Also called: Army 92G, Navy CS rating, Air Force 3F1 Services
Plans, cooks, and serves meals for troops in dining halls, on ships, and in the field.
Military cooks feed hundreds or thousands of people a day, from field kitchens to submarines. Top performers can cook at the White House Mess or for admirals. Civilian paths: chef, catering, restaurant management.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.3 years after high school. High school diploma, then ~8 weeks of culinary training. 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: Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management.
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. Kitchen equipment improves; cooking for hundreds in field kitchens stays human.
Classes: Culinary arts CTE, Business math, Health.
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.