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Navy Rating · Combat & Infantry

SO Special Warfare Operator

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

Special Warfare Operators conduct maritime, land, and airborne special operations in urban, desert, jungle, arctic, undersea, and mountain environments. They perform direct action, counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, hostage rescue and recovery, foreign internal defense, security force assistance, and humanitarian assistance.

Minimum clearance: Secret

Minimum ASVAB: VE+AR 108 or VE+MK+MC+CS 216 or GS+MC+EI 167 or VE+AR+MK+AO 216

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-18

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: milpersman-1306-618-rating-list-2026-04 (source date 2026-04). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Core Skills

  • Special reconnaissance across varied environments
  • Hostage rescue and recovery operations
  • Foreign internal defense and security force assistance

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.

Security Managers

Counterterrorism, hostage rescue and recovery, and security force assistance experience provide a foundation for civilian protective-security activities and contingency planning.

How to prepare: Build a sample facility-security contingency plan that translates operational experience into procedures for safeguarding employees and coordinating emergency responses.

What the civilian work involves
  • Plan, direct, or coordinate security activities to safeguard company employees, guests, or others on company property.
  • Direct or participate in emergency management and contingency planning.

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (2 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol I (NEOCS, Jan 2026 edition): SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR (SO)

    [1] Rating chapter "SCOPE OF RATING"; cached text line 7506; NAVPERS 18068F Vol I, 2026-01 edition

    Supports: Special reconnaissance across varied environments, Hostage rescue and recovery operations, Foreign internal defense and security force assistance, Security Managers (O*NET 11-3013.01)

  2. O*NET: Security Managers

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Security Managers (O*NET 11-3013.01)

Defense contractor jobs for SO

Predecessor codes

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

SoMSoundman

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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