Overview of Military Service Careers
Military service is an opportunity to serve your country and to serve your personal growth in mental maturity.
Service in each branch of the military is generally open to both males and females. Because issues involving gender identity are evolving within civilian society, anyone interested in military service should review current eligibility requirements at the time of interest.
Legal requirements to serve (e.g. age, education, medical and court records) should be researched for the most current information – through online sources and official military recruiters.
ADVANTAGES AND CAREER SATISFACTION
* Pride in serving your country
* Enjoyable, long-term career with opportunity to learn many civilian- applicable, career specializations beyond combat training
* Appreciate all that you can accomplish each day by getting out of bed early to commence your activities
* Travel and see the wider world at government expense
* Lifetime physical fitness mindset
* Military academies offer well regarded, free college education
* Free room, board and medical care
* Meet a wide range of social backgrounds
* Earn public and self-respect for having completed difficult basic training which (you can silently note) many are too lazy to accomplish
* Opportunity to learn leadership skills
* Use off-duty time to ponder civilian career options upon discharge
* Pension if serve long enough to qualify
* Many military and veterans’ financial benefits / discounts
DISADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES
- Some hazardous – potentially fatal – conditions
- Rigorous recruit training
- Must comply with all (lawful) military orders
- Change your residence when ordered to do so
- When serving in some foreign postings, healthcare may not be promptly available
- As a life-partner or parent, may be away from home for extended time
- Lower pay than most civilian counterpart jobs (but compare benefits)
- A military occupation specialty (MOS) which seemed guaranteed may be changed unilaterally upon the government reassessing priorities
- Depending on the terms of your enlistment, probably won’t be able to quit working with superiors with whom you may strongly disagree
There are currently seven major branches of the U.S. military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force and National Guard. The following is a brief summary of each branch of military service.
ARMY – Essentially land-based activities with an air component (e.g. helicopters)
NAVY – Essentially sea-based activities with an air component (e.g. flying from aircraft carriers)
MARINE CORPS – Essentially land based, trained for combat, often as first responders, with an air component (e.g. jets and helicopters)
AIR FORCE – Essentially aircraft related for operations and maintenance
COAST GUARD – Essentially sea-based, close to U.S. coastlines, mostly within the U.S., plus multiple overseas bases and missions while providing law enforcement for the Navy. The USCG is the only service with arresting authority.
NATIONAL GUARD – Essentially land-based, subject to mobilization abroad.
SPACE FORCE
The United States Space Force (USSF) was created in 2019 as the newest branch of the Armed Forces. While it received much political hype at the time, it is essentially just the new name of the (then) existing Air Force Space Command (AFSC), some of whose personnel continue in the same roles but now with a different organizational name. Others within the AFSC will remain within that original organization as support personnel for the USSF.
The mission of the USSF is to organize, train and equip space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.
USSF responsibilities will include developing Guardians, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.
The USSF Headquarters and Office of the Chief of Space Operations is in the Pentagon, just like the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
(Because the establishment of the USSF is a relatively new operation, it is likely that those interested in serving within this branch should begin any inquiries with the U.S. Air Force.)
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Editor’s comments – To best inform your decision about commencing military service, talk to women and men currently serving plus veterans of each branch and a few different military service recruiters.
