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Coast GuardService SupportRank #39 of 101 by 4-year cost
BM-CG

Boatswain's Mate (Coast Guard)

14-week pipeline · Recruit Training + A-School · Cape May, NJ + TRACEN Yorktown, VA
Training Pipeline
$24K
14 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$14K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$334K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$24K7%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K76%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$56K17%
Training: 7% · MILPERS: 76% · Equipment: 17%= $334K
By the Numbers

Coast Guard BMs operate in sea states that sink ships. The 47-Foot MLB is specifically designed to self-right after a complete rollover — because the USCG trains its crews to go out in conditions that would kill anyone else.

Training Pipeline
Duration
14 weeks
Type
Recruit Training + A-School
Location
Cape May, NJ + TRACEN Yorktown, VA
Pipeline Cost
$24K

Coast Guard BMs conduct search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and aids-to-navigation operations. In 2022, the USCG saved 4,207 lives at sea — the majority of those rescues executed by BMs in small boat stations in conditions no other service would operate in.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Primary Platform
47-Foot Motor Lifeboat — $2.7M per vessel (4-person crew)
Assigned Equipment
  • ·47-Foot Motor Lifeboat ($2.7M)
  • ·29-Foot Response Boat–Small (RB-S)
  • ·Rescue Equipment
  • ·Navigation Aids
  • ·SAR Equipment
Annual Equipment Burden
$14K/yr
47-MLB share ($2.7M / 4 crew / 25yr) + rescue 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~2,000
Avg Career Length8 years
Annual Training Bill$48.0M
Total Force 4yr Cost$667.0M
Read BM-CG Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
Other Coast Guard Profiles
GM-CG
Gunner's Mate (Coast Guard)
$371K
4-year total
ME
Maritime Enforcement Specialist
$316K
4-year total
HS-CG
Health Services Technician
$306K
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.