USMC combat engineering- Combat infantry is at the heart of what the Marines do. With the primary goal of capturing and controlling terrain, the Marine Corps mission is to close down and defeat enemy fighters. As a combat infantry soldier, you will work as part of the fire team, and hand-to-hand combat will be your specialty.
In civilian life, the term “engineer” might conjure a math-oriented kind of pencil-pusher who worries about numbers and angles for a living. But in the military (and other branches of the military, as we’ll touch), not all engineers sit at desks. In the next few pages, we’ll get to know some of the people who do just as much as an equation. From building bridges to detonating them, combat engineers should have a head of spatial thinking and a heart that will never pass out.
Although we are mostly talking about combat engineers in the United States Army here, their job descriptions in the armies of other countries (including Canada and the United Kingdom) are not much different; however, combat engineers outside the United States often deal with the purification and distribution of water supplies
While this combat position is technically closed to women until the U.S. Department of Defense finds out how to unlock all female military roles, women have already been able to train as combat engineers for years at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. The Sapper Leader Course (Elite Frontline Engineer Training Program) began admitting women in 1999. For those already in non-combat engineering roles, the Army leadership decided that every eligible man or woman deserves a chance in training.
What does a combat engineer do in the Marines?
Combat engineering is designed to support infantry missions, so the AIT portion focuses on skills useful for engineers in the midst of combat. This means that combat engineers are trained in a wide range of engineering tasks. Not only are they responsible for what most of us believe to be more traditional engineering roles (such as helping navigate forces by building a bridge), they are also responsible for explosives.
ALSO READ: What will prevent you from being a police officer?
Although it may seem a far cry from an engineer’s job, a combat engineer’s familiarity with explosives makes sense when you realize that these are the soldiers responsible for clearing a road or terrain – often a job that is efficiently performed with explosives. In other words, demolitions are just as important in training a combat engineer as construction. For this reason, many losses and fatalities among combat engineers are associated with explosives – accidents involving the removal of improvised explosive devices, for example.
Duties of USMC combat engineers
After successful completion of basic recruitment training, scheduled Marines to become combat engineers will complete a specialty course based on their specialty in the career field.
The combat engineer may be assigned to an engineer battalion, engineering support battalion, or naval wing support squadron.
Within the Marine Corps Unit (MEU), the combat engineer supports the Land Forces by removing obstructions, building bridges, building bunkers, and other civil engineering roles. Learning to use explosives to demolish buildings, clear mines, and minefields is also a major role for a combat engineer.
They also construct, modify, repair, and maintain buildings and structures; Lifting and moving heavy objects and equipment by installing, consolidating and using rigging devices and equipment.
Personnel assigned to this Military Professional Specialization (MOS) are taught carpentry and other construction skills as well as specialized demolitions and demolitions for urban breaching and landmine warfare. These Marines are specially trained to do all the work while under enemy fire.
USMC combat engineering qualification
To be eligible for this job, candidates need a score of 95 or higher in the Mechanical Maintenance (MM) portion of the ASVAB (Armed Services Professional Abilities Battery) tests. This includes General Science (GS), Automotive and Store Information (AS), Mathematical Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Understanding (MC).
No security clearance from the Department of Defense is required for this job. The first step after basic training (also known as boot camp) is to complete the Basic Combat Engineer Course, Marine Corps School, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. If you hold the rank of Artillery Sergeant, you may also need to complete the Chief Engineering Operations course.
Once the Marine Corps is fully qualified, they will be assigned to a Combat Engineer Battalion, Engineering Support Battalion, or Naval Wing Support Squadron.
ALSO READ: How to Become a Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA)
Expansion of the combat engineer platoon
When the Marine Corps announced its plans to phase out the MOS (0351) infantry attack in 2018, the number of Marines in the Combat Engineering Division increased from nine to 13. Given that many of their missions are similar, and there is a large number of overlap deal in the two MOS, The decision was in line with plans to reorganize the Marines.
Both MOS 0351 and 1371 use the same shoulder-fired assault weapons, and combat engineers are as skilled in combat as their fellow Marines.
USMC combat engineering salary
As of November 2, 2020, the median annual wage for a USMC Combat Engineer in the United States is $ 71,914 per year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, it’s roughly $ 34.57 an hour. This equates to $ 1,383 per week or $ 5,993 per month.
While ZipRecruiter sees annual salaries as low as $ 129,000 and as low as $ 19,000, the majority of USMC Combat Engineering salaries currently range from $ 48,000 (25 percent) to $ 91,500 (75 percent) with the highest salaries (90 percent) making $ 108,000 annually. All over the United States. The median pay for a combat engineer at the USMC varies widely (up to $ 43,500), indicating that there may be many opportunities to advance and increase wages based on skill level, location, and years of experience.
Based on the recently posted jobs on ZipRecruiter, the USMC Combat Engineer job market in Benin City, NG and surrounding area is very active. A USMC combat engineer in your area earns an average of $ 71,914 a year, or the same national average annual salary of $ 71,914. Ranked 1st out of 50 states nationwide for USMC Combat Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for USMC Combat Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter constantly scans its database of millions of active jobs posted locally across America.