A Marine Gunner is a Chief Warrant Officer who serves as the Marine Corps’ top technical expert on infantry weapons and tactics. Officially designated an Infantry Weapons Officer (MOS 0306), a Gunner holds a warrant officer grade between CWO2 and CWO5 and advises commanders at every level on how to employ, maintain, and train with every infantry weapon in the Marine Corps arsenal.1Department of Defense. USMC COOL MOS 0306 Infantry Weapons Officer Fewer than 120 Gunners serve in the entire Marine Corps at any given time, which makes it one of the most exclusive billets a Marine can hold.2Marine Corps Systems Command. Voice of the Infantry: Gunner Serves as Conduit Between MCSC, FMF
The Job in Garrison and in Combat
Day to day, a Gunner is responsible for making sure Marines can fight effectively with every infantry weapon the Corps fields. That covers developing and monitoring weapons training programs, overseeing preventive maintenance on unit weapons, managing ammunition allocation, and building the infantry training portion of a unit’s overall training plan. When new weaponeering or training policies come down from higher, the Gunner translates them into practical guidance for the troops.
In garrison, a Gunner mentors both officers and enlisted Marines. This is where the role stands apart from other warrant officer specialties. A Gunner is expected to coach company commanders and staff noncommissioned officers alike on tactics and weapons employment, and the Marine Corps’ marksmanship community relies on Gunners to revise range training, weapons handling procedures, and combat marksmanship standards.
In combat the work shifts toward real-time tactical advising. A commander may send the Gunner forward as a “directed telescope” to observe the fight and report back directly, giving the commander ground-truth information without pulling a subordinate unit leader away from their job. Gunners also inspect fire support plans, help coordinate infantry weapons with supporting arms, and in some cases take command of provisional or task-organized combat units when the situation demands it.3United States Marine Corps. Infantry Battalion Operations
Where Gunners Are Assigned
The most common posting is as a Battalion Gunner, embedded in an infantry battalion and working under the operations officer (S-3). In that role the Gunner advises the battalion commander, the battalion staff, and company commanders on employing all organic and threat weapons.3United States Marine Corps. Infantry Battalion Operations As Gunners promote to CWO3, CWO4, and CWO5, they move up to regimental staffs, division headquarters, and Marine Expeditionary Force-level billets.
Some Gunners take less conventional assignments. Marine Corps Systems Command, for example, uses Gunners as liaisons between the acquisition community and the Fleet Marine Force so that the Marines building new infantry equipment hear from the people who use it in the field.2Marine Corps Systems Command. Voice of the Infantry: Gunner Serves as Conduit Between MCSC, FMF Others work at training commands and schools where their expertise shapes doctrine.
Why “Gunner” Is a Title, Not a Rank
“Gunner” is not a rank. It is a title, and a Marine Gunner is addressed as “Gunner” rather than by their warrant officer grade. Where other Chief Warrant Officers wear the standard CWO insignia on both collar points, a Gunner replaces one with the “Bursting Bomb” device. That makes a Gunner instantly recognizable and signals their specialized status to every Marine who sees them.
The Bursting Bomb dates to 1917, when the first Marine Gunners pinned it on their collar shortly after their appointment. The warrant officer grade of Marine Gunner itself was created by the Naval Appropriations Act of 1916, which authorized the appointment of twenty Marine Gunners drawn from the noncommissioned officer ranks as the Corps modernized ahead of World War I.4GovInfo. Sixty-Fourth Congress Session I Chapter 417 1916
The distinction matters in daily interactions. When a colonel introduces “my Gunner” to a visiting dignitary, that phrasing communicates something specific: this is the person I trust to know more about infantry weapons and tactics than anyone else on my staff. Gunners occupy an unusual space in the military hierarchy, outranked by many of the officers they advise but carrying an authority rooted in technical knowledge and field credibility that rank alone does not confer.
How a Marine Becomes a Gunner
This is not a career path a Marine picks on day one. The Commandant directs that Marine Gunners come exclusively from the ranks of infantry senior staff noncommissioned officers in the grade of Gunnery Sergeant or above, with at least one year of time in grade. Candidates also cannot have more than 23 years of active service by the convening date of the selection board.5United States Marine Corps. Fiscal Year 2026 Enlisted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marine Gunner Selection Board
Only Marines holding one of four primary military occupational specialties qualify:
- 0321, Reconnaissance Marine
- 0363, Light Armored Reconnaissance Unit Leader
- 0369, Infantry Unit Leader
- 0372, Critical Skills Operator
Applicants must also score at least 110 on the General Technical portion of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.5United States Marine Corps. Fiscal Year 2026 Enlisted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marine Gunner Selection Board In practice, competitive candidates bring extensive deployment experience, strong proficiency and conduct marks, and a reputation within the infantry community that precedes them. The board is not evaluating potential. It is evaluating a proven track record.
The selection board convenes annually and picks only a handful of Marines from the eligible pool. For fiscal year 2026, the board selected ten Marines for commission to CWO2.6United States Marine Corps. Fiscal Year 2026 Enlisted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Gunner Selection Board Results Once selected, new Gunners attend the Warrant Officer Basic Course at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, followed by the Infantry Weapons Officer Course. That training builds on a decade-plus of infantry experience rather than starting from scratch.
Pay
Marine Gunners draw standard warrant officer base pay according to their grade and years of service. Because they arrive at CWO2 with substantial time in service already, their starting pay sits toward the higher end of the CWO2 scale. As of January 2026, monthly base pay for the grades relevant to Gunners runs roughly:7DFAS. Basic Pay Warrant Officers
- CWO2 with 16 to 20 years: about $7,005 to $7,437
- CWO3 with 18 to 24 years: about $8,150 to $8,880
- CWO4 with 20 to 26 years: about $9,229 to $10,445
- CWO5 with 22 to 30 years: about $10,686 to $12,071
Base pay is only part of the picture. Gunners also receive Basic Allowance for Housing, Basic Allowance for Subsistence, and any applicable special or incentive pays, none of which are reflected in the figures above. Federal law also allows a Marine Gunner in the grade of CWO5 to serve up to 33 years of total active service before mandatory retirement, giving senior Gunners more time in uniform than most other warrant officers.