How To Become An Explosive Ordnance Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is an explosive ordnance technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Explosive ordnance technicians work with undetonated explosives and make sure that they are disposed of properly. They can work with all kinds of explosives, from pipe bombs to underwater mines to nuclear weapons. Most work for the army, law enforcement, or government agencies handling the disposal of military equipment such as land mines. An average day as an explosive ordnance technician can involve storing discarded military munitions, analyzing an area to identify potential explosive threats, or leading a sensitive bomb removal operation. This is the kind of job where steady hands and the ability to think clearly under pressure are a must.

While some explosive ordnance technicians have bachelor's degrees, this isn't the kind of skill that is taught in the average classroom. Instead, most explosive ordnance technicians learn how to work with munitions on the job when they join the army or a law enforcement agency.

On average, explosive ordnance technicians earn $46,445 a year. This is a stressful career with far more risks than an average office job, but many explosive ordnance technicians enjoy their work because they know they are helping to save lives.

ScoreExplosive Ordnance TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,298

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

0.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.14%

Asian 2.14%

Black or African American 12.39%

Hispanic or Latino 21.28%

Unknown 4.47%

White 59.59%

Gender

female 8.40%

male 91.60%

Age - 25

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 25

Stress level

8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an explosive ordnance technician

Explore explosive ordnance technician education requirements

Most common explosive ordnance technician degrees

Bachelor's

49.0 %

Associate

24.8 %

High School Diploma

17.1 %

Start to develop specific explosive ordnance technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patrol	66.73%
Improvised Explosive Devices	8.02%
Extraction	6.49%
Law Enforcement Agencies	4.84%
EOD	2.91%

Complete relevant explosive ordnance technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New explosive ordnance technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an explosive ordnance technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real explosive ordnance technician resumes.

Research explosive ordnance technician duties and responsibilities

Lead a team of marines in the arming, troubleshooting, launching, and receiving of twelve F/A-18 jets.
Specialize in proper ordnance placement and detonation to accomplish goals such as demolition and excavation.
Work with a team to safely remove hazardous unexplode ordnance and materials, using GPS and metal detectors.
Operate EM61mk2, RTK, RTS, and other survey grade GPS.

Prepare your explosive ordnance technician resume

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