🏗️ Engineering & construction
Building, powering, and sustaining bases and infrastructure — from combat engineering to the construction and utility trades.
What they do
Military engineers build and sustain everything from roads and bridges to power and water systems. The Army engineer corps and the Navy Seabees run the construction trades — carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, and heavy-equipment operation — plus surveying and prime power; combat engineers add breaching and mobility under fire.
You learn a licensed trade with real project experience.
Jobs & codes by branch
Representative jobs in this field and their military occupation codes — not a complete list; each branch has many more and codes change. Use the official job finders below for the full, current list.
Army
12B Combat Engineer · 12C Bridge Crewmember · 12D Diver · 12G Geospatial Engineer · 12H Construction Engineering Supervisor · 12K Plumber · 12M Firefighter · 12N Horizontal Construction Engineer · 12P Prime Power Production Specialist · 12Q Power-Line Distribution Specialist · 12R Interior Electrician · 12T Technical Engineer · 12V Concrete & Asphalt Equipment Operator · 12W Carpentry & Masonry Specialist · 12Y Geospatial Engineer
Navy (Seabees)
BU Builder · CE Construction Electrician · EO Equipment Operator · SW Steelworker · UT Utilitiesman · CM Construction Mechanic · EA Engineering Aide · ND Navy Diver
Air Force — Civil Engineer (CE)
3E0X1 Electrical Systems · 3E0X2 Electrical Power Production · 3E1X1 Heating, Ventilation, AC & Refrigeration (HVAC/R) · 3E2X1 Pavements & Construction Equipment · 3E3X1 Structural · 3E4X1 Water & Fuel Systems Maintenance (Utilities) · 3E4X2 Liquid Fuel Systems Maintenance · 3E4X3 Pest Management · 3E5X1 Engineering (drafting, surveying & GIS) · 3E6X1 Operations Management
Marine Corps
1361 Engineer Assistant · 1371 Combat Engineer · 1341 Engineer Equipment Mechanic · 1345 Engineer Equipment Operator · 1316 Metal Worker · 1141 Electrician · 1161 Refrigeration & AC Technician · 1171 Water Support Technician
ASVAB areas that matter
Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Auto & Shop (AS), and Math Knowledge (MK), with General Science (GS). Your AFQT score decides whether you can enlist; individual subtests combine into “line scores” that set which jobs you qualify for. Prepare with our free ASVAB practice tests.
How it transfers to civilian work
This field feeds straight into the skilled trades — electrician, plumber, carpenter, heavy-equipment operator, HVAC, and civil-engineering/surveying technician — with strong union apprenticeship pathways that often grant credit for military experience. Credentials: journeyman/master trade licenses, OSHA 10/30, NCCER, CDL, surveying certifications.
See every job & the exact requirements
Codes, availability, and ASVAB minimums vary by branch and change often — confirm on each branch's official job finder: Army ↗ · Navy ↗ · Air Force ↗ · Marine Corps ↗ · Space Force ↗ · Coast Guard ↗.