Also called: Army 89D, Air Force 3E8, Navy EOD, Marine 2336
Bomb technician who disarms explosives, unexploded bombs, and IEDs, and protects VIPs from threats.
EOD techs suit up, send robots downrange, and sometimes take the 'long walk' to a device. They also support Secret Service missions and clear old bombs from training ranges. Afterward they join police bomb squads, the FBI, ATF, or demolition companies.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma, then ~8-12 months of EOD school (one of the hardest technical schools in the military). Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Chemistry, Engineering Technology.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Robots do more of the approach; deciding how to defeat a device stays human.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Electronics CTE.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.