U.S. Coast Guard · Maritime Law Enforcement

ME Maritime Enforcement Specialist

Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialists (ME) are the service's law-enforcement specialists. The official career page states that while many ratings participate in law enforcement, MEs lead and train their crew's boarding teams and maintain the unit's law enforcement equipment, and that when situations demand the highest-risk tactics — helicopter insertion or opposed boardings — deployable specialized forces of MEs get the call. MEs are typically assigned to cutters, boat stations, and specialized units. The Coast Guard MLEA ME A-School page and the public M1500.10C rating table both list the ME ASVAB gate as VE+AR = 100.

last verified 2026-07-29

ME (Maritime Enforcement Specialist) is in the Coast Guard and requires a minimum AFQT of 32 and VE+AR of at least 100. Last verified 2026-07-29 against U.S. Coast Guard MLEA - Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School.

Quick check

Can I qualify for this job?

Enter the scores you already know. Leave a box blank if you do not have that score yet.

AFQT minimum 32Enter AFQT
VE+AR minimum 100Enter VE+AR

Plain requirement

What you need.

  • Min AFQT32
  • Training~10 weeks
  • VE+AR line score≥ 100

AFQT 32 is a percentile. The line score above is not — it is a Coast Guard composite, a weighted sum of your ASVAB subtest standard scores. Work yours out from your score sheet with the Coast Guard ASVAB line score calculator.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard MLEA - Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School · last verified 2026-07-29.

Role brief

About ME — Maritime Enforcement Specialist.

Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialists (ME) are the service's law-enforcement specialists. The official career page states that while many ratings participate in law enforcement, MEs lead and train their crew's boarding teams and maintain the unit's law enforcement equipment, and that when situations demand the highest-risk tactics — helicopter insertion or opposed boardings — deployable specialized forces of MEs get the call. MEs are typically assigned to cutters, boat stations, and specialized units. The Coast Guard MLEA ME A-School page and the public M1500.10C rating table both list the ME ASVAB gate as VE+AR = 100.

Initial training

How ME training works.

FormatRating A-school
LocationMaritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), FLETC Charleston, South Carolina
Length~10 weeks

The two official figures differ slightly and both are current. The MLEA school-of-record page lists ME "A" School (course code 502195) as "Forty-seven training days over 9.3 weeks"; the Coast Guard recruiting career page rounds the same course to "a 10-week rating course in Charleston, SC." The curriculum covers leadership, physical fitness, communications, safety, rate training and administration, security, maritime law enforcement, tactical operations, port readiness, weapons familiarization and qualification, ports/waterways/coastal security, anti-terrorism, and force protection, assessed through role-plays, labs, scenarios, and practical and written exams.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard MLEA — Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School · last verified 2026-07-29 · date retrieved 2026-07-29.

Starting pay · 2026

What this job pays as a junior enlisted member.

Base pay is set by pay grade, not by job — every Coast Guard enlistee at the same grade earns the same monthly base pay. These are the 2026 active-duty rates (3.8% raise, effective 2026-01-01).

GradeRankMonthly base payService
E-1Seaman Recruit (SR)$2,407after 4 months of service
E-2Seaman Apprentice (SA)$2,698under 2 years
E-3Seaman (SN)$2,837under 2 years
E-4Petty Officer 3rd Class$3,142under 2 years
  • Plus food allowance (BAS)$460/moFlat enlisted rate, tax-free, paid on top of base pay.
  • Plus housing allowance (BAH)Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is paid on top of base pay and is tax-free, but it varies by duty-station ZIP code, pay grade, and whether you have dependents — there is no single nationwide figure. Use the official DoD BAH calculator for your assignment location.DoD BAH rate lookup →

Source: DFAS 2026 active-duty basic pay tables (3.8% raise, effective Jan 1 2026) · last verified 2026-05-23 · date retrieved 2026-05-23.

Eligibility notes

What ME candidates should check.

  • The Coast Guard MLEA ME A-School page publishes seven eligibility criteria, not just a score: VE+AR = 100; eligible for a Secret clearance (the command must certify U.S. citizenship and an approved NACLC); normal color perception per Medical Manual COMDTINST M6000.1; within maximum allowable weight per COMDTINST M1020.8; eligible to possess a firearm under the Lautenberg Amendment (DD Form 2760) per COMDTINST 10100.1; a valid state driver's license; and 24 months of obligated service from the date of graduation.
  • The firearm-eligibility criterion is the one most often missed. A qualifying domestic-violence conviction makes an applicant Lautenberg-ineligible and therefore ineligible for ME regardless of ASVAB score, because the rating is built around armed law-enforcement duty.
  • Weapons qualifications are a graduation requirement, not a prerequisite. The school states you need not hold them before class, but full qualification — judgmental pistol course, basic and practical pistol, basic and combat rifle, and shotgun — is required to graduate ME "A" School.
  • Fitness is gated early: you must be within Coast Guard weight and body-fat standards, and you must satisfactorily complete the physical fitness standards task of the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Competency Qualifications Instruction within two weeks of the class convening.
  • COMDTINST M1500.10C Enclosure (3) also lists ME as VE+AR = 100 with normal color perception and Secret clearance requirements.
  • COMDTINST 1500.10D says current rating prerequisites are compiled in the internal PSC EPM-2 A-School Assignments listing, so confirm current waiver and assignment rules with a Coast Guard recruiter.

What ASVAB score does a Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist (ME) need?

As of 29 July 2026, the Coast Guard MLEA ME "A" School page lists Maritime Enforcement Specialist (ME) as VE + AR = 100, and the public COMDTINST M1500.10C rating table lists the same gate. VE+AR is a line score, not the AFQT: you must also clear the Coast Guard's enlistment AFQT floor of 32.

What does a Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist do?

The official career page describes MEs as the Coast Guard's law-enforcement specialists: they lead and train their crew's boarding teams and maintain the unit's law enforcement equipment. When a situation demands the highest-risk tactics — helicopter insertion or opposed boardings — deployable specialized forces of MEs get the call. MEs are typically assigned to cutters, boat stations, and specialized units, and the rating maps to civilian local, state, and federal law enforcement, security, and corrections work.

How long is Coast Guard ME A-School, and where is it?

ME "A" School (course code 502195) runs at the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, located at FLETC Charleston, South Carolina. The MLEA page gives the precise length as forty-seven training days over 9.3 weeks; the Coast Guard recruiting career page rounds the same course to a 10-week rating course in Charleston. Both figures describe one course — the 9.3-week number counts scheduled training days.

What else does ME A-School ask for besides the ASVAB?

Six non-score criteria: Secret clearance eligibility with an approved NACLC, normal color perception under COMDTINST M6000.1, being within maximum allowable weight under COMDTINST M1020.8, firearm eligibility under the Lautenberg Amendment (DD Form 2760), a valid state driver's license, and 24 months of obligated service from graduation.

Do you need weapons qualifications before Coast Guard ME A-School?

No. The school states you need not have all weapons qualifications as prerequisites, but full weapons qualification is an ME "A" School graduation requirement — judgmental pistol course, basic and practical pistol, basic and combat rifle, and shotgun.

How physically demanding is Coast Guard ME?

You must be within Coast Guard weight and body-fat standards on arrival, and you must satisfactorily complete the physical fitness standards task of the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Competency Qualifications Instruction within two weeks of the class convening — so the fitness gate lands at the start of the course, not at the end.

How do you become a Coast Guard ME?

The MLEA page directs applicants to route a Special Request Authorization (chit) through their chain of command and to check the USCG Personnel Service Center EPM-2 Non-Rate / A-School Assignments site. In practice ME is normally reached by requesting the rating while serving rather than by a guaranteed A-school slot at enlistment, so confirm the current path with a recruiter.

What are the rating requirements for ME Maritime Enforcement Specialist?

The Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist rating (ME) requires a minimum AFQT of 32 and VE+AR of at least 100, with initial training of about 10 weeks. Those are the ASVAB-based entry requirements; a recruiter confirms the full enlistment picture (medical, background, and current openings). Source: U.S. Coast Guard MLEA - Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School, last verified 2026-07-29.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard MLEA - Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School · last verified 2026-07-29 · date retrieved 2026-07-29.

Nearby targets

Related Coast Guard score targets.

Related

Practice AFQT plus ME line-score subtests.

AFQT + VE+AR practice targets

Independent test-prep — not affiliated with DoD or the ASVAB program. See officialasvab.com for the test program.

Sources