Alliance Vocational Code

The Alliance Military Vocational Code handbook classifies the career path of all serving personnel. The MVC consists of one letter and one number. A soldier's MVC indicates proficiency, not rank. The letter notes career path; the number indicates level of experience, as indicated by service record, technical scores, and commendations. All 26 letters are used, and numbers run from 1 to 7. N is the letter code for Special Forces personnel.

The letter designations are as follows:


 * A — INFANTRY, SPACE (Naval Marines): In order to qualify for an A ranking, one must have completed qualification through either B5 or undergo Special Combat Training with equivalent background (such as former mercenaries, etc). A7 requires completion of the Hostile Environment and Survival course and is the prerequisite rating for entering the Special Forces.


 * B — INFANTRY, GENERAL (Planetary Marines): B1s are raw recruits right out of school, and B4 is usually a seasoned Sergeant or Chief. A soldier who completes the B5 qualification can be considered for an A rating. B6 and B7 are restricted to NCO ranks and are required for command master chief status for companies or divisions.


 * C — INFANTRY, BIOTIC: Anyone who uses their biotics is rated a C. Qualification to one of the SA Biotic Warfare programs requires a C7 rating.


 * D — ORDINANCE DISPOSAL TECHNICAL CORPS (bomb disposal units): The SA ODT Corps is used to deal with explosive devices, jammed mass accelerators under power, conventional explosives, and the like. D5 and up are qualified to handle nuclear devices.


 * E — DAMAGE CONTROL SPECIALIST: Naval personnel on ships that are charged with maintenance and proper execution of damage control techniques, deep space fire control, N/B/C decontamination, and hostile environment repair.


 * F — FINANCE, YEOMAN, AND ADMINISTRATIVE: A rating for non-combatant support personnel.


 * G — ENGINEERING


 * H — MEDICAL (officer only): Medical doctors are ranked by their level of qualification.


 * I — FLEET COMMAND (granted to all flag rank officers): This rank replaces an officer rating once they become a Rear Admiral or General. One rating is conferred per star.


 * J — MEDICAL (enlisted only): Medical enlisted personnel are qualified based on knowledge.


 * K — SUPPORT, XENOLOGY (alien warfare specialist): K personnel are trained in alien languages, both body language and linguistic analysis, as well as their respective histories and cultures. Most serve as liaisons to forward deployed units in alien space.


 * L — SUPPORT, NAVAL (cooks, non-electrical mechanics, HVAC, etc): Non-combatant naval support personnel who do not qualify as Engineering, Ops/Nav, or Weapons.


 * M — NAVAL ENGINEERING TECH (Naval Engineering, Officers and Enlisted): Any naval personnel assigned to engineering tasks, from propulsion specialists to dockworkers, are given this rating.


 * N — SPECIAL FORCES: Due to the variegated nature of the N7 program, each rating badge in the sequence can consist of multiple courses.


 * O — NAVAL OPERATIONS TECH (ops officers and enlisted): Naval personnel involved in electronics, navigation, fire control, operations, and shipboard maintenance outside of engineering tasks are considered operations techs.


 * P — NAVAL WEAPONS TECH (ops nav techs): Only found on larger ships such as heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts, for dedicated fire control officers.


 * Q — RATED NAVAL PILOT (naval ship pilots): Only found on frigates and light destroyers, RNPs are the sole pilots of SA ships. On larger ships, piloting is done by a group of ops techs, but smaller ships react fast enough that skilled piloting instincts count.


 * R — NAVAL AIR WING (fighter and shuttle pilots): Distinct from naval pilots for the larger ships, fighter and shuttle pilots make up their own grouping.


 * S — SURVEILLANCE OPERATIVE: Trained in covert surveillance, survival, and low-orbit insertion techniques, the elite S-Class operatives specialize in HUMINT intelligence gathering. Often operating deep in hostile territory for extended periods, S-Class troops are given a high degree of operational freedom and usually operate under the umbrella of AIS. Unlike the other codes, S has five ratings with 1 being the highest. With their skills and training, S-Class troops are considered prime candidates for Spectre nomination.


 * T — SNIPER / RECONNAISSANCE (defunct): No longer used by Alliance forces since the establishment of the S operative program. T is still used as an equivalent training rank for soldiers of other races trained in sniper, wetwork, or reconnaissance roles.


 * U — SECURITY FORCES (military police)


 * V — MILITARY TRAINING (recruit training and special training operations): Soldiers who work in boot camps or recruiting stations use this rating.


 * W — GENERAL SUPPORT: Ministers, marching band, military artists, psychologists, and non-PHD medical support staff.


 * X — RELIGION


 * Y — RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: The Y rating only has three ranks and these only show the general level of education. Y rates have their own secondary rating system to indicate what scientific branch they work with.


 * Z — INFORMATION MANAGEMENT