Officer Military Jobs

Example 1:
 
An O-1 with no dependants (i.e., no spouse or children) with less than two years in service, who is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, earns:
 
Monthly basic pay = $3,477.30 (as of 2022)
Housing pay = $2,250
Subsistence = $280.29
Total = $6,007.59 per month or $72,091.08 a year.
 
Example 2:
 
An O-5 with two dependants stationed at the Pentagon with over 14 years of service earns:
 
Monthly basic pay = $8,976.90
Housing = $3,726.00
Subsistence = $280.29
Total = $12,983.19 per month or $155,798.28 a year.
 
Note, the above examples don’t include additional variables such as incentive pay, travel pay, family separation pay, hazard pay, cost of living allowance, or other bonuses. They also do not count savings due to certain pay elements being non-taxable, such as pay for housing. Those tax breaks add up!

Working Schedule

• Active Duty Military Officers have full-time jobs and may be required to work extended hours depending on mission requirements
• Guard and Reserve roles are not always full-time and hours vary
• To the extent possible, military units try to provide predictable work schedules
• Duty hours depend largely on the specific job as well as circumstances at any given time. For example, hours may be longer when preparing for an inspection, during temporary duty assignment trips, or while deployed to an overseas location

Typical Duties

• “Typical” duties depend entirely on the career field a person enters
  • Officer careers include doctors, lawyers, engineers, pilots, navigators, air battle managers, naval aviators, naval vessel officers, armor, artillery, ordnance, comptrollers, intelligence, communications, transportation, contracting, logistics, law enforcement, and many others  
• In general, officers may expect to perform a wide variety of administrative tasks
• Continual training is a key element of most military positions. This may include job-specific training, as well as general safety, cybersecurity, and weapons training, as applicable
• Military bases tend to conduct numerous inspections and readiness exercises. As a result, service members may find their daily routines disrupted as priorities temporarily shift
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites the following broad Military Officer occupational groups:
  • Combat Specialty
  • Engineering, Science, and Technical
  • Executive, Administrative, and Managerial
  • Healthcare
  • Human Resource Development
  • Media and Public Affairs
  • Protective Service
  • Support Service
  • Transportation
  • Non-occupation or unspecified coded personnel

Additional Responsibilities

• As personnel advance in military rank, they take on additional leadership and supervisory responsibilities. These may include overseeing inspections and organizational changes, writing reports, responding to high-level tasks, and giving presentations
• Officers are often responsible for maintaining strict control over sensitive or classified information
• Officers are required to maintain their personal readiness status in the event they must travel or deploy outside the local area. Readiness includes maintaining personal health and fitness, taking care of one’s medical and mental health matters, and having all personal/family affairs in order

Soft Skills

• Adaptive
• Analytical
• Attention to detail and standards
• Critical thinking
• Curiosity
• Decisiveness
• Disciplined
• Evaluation and problem-solving skills
• High degree of organization
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Mission focus
• Objective
• Persistence
• Persuasive
• Realistic
• Resilient
• Sound judgment
• Stamina
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Unbiased

Technical Skills

• Varies depending on the career field
• Physical fitness exercise routines
• Training on M9 pistol (some roles require training on other weapons)
• CPR, First Aid, AED training
• Mission Oriented Protective Posture training (i.e., “protective gear used…in a toxic environment, e.g., during a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear strike”)
• Basic familiarity with email and MS Office
   

• Army
• Navy
• Marine Corps
• Air Force
• Space Force
• Coast Guard
• Reserve components of the Armed Forces:
• Army National Guard
• Army Reserve
• Navy Reserve
• Marine Corps Reserve
• Air National Guard
• Air Force Reserve
• Coast Guard Reserve   

Officers are in charge and must be ready to lead on Day One. That is why most participate in a lengthy Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) or Service Academy program prior to starting work.
 
There are many differences between being a civilian supervisor or manager and being an officer. For example, thanks to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), officers can issue “orders” to subordinate personnel, be they enlisted members or junior officers. If the servicemember given the order doesn’t carry out their instructions, they can be held accountable and punished under the legal statutes of the UCMJ. They do not have the option to simply refuse (unless the order is “unlawful”) or to resign.  
 
In times of war, deployed officers may need to order troops on dangerous missions or lead them into combat situations. They may be tasked to lead from the front lines, placing them directly in harm’s way alongside the troops under their command. As a result, officers must be able to make life and death decisions under intense pressure while maintaining their composure and authority. Even if they never actually face such scenarios, they must be prepared for such contingencies, no matter what career field they serve in. Not every officer will deploy during their time in service, but the longer a person stays in, the more likely the possibility.  
 
The military carries out a very broad scope of mission types. As Military.com points out, while its primary mission is “to defend the U.S. and its interests,” other missions include:
 

• “Rescue operations,
• “Medical assistance in impoverished areas,
• “Food and humanitarian relief,
• “Security at embassies and other locations,
• “Policing in volatile areas,
• “Natural disaster relief,
• “Law enforcement,
• “Piracy and drug interdiction.”

 
Life as an officer can be tough on families, too. Officers may be required to work longer hours than enlisted personnel. Indeed, it can be a “bad look” for an officer to come in later or go home earlier than the people serving under them. Sometimes these long hours can take a toll on relationships.
 
Like enlisted members, officers also deploy or go on temporary duty assignments sometimes for weeks or months. Even though military personnel describe “military life” as “one big family” where members take care of each other when loved ones are away, still, such times are stressful for everyone. Repeated, lengthy trips away from home are sometimes too much for families to bear.
 
Along the same lines, officers are often required to relocate. If they have families, they must be ready to uproot, leaving friends, schools, and careers. While often exciting, it can also be very difficult and frustrating — especially by the fourth or fifth move! It’s not uncommon for an officer to relocate eight times or more over a 20+ year career.

In the military, there’s an old expression — “Hurry up and wait!” Life in the service is often filled with periods of relatively slow work periods followed by sudden demands requiring urgency…followed by yet another lull as personnel “wait” for the next rush.
 
Officers get used to this ebb and flow and must ensure the personnel under their command are always on their toes and ready for what’s next. The war in Ukraine has been a reminder of how fast global crises can develop, which is why the US military has to stay constantly vigilant and capable of adjusting force posture quickly.

Military Officers come from all backgrounds and walks of life. Indeed, the US military is arguably the largest diversity employer in the country! But generally speaking, officers share a few common attributes such as the ability to lead and inspire confidence (hopefully!), and the ability to perform their duties with the highest degree of competence, even under extreme circumstances.
 
Such characteristics may have been developed from family experiences or during school activities. In their youth, many officers enjoyed engaging in sports, athletics, outdoor recreational activities, and extracurricular pursuits involving groups and teamwork.  
 
They may have been outgoing and adventurous, always looking for new challenges and skills to master. Officers are also critical thinkers and may have enjoyed reading biographies and books about history and personal improvement. Different Military Officer career fields call for different sets of ideal traits…and there are hundreds of career paths!