U.S. Army - Join our Career Field

If you really want to practice the profession of entomology, the Army is the right place for you!

The U.S. Army needs entomologists in uniform to protect forces from the threat of arthropod-borne diseases, from the disruptions caused by pest insects, and from the results of property damage caused by structural pests. Some 60 professional entomologists ranging in rank from second lieutenant to colonel perform these functions throughout the world. Army entomology officers work in the areas of pest management, regulatory entomology, environmental protection, research, and administration. The work involves close cooperation with civilian counterparts, enlisted soldiers, related specialties and entomologists from other Military Services.

A career as an Army entomologist is an upward curve of training, experience, responsibility, and knowledge. You might start out as an executive officer of a preventive medicine detachment, working hard with other soldiers to make your unit run smoothly and serving as the resident expert on entomological problems. Or, you might begin as a consultant working out of one of five operations centers of the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, with travel to bases throughout your area of responsibility. If you have a Ph.D., you could start in a research assignment pursuing funded research in medical entomology on topics ranging from vector control to the genetics of malaria parasites. Whether your personal strengths are in administration, personal leadership, pest management, or research, there is ample room in the Army for you to rise to rewarding positions of increasing responsibility.

Training is a combination of required and optional military courses. The Army wants its officers to be prepared for their broad responsibilities and therefore invests in them by providing military training throughout their careers such as the Officer Basic Course, the Officer Advanced Course, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and Command and General Staff College. There are also short courses in preventive medicine, certification for pesticide application, and many other related subjects. We also have the opportunity to send officers to graduate school, where they are funded to complete a Master's or Ph.D. degree in entomology.

Experience as an Army entomologist extends beyond the professional. Most officers have assignments at five to seven locations during a 20-year career, including overseas locations like Germany, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Kenya. There is also the chance to serve your country on a deployment as a participant in the nation's major events.

If you think you might be interested in a position on active duty as an Officer and Army entomologist, whether for three years or for thirty, please click here to send an e-mail to the Armed Forces Pest Management Board.

- Medical Entomology in the US Army Medical Service Corps Information Paper

- US Army Entomology Trifold Brochure

- Powerpoint Brief on US Army Entomology

- Medical Service Corps Video Profile - CAPT Lisa O'Brien