Also called: Joint Force Headquarters J3 Domestic Operations, Guard emergency response planner
Plans and coordinates how a state's Guard responds to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and civil emergencies.
Domestic operations officers work in the state's joint operations center, track Guard helicopters, trucks, and troops during disasters, and coordinate with FEMA and state emergency managers.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's degree plus a commission through ROTC, a service academy, or Officer Candidate School, then Guard officer training and domestic operations courses. 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, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Emergency Management, Public Administration.
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. Tracking tools help; coordinating Guard response to disasters stays human.
Classes: Government / Civics, Earth science, Geography.
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.