How To Become A Platoon Leader: What It Is and Career Path

What is a platoon leader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The platoon is an important constituent of any country's army. The soldiers of a platoon have various roles and abilities that they expect to accomplish a mission. Just like any other team, they need a leader too for guidance and leadership. Platoon Leaders are their heads who motivate and inspire them to complete a mission. Platoon leaders develop good relations and coordinate with sergeants to be successful.

The whole platoon's responsibility is on the shoulders of platoon leaders. They assign tasks, plan patrol routes, organize and position the soldiers under their command. The performance of the platoon relies heavily on them. Either the platoon completes a mission successfully or fails to do so, platoon leaders are held responsible. And that is true as the crucial responsibility comes with the position.

The successful platoon leaders are victorious due to their intellect, character, personality, and presence. The profession enables you to earn $25.19 an hour, on average. Thanks to their combat and leadership skills, they are always ready for battle.

ScorePlatoon LeaderUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,908

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 4.35%

Black or African American 6.38%

Hispanic or Latino 11.35%

Unknown 6.07%

White 71.23%

Gender

female 12.87%

male 87.13%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.4

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a platoon leader

Explore platoon leader education requirements

Most common platoon leader degrees

Bachelor's

82.9 %

Master's

7.6 %

Associate

6.2 %

Start to develop specific platoon leader skills

Skills	Percentages
Combat	18.62%
Personnel Management	13.01%
Logistical Support	9.55%
Property Accountability	8.21%
Professional Development	5.59%

Research platoon leader duties and responsibilities

Manage 79 supply line items worth $105,000 and hazardous material (HAZMAT) redistribution facility.
Manage the tactical and administrative aspects of battery operations and performance.
Suggest a new incentive tactic to persuade redeployment requests, resulting in a decrease of demands ;.
Lead a motorize reconnaissance platoon.

Get platoon leader experience

Prepare your platoon leader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your platoon leader resume.

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Apply for platoon leader jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a platoon leader job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams