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Army MOS · Combat & Infantry

89D Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist locates, identifies, renders safe, and disposes of foreign and domestic conventional, chemical, and nuclear ordnance and explosive devices. This specialist also supports VIP missions for the U.S. Secret Service, State Department, and other federal agencies.

Minimum clearance: Top Secret

Minimum ASVAB: GM 105

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: smartbook-611-21-ch10c-fy2025 (source date 2025-12). Policy applicability has not been established.

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Core Skills

  • Foreign and domestic ordnance identification
  • Chemical and nuclear ordnance disposal
  • Federal agency VIP mission support

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Technician

Military experience locating, identifying, rendering safe, and disposing of ordnance directly overlaps with civilian UXO work supporting authorized munitions responses and range clearance.

How to prepare: Submit EOD-school records and documented EOD and munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) work history to a prospective employer for verification of your TP 18 qualification level. The recognized military EOD-school route to UXO Technician II requires 1.5 years of total EOD and MEC-related experience, with no separate minimum civilian MEC experience, plus role-specific on-the-job training and OSHA-compliant 40-hour HAZWOPER training.

Notes & Sources

  • TP 18 applies to specified DoD and DoD-funded contractor work, not uniformed military EOD operations, and does not replace other licensing, permitting, or training requirements.
  • Civilian UXO duties must stay within the assigned qualification and supervision level. Federal and state explosives-access eligibility applies, with additional qualifications for tasks such as hazardous-materials transport or diving.
  • Extended breaks may require documented refresher training or assessment; higher supervisory levels require additional experience and training.
Evidence for this guidance (2 documents)
  1. Army COOL MOC feed: 89D Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist

    [1] data/authority/army-codes.json entry 89D (OSD COOL feed, fetched 2026-07-25); DB rank enlisted, authority codeType enlisted

    Supports: Foreign and domestic ordnance identification, Chemical and nuclear ordnance disposal, Federal agency VIP mission support, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Technician

  2. Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board: TP 18, Revision 1

    [2] 24 June 2020; paragraphs 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 4.2-4.8 and Table 4.2, printed pages 2-8 and 31-34

    Supports: Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Technician

Defense contractor jobs for 89D

Predecessor codes

Historical codes with documented links to 89D. Each history page explains the change.

55D1Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist55D2Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist55D3Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist55D4Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist55D5Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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