SAVANNAH, Ga. - A Sergeant TAP review of 100 current public job postings across 10 military-heavy U.S. markets found that only six explicitly recognized military experience in their qualification language.

The exploratory review included 10 postings each from Fayetteville / Fort Bragg, Jacksonville, Hampton Roads / Norfolk, Savannah / Fort Stewart, Tampa / MacDill, San Antonio, Colorado Springs / Fort Carson, Tacoma / JBLM, San Diego, and Northern Virginia / Washington, D.C.

The study focused on operations, logistics, warehousing, maintenance, supply chain, coordination and adjacent roles where military experience can plausibly be relevant. It was not designed to estimate the prevalence of any practice across all U.S. employers or job postings.

KEY FINDINGS

• 84 of 100 used numeric experience requirements or preferences.
• 34 of 100 offered an explicit equivalent or in-lieu pathway.
• 7 of 100 affirmatively opened the door to applicants from transferable backgrounds.
• 6 of 100 explicitly recognized military experience in qualification language.
• 28 of 100 used veteran or protected-veteran language without explicitly saying military experience could satisfy the qualifications.

The difference between welcoming veterans and recognizing military experience

The review did not examine employer intent and does not suggest that employers are unwilling to hire veterans. Instead, it points to a narrower communication problem: many postings accept some form of equivalent experience but do not tell veterans whether military experience is one of the equivalents the employer has in mind.

"The encouraging part is that this is a fix employers can make without lowering standards," said Andrew Reilley, founder of Sergeant TAP. "Often it is a matter of making the standard clearer. If military experience can satisfy a requirement, say so. That helps a qualified service member understand the opportunity before deciding whether to apply."

Some employers already make the connection explicit

The sample included positive examples. Wayfair used the phrase “equivalent work and/or military experience.” Amazon listed military experience among relevant operating environments in a San Diego operations posting. Gavin de Becker & Associates named military supply, equipment or logistics experience directly. Loomis, USAA and HII Mission Technologies also used explicit military-related qualification language.

Why the distinction matters

A posting can be flexible without being clear. When a requirement says “equivalent experience,” a veteran may still have to decide whether leadership, logistics, maintenance, operations or accountability performed in uniform is what the employer means. Sergeant TAP's recommendation is simple: when military experience counts, name it.

About the review

The publication snapshot was frozen on September 25, 2026. Before the freeze, Sergeant TAP re-opened all 34 rows that still carried source-hardening warnings, replaced weak listing/search URLs with direct employer or exact requisition sources where possible, and changed coding when stronger evidence required it. The explicit military-recognition count remained six. Sergeant TAP originally planned to publish the findings closer to Veterans Day but chose to release the completed review earlier so employers, workforce organizations and military communities could begin using the findings immediately.

Read the research:
https://sergeanttap.com/news-research/military-experience-job-postings-2026

About Sergeant TAP

Sergeant TAP is building tools to help service members and military families translate military experience, create civilian-ready resumes, identify relevant opportunities and connect with employers and communities. The platform also helps employers and regional workforce partners better understand military-connected talent.

Media contact


Andrew Reilley
Founder, Sergeant TAP
🌐 sergeanttap.com ✉ [email protected]
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