MA Career Guide
MA: Master-at-Arms
Career transition guide for Navy Master-at-Arms (MA)
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Top civilian roles for MA veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Security Guard/Officer
Skills to develop:
Police Officer/Sheriff's Deputy
Skills to develop:
Corporate Security Manager
Skills to develop:
Loss Prevention Specialist
Skills to develop:
Emergency Management Specialist
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your MA training built — and where they transfer.
Pattern Recognition
Identifying suspicious behavior, threat indicators, and security vulnerabilities during force protection and law enforcement operations
Detecting anomalies in behavior and environments — the same skill used in fraud investigation, cybersecurity monitoring, and quality inspection
Adversarial Thinking
Anticipating how threats will attempt to breach physical security, exploit access controls, and evade detection
Thinking like an attacker — essential for security consulting, penetration testing, and risk management
Procedural Compliance
Enforcing military justice, security regulations, and use-of-force policies while maintaining detailed incident documentation
Operating within strict regulatory and legal frameworks — transfers to corporate security, compliance, and regulatory enforcement
Situational Awareness
Monitoring security systems, access points, and personnel movements to detect threats across naval installations
Processing multiple security inputs in real time — valued in security operations centers, campus safety, and loss prevention
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Corporate Security Manager
SOC 33-1099You've managed force protection programs, conducted threat assessments, and implemented security protocols. Corporate security management is the same work protecting companies instead of bases.
Cybersecurity Analyst
SOC 15-1212Physical security and cybersecurity share the same methodology — identify threats, monitor for intrusions, respond to incidents. Your security mindset transfers; you just need the technical tools.
Insurance Fraud Investigator
SOC 13-1031Your investigative skills, interview techniques, and evidence documentation experience transfer directly to insurance fraud investigation.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Master-at-Arms A School, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, VA
Topics Covered
- •Law enforcement and physical security
- •Force protection
- •Anti-terrorism operations
- •Weapons qualification
- •Detention operations
- •Crime prevention
- •Access control and investigations
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Enterprise security management, corporate risk assessment, and business continuity
Commercial access control design, intrusion detection systems, and CPTED
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| DBIDS (Defense Biometric Identification System) | Biometric access control and identity verification systems |
| NCIC (National Crime Information Center) | Criminal justice information and background check databases |
| CCTV / IPCAM Surveillance Systems | IP camera surveillance and video management systems (Genetec, Milestone) |
| PACS (Physical Access Control Systems) | Physical access control and security management platforms |
| RMS (Records Management System) | Law enforcement records and incident management systems |
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