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NavyCombat SupportRank #83 of 101 by 4-year cost
OS

Operations Specialist

16-week pipeline · Recruit Training + A-School · NTTC Dam Neck, VA
Training Pipeline
$29K
16 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$4K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$299K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$29K10%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K85%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$16K5%
Training: 10% · MILPERS: 85% · Equipment: 5%= $299K
By the Numbers

In modern naval warfare, the decisions made in a CIC happen in seconds — and the E-4 OS at the console has the data, the training, and the authority to recommend lethal action against incoming threats.

Training Pipeline
Duration
16 weeks
Type
Recruit Training + A-School
Location
NTTC Dam Neck, VA
Pipeline Cost
$29K

Operations Specialists man the Combat Information Center — the nerve center of every surface combatant. During a hostile event, they track hundreds of surface, air, and subsurface contacts simultaneously using systems worth $200M+.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·Combat Systems Consoles
  • ·Air Search Radar Displays
  • ·Communications Equipment
  • ·CIC Workstations
Annual Equipment Burden
$4K/yr
CIC systems 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~4,500
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$130.5M
Total Force 4yr Cost$1.3B
Other Navy 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.