5yr) + EOD suit ($85K/10yr) + render safe kit amortized
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-5/E-6, post-qualification (typically promoted quickly)
Base MILPERS$73K/yr
Specialty Pay(Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (HDIP) — EOD, Special Duty Assignment Pay)+$4K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$78K/yr
Specialty pays account for $4K annually (5% of total compensation).
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~350
Avg Career Length10 years
Annual Training Bill$68.3M
Total Force 4yr Cost$216.1M
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.