U.S. Navy · Security and Law Enforcement

MA Master-at-Arms (MA)

Navy Master-at-Arms (MA) is the Navy's military police and force-protection rating. The current MyNavyHR Security community page lists the MA ASVAB requirement as VE+AR+MK+MC = 196, while the January 2026 Navy rating-list PDF also publishes a temporary VE+AR+MK+MC = 192 score extension through September 30, 2026. MA applicants still need the Navy AFQT minimum of 31, U.S. citizenship, and eligibility for a secret security clearance.

last verified 2026-07-05

MA (Master-at-Arms (MA)) is in the Navy and requires a minimum AFQT of 31 and VE+AR+MK+MC of at least 196. Last verified 2026-07-05 against MyNavyHR Security community information + January 2026 Navy rating list.

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 31Enter AFQT
VE+AR+MK+MC minimum 196Enter VE+AR+MK+MC

Plain requirement

What you need.

  • Min AFQT31
  • Training~9 weeks
  • VE+AR+MK+MC line score≥ 196

AFQT 31 is a percentile. The line score above is not — it is a Navy composite, a weighted sum of your ASVAB subtest standard scores. Work yours out from your score sheet with the Navy ASVAB line score calculator.

Source: MyNavyHR Security community information + January 2026 Navy rating list · last verified 2026-07-05.

Role brief

About MA — Master-at-Arms (MA).

Navy Master-at-Arms (MA) is the Navy's military police and force-protection rating. The current MyNavyHR Security community page lists the MA ASVAB requirement as VE+AR+MK+MC = 196, while the January 2026 Navy rating-list PDF also publishes a temporary VE+AR+MK+MC = 192 score extension through September 30, 2026. MA applicants still need the Navy AFQT minimum of 31, U.S. citizenship, and eligibility for a secret security clearance.

Starting pay · 2026

What this job pays as a junior enlisted member.

Base pay is set by pay grade, not by job — every Navy 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 MA candidates should check.

  • Master-at-Arms (MA) is the Navy's law-enforcement and force-protection rating: anti-terrorism, physical security, harbor and waterborne security, customs, military working dogs (K9), and police duties on Navy installations worldwide. It is the Navy equivalent of an Army Military Police (MP) Soldier or Air Force Security Forces (3P0X1) Airman.
  • The current MyNavyHR Security community page lists the MA ASVAB requirement as VE + AR + MK + MC = 196. That is the standard score shown on this page because it is the durable published requirement for the rating.
  • The January 2026 Navy rating-list PDF also shows a temporary MA ASVAB score extension of VE + AR + MK + MC = 192 in effect until September 30, 2026. Treat that lower number as a time-limited classifier/recruiter confirmation item, not a permanent page baseline.
  • Older and secondary ASVAB tables still surface WK + AR values around 98–100 for MA. Those are stale for this page's current source set; the MyNavyHR Security community source and 2026 rating-list PDF both use the broader VE + AR + MK + MC composite.
  • A third published figure exists and is the one worth knowing about, because MA's number has moved repeatedly: the Navy Recruiting Manual (COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q, 30 January 2025, Exhibit 5-9 School Guarantee Program Matrix, p. 5-69) prints VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 188 for MA — and prints it with the qualifier 'until September 2025.' That temporary reduction has expired, and the January 2026 rating list supersedes it with the 192-until-September-2026 extension above. This page keeps 196 as the durable requirement rather than the manual's 188, because the manual's own text time-limits that number and the limit has passed (checked against the manual 2026-08-04). If a recruiter or an older list quotes you 188, that is where it comes from.
  • MA is one of the Navy ratings with non-waivable entry standards: MyNavyHR lists U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a secret security clearance, and the rating-list qualification columns also flag vision, color-perception, hearing, security-clearance, and U.S.-citizenship gates. A Navy classifier confirms the full legal, conduct, medical, and clearance screen before contract signing.
  • Medical standards include vision correctable to 20/20 with normal color perception, depth perception, and hearing; a disqualifying mental-health medication history can also bar entry, because MAs carry firearms and exercise police powers.
  • After Recruit Training, MA Sailors attend the roughly 9-week Master-at-Arms "A" School at San Antonio, Texas, where they learn anti-terrorism, armed sentry/post standing, crime prevention, military and civil law, communications, first aid, firearms deployment, and physical-restraint skills before reporting to a security department afloat or ashore.
  • Sailors already serving in other ratings may be able to apply for conversion into MA through the Navy's rating-conversion process, but they still have to meet MA security-clearance, citizenship, medical, conduct, and classifier standards current to that cycle.

What ASVAB score do you need to be a Navy Master-at-Arms (MA)?

The current MyNavyHR Security community page lists Navy Master-at-Arms (MA) at VE + AR + MK + MC = 196, plus the Navy AFQT minimum of 31. The January 2026 Navy rating list also shows a temporary VE + AR + MK + MC = 192 extension through September 30, 2026, so confirm the active classifier number before signing.

Why do some sites list WK + AR 98 or 100 for Navy Master-at-Arms?

Those snippets come from older or secondary Navy ASVAB tables. The current MyNavyHR Security community page and the January 2026 Navy rating-list PDF use VE + AR + MK + MC for MA instead. This page uses the official MyNavyHR 196 standard and calls out the temporary 192 extension separately.

How is the Navy MA line score calculated now?

Add Verbal Expression (VE = Word Knowledge + Paragraph Comprehension), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC). The standard MA requirement is VE + AR + MK + MC = 196 in the current MyNavyHR Security community source.

Is Master-at-Arms the Navy's military police?

Yes. Master-at-Arms (MA) is the Navy's military police and force-protection rating: law enforcement, anti-terrorism, physical and harbor security, customs, and military working dogs (K9). It is the Navy's counterpart to the Army Military Police and Air Force Security Forces.

What are the requirements to become a Navy Master-at-Arms?

Beyond the VE + AR + MK + MC line score and AFQT 31, MA applicants must be U.S. citizens, hold a valid driver's license, be eligible for a secret security clearance, and meet vision-correctable-to-20/20 plus other medical standards. These standards matter because MAs carry firearms and hold police authority.

What is the MA rating in the Navy?

MA is the Navy rating code for Master-at-Arms — the Navy's law-enforcement and security rating. Sailors may search for "navy MA," "MA rate," or "navy military police"; they all refer to the same Master-at-Arms rating covered on this page.

How long is Master-at-Arms A-School and where is it?

Master-at-Arms "A" School runs about 9 weeks at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland AFB, Texas, through the Navy's Center for Security Forces (CENSECFOR), after Recruit Training. Sailors then report to a security department on a ship or shore installation.

Does Navy Master-at-Arms require a security clearance?

Yes. MA applicants must be eligible for and able to maintain a secret security clearance, which is a non-waivable entry standard. A disqualifying legal, drug, or financial history that blocks the clearance also blocks entry into and retention in the MA rating.

Source: MyNavyHR Security community information + January 2026 Navy rating list · last verified 2026-07-05 · date retrieved 2026-07-05.

Nearby targets

Related Navy score targets.

Related

Practice AFQT plus MA line-score subtests.

AFQT + VE+AR+MK+MC practice targets

Compare Navy ASVAB requirements

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

Sources