The Marine Corps will roll out a new infantry specialty later this year to provide infantry and light armored reconnaissance battalions with dedicated reconnaissance and surveillance support.
On Tuesday, the service announced in an administrative message the creation of the new primary military occupational specialty 0315 Scout.
Lt. Gen. Jay Bargeron, deputy commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations, called the new MOS “a critical step in the modernization of our infantry battalions.”
“These Scouts will be our eyes and ears, extending our sensing capabilities and enabling commanders to make faster, more effective decisions to win our nation’s battles,” he said in a press release.
The service said the specialized MOS was born out of “extensive live-force experimentation” — or combat simulations — that highlighted the need for a dedicated battalion-level formation to collect timely and accurate information on the enemy and operating environment.
According to the announcement, scouts will operate as a 26-Marine platoon within a battalion. They will be trained in field craft and advanced communications to conduct ground reconnaissance, surveillance and battlespace shaping through assured long-range communications.
Scouts will carry advanced optics, communications suites, sensors and unmanned systems for reconnaissance missions. They will also be armed with the M4 Service Rifle, M320 Grenade Launcher and M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, or IAR.
Each scout team will also include a Joint Fires Observer, or JFO, to coordinate and control surface-to-surface and air-delivered fires.
To become a 0315 Scout, Marines must complete either the Infantry Common Core Course or the Infantry Rifleman Course, followed by the Ground Reconnaissance Course.
Marines seeking to convert to the new MOS must complete the required training. However, 0317 Scout Snipers will be immediately eligible for a lateral transfer without additional training.
The new MOS takes effect Oct. 1, 2026.
Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.
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