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Force protection officer vs protection specialist

The differences between force protection officers and protection specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a protection specialist has an average salary of $76,307, which is higher than the $50,927 average annual salary of a force protection officer.

The top three skills for a force protection officer include operations procedures, law enforcement and control points. The most important skills for a protection specialist are guest service, physical security, and safety issues.

Force protection officer vs protection specialist overview

Force Protection OfficerProtection Specialist
Yearly salary$50,927$76,307
Hourly rate$24.48$36.69
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs76,80183,627
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4343
Years of experience--

Force protection officer vs protection specialist salary

Force protection officers and protection specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Force Protection OfficerProtection Specialist
Average salary$50,927$76,307
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $110,000Between $48,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-eBay
Best paying industry--

Differences between force protection officer and protection specialist education

There are a few differences between a force protection officer and a protection specialist in terms of educational background:

Force Protection OfficerProtection Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common college--

Force protection officer vs protection specialist demographics

Here are the differences between force protection officers' and protection specialists' demographics:

Force Protection OfficerProtection Specialist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 87.9% Female, 12.1%Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between force protection officer and protection specialist duties and responsibilities

Force protection officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage safety and hazmat procedures.
  • Observe activities within military installation from watch towers arm with M4 and M9 IAW force protection arming status.
  • Qualify on M9 pistol; M4 rifle; M60 machine gun; and M249 squad automatic weapon.
  • Administer comprehensive plans for providing support to combat organizations force structure and evolving personnel management proposals.
  • Operate a team of 30 members who execute anti-terrorism force protection measures to safeguard assets vital to national security.
  • Direct weekly random anti-terrorism measures and personally conduct quarterly vulnerability assessments in relation to enemy threats and weather emergencies.
  • Show more

Protection specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide support to team leads, analyst and other miscellaneous AML business units.
  • Enter and manage water system inventory and monitoring requirements into EPA record database.
  • Perform all sampling and releases require by NRC regulations of a nuclear power plant.
  • Maintain the original records of all inspections and training in accordance with RCRA and OSHA policies.
  • Coordinate and staff outage supplies with vendors to ensure adequate RP supplies and PPE for outages.
  • Check electronic journal, Ross reports, and cameras for associates' activities that may contribute to an internal theft.
  • Show more

Force protection officer vs protection specialist skills

Common force protection officer skills
  • Operations Procedures, 16%
  • Law Enforcement, 9%
  • Control Points, 8%
  • Security Operations, 4%
  • Emergency Alarms, 4%
  • Combat, 4%
Common protection specialist skills
  • Guest Service, 30%
  • Physical Security, 15%
  • Safety Issues, 9%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • Loss Prevention, 4%
  • Fraud Issues, 4%

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