What Military Branch Should I Join? I Am Having Trouble Deciding Between Three.

Hi, I'm 16 y/o and I really want to join the military. Protecting the United States is a passion of mine and joining the military will help me pursue it. I have looked at each of the five branches extensively. I ruled out the Air Force because I do not like planes so that was an easy choice for me. I also ruled out the Marines as well. In the current situation, I am stuck between the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. I know that is very broad and hard to narrow down for me but I'll tell you why I am interested in each and maybe that will help.

Why I'm interested in the Army: 1. It's an easier branch to get into compared to other branches. 2. It's big; I have opportunities to meet many other soldiers. 3. I like the idea of boots on the ground combat. Again, I don't like flying. 4. I know this sounds stupid but I like the uniforms. They appeal to me.

Army concerns: 1. There is a very high possibility that I can obviously be deployed in a very currently high risk place. 2. I feel like the Army is more offensive. As I said earlier, the reason I want to join is to protect and help the homeland. 3. You're stationed in a place for a very long period of time. 4. You're training A LOT, especially in peace time.

Why I'm interested in the Navy: 1. I've always grown up not liking boats, but I've increasingly managed to stop with that crap. I am so interested in naval combat. It's very cool. I just like the whole image of the Navy. 2. You get to travel around the world. 3. If you're stationed on a ship, you get to make relationships with your crew members and I feel like that's awesome. 4. The Navy can be offensive, but at the same time I just see the Navy more of a defensive branch. I feel like the Marines are the more offensive maritime branch. I do like the fact that the Navy is versatile and can do both. 5. The Navy would allow me to get out of my comfort zone. 6. I like the idea of freedom and protection of the seas, though I do believe we should not police the whole world all the time.

Navy concerns: 1. I'll be stationed possibly out of the country for a very long time. 2. Harder to get into. Look, I'm not jacked and muscular and insanely fit, and that's a key factor in passing the test right or am I just completely wrong? 3. I hate the image of getting torpedoes... AH!!!

Why I'm interested in the Coast Guard: 1. Small = getting to know many. 2. Less training, but on active duty all the time doing missions every day which I feel like many do not see and understand. It will help me learn, help people, and ascend in the ranks. 3. USCG is 99% defensive. Again, I want to join the army to protect the homeland. 4. It's different. Rather than training and being in combat, they are doing completely different missions like stopping drug smugglers and search and rescue. You are directly helping people that way. 5. You get to stay in the US for the most part unless you have to protect ports elsewhere during war time. 6. Ranks are versatile. I like the idea of kind of choosing your role and your ranks will then be based on that.

Coast Guard concerns: 1. Second-smallest branch and is VERY selective. 2. The test is hard... AH!!! 3. Why does the Coast Guard get less respect? I feel like everyone "jokes" about the Coast Guard. Even my friends. Every time I point out that I want to join the military and mention that the Coast Guard is one of the branches I'm looking at, they laugh at me and call me a coward b/c I won't be in direct combat and b/c they think the Coast Guard if "not part of the military" because they are not u see the Department of Defense. I just feel like whenever someone shows less respect for the USCG, it means that they don't understand what their missions are. I feel like every branch deserves the same amount of respect as they are all sacrificing their lives every day.

Thank you in advance to everyone who responds. I am very serious about this topic. Thank you.

You know the other branches have aircraft too right ? And only pilots, and a select few AF members will fly a lot. Most AF personnel is on the ground. AF is consistently ranked as the best branch in terms of funding. Equipment, living quarters and arguably, quality of life.

Wherever you do decide to go. Just get some applicable job skills, such as tech related jobs. That can transfer over to the civilian world. Or you'll likely have a hard time getting good employment, after your military career is over. Its great to serve in combat roles. But unless you want a career as a security guard or mercenary. You best look into acquiring other job skills. Or you'll waste the opportunity to get paid to learn valuable skills and trades.

@jak42: Thank you for the input.

It is not as simple as which branch. The majority of people in the air force do not fly planes. Half the army are not combat arms positions. The navy is a bit different since many of the support staff are on-board. It is more important to think about the types of roles, using the MOS classification to get some insight, not just the branch.

@SUD123456: Thank you.

Air Force for sure. You won't regret it.

It treats you the best, has great training, and good areas to be stationed at.

And no, the majority of Air Force positions are NOT on a plane. The best all around service to serve in unquestionably, unless you are a gung-ho killer.

Honestly it's entirely up to you, and I think each branch has it's ups and downs.

What is your background? Do you have college education? Job experience? Any applicable skills? These things can impact where you might end up within the various branches; for example, if you are a good swimmer you might find yourself being a rescue swimmer instead of a chopper pilot. If you have bad eyesight, you won't find yourself doing things involving things that require, well...good eyesight.

How long do you want to stay in? Do you want to enlist and get out after a couple years or however long it is? Or do you want to make a career out of it?

Out of the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard....

-I've heard the Army is, well...the Army. Out of the "grunts" they're arguably the most supported, but as you said if you enlist you are likely to be deployed. With that said, there are thousands of different things you can do within the Army, from cook to mechanic to dentist (maybe? I don't know...) to soldier or whatever. The people I know that are or have been in the Army, well, I won't say they enjoy it but they have a bond with their peers that can't be matched anywhere else. You really need to be a team player I think, get along with your boys. There's a shit load of beauracracy from what I hear, as well, and you really need to "play the game" if you want to make any sort of career out of the Army.

-Most people that I know in the Navy speak fondly of it, but the Navy is, for lack of a better word, uptight. You can enjoy yourself, but you don't get many chances, and you better mind yourself. Do your job, and do it well. I know a guy that served on a nuclear submarine and some of the stories he told me are pretty crazy.

If you want to see the world, the Navy is probably the best bet. It's not guaranteed, but you might be put on a boat or ship and travel to various places all over the world. I think people look pretty favorably on the Navy so when you get out, people will be like "Wow you were in the Navy, you're hired!". The Navy also trains the shit out of you from what I hear, I mean train, train, train is like all they do. I mean, what else are you going to do when you're stuck on a boat for days, weeks, months at a time?

-I only know one person in the Coast Guard, and she loves it. Not sure where you hear about criticisms (maybe from Vietnam era draft dodgers?) but the Coast Guard is a very respected branch now. They save lives and are very important. They also get a lot of cool toys, awesome training, and do a lot of good work. I think they get stationed in some pretty crappy areas, though, so it might not be the best bet for a happy life, though; you might find yourself living alone in a cabin, working a radio five days a week and getting drunk to stave off the cold the other two days.

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Again, this is not advice or even personal experience, just things I've heard from friends and acquaintances. As other's have said, it's important to know what you want out of it before you commit to something like this; I know you said you want to serve your country, which is admirable, but you also need to expect something from your country in return, so have a plan to get some training whether it be as a pilot, electrician, plumber, or whatever.

You need to be physically fit, but not jacked. When my brother came home after his first leave, he was not jacked, nor was he throughout the wars he fought in. Its kind of like boxers I trained. The really jacked dudes with huge muscles were routinely outworked and outpaced by guys who looked rather average. IF you want to succeed, focus on body weight exercises like pullups, pushups and squats, and run a lot.

I miss the steak n crab the Army boys had at their chow halls every Friday. I think their chow halls were better than the AF ones.

Don't be afraid of being deployed, especially when you're still young. By the time you retire, you would have traveled so much, all you want is a nice quiet time at home.

Just be happy you don't get stationed in places like Shemya anymore. ;)

@dididan2000:

Coast Guard is pretty awesome, out of the three you mentioned I would recommend that. Don't join the Army, unless you want to be treated like a grunt.

I was in the Air Force for 8 years, so I can easily say there is a lot more to the AF than aircraft (this is coming as someone who was a F-15 mechanic -- I worked on these).

Regardless of the branch, find a job you want and do that, the particulars are up to you (do you want to be on a boat or dry land? How do you want to be treated?). Your best bet is to find someone who is familiar with that branch to speak to.

AF also has slower promotions.

@mrbojangles25: Deployment depends on what MOS you have. Yeah I'd imagine the Army wants the 11B MOS because of the endless wars but you don't have to get that MOS.

You do know that coast guard in fact isn't part of the military right? It was reorganized under DHS shortly after DHS was created. So if you think USCG is an service branch then so is ICE or CBP.

Marines if you want to be hardcore. Air Force if you want success after the military.

Not entirely true. The USCG is recognized as part of the military forces of the US but not under the DOD. However it can be called into action if needed. Any branch can help you find success after the military if you choose an MOS that can translate in the civilian world.

@LJS9502_basic: At least for enlisted ranks according to an article I looked up. Which the OP will likely end up as a HS graduate.

But slower promotions, is a trade off for better retention rates. An indicator of a better quality of life than other branches.

Coast Guard is part of the military, absolutely. They are domestic protection, but they can still be called on to deploy (as they were in Operation Iraqi Freedom)

ICE and boarder patrol are US law enforcement agencies (both part of the three letter agencies, like FBI, CIA, NSA) law enforcement, not military.

No, it IS not. USCG is a law enforcement entity. Sure, it CAN BE under DoD (i.e. military) command in a time of war (as in congressional declaration kind not the brushfire ones we've been fighting), but last I checked, we're not at war nor have we been since WW2.

You realize both FBI and DEA (both DOJ entities) were deployed in support of both OIF and OEF right? Just because you get "deployed" in foreign countries with active conflicts doesn't mean you're in the military. I mean, state department, DOJ lawyers, and private companies deploy into those areas.

Last statement is just so full of wrong, not sure where to start. First of, ICE and CPB are bureaus under DHS which is the agency, they themselves are not agencies. Second neither FBI nor NSA are considered 3 letter agencies, I will give three tries to guess what the B in FBI stands for. Not every Federal entities with 3 letters acronyms are "3 letter agencies", USN is military, DIA is military. Thirdly, neither CIA nor NSA are law enforcement organizations.

I'm sure someone has found success as a high school janitor before, doesn't mean I'm going to make that my goto recommendation for a career choice. Fact of the matter is there are more AFSCs that'll help you have a well paying jobs outside the military than any other branches of the military.

@bmanva: Whatever you want dude but the Coast Guard is as much a uniformed service as the Army, Navy, Air Force

Again, I'll re-emphasize that the Air Force has the most going for it and the majority of jobs are not on a plane. And yes, your training can translate over to the civilian world with the right position. The slower promotion is minor compared to the positives with respect to other branches.

Okay. Then you're just wrong.

@LJS9502_basic: He really isn't wrong.

You can get various jobs from every branch of service. That's a fact.

@LJS9502_basic: Well of course. Its just that there are more civilian opportunities when leaving the Air Force.

But that's not necessarily true. It depends entirely on what occupation you pursue in the military. There are jobs....ie infantry that don't have a counterpart in civilian life or very limited anyway but there are many jobs that DO prepare you for civilian life in ANY and all branches. Not all AF jobs translate....and you should not pick your branch by what currently exists rather than what WILL exist. Each branch also has occupations the others don't prepare you to do. Which is why you have to select that way. Blindly picking a service without due diligence is subject to failure.

Also any branch can generate a college degree. One does not necessarily have to stick with the military occupation.

My god, I am actually agreeing with LJS :)

Arguing that there are more opportunities by MOS or equivalent civilian job occupation code applicable to this branch, or that branch is spurious logic. He isn't going to be trained in everything.... he is going to pick one MOS.

If your concern is what are your options afterward then you should focus on particular MOS that are of interest to you and that have similar civilian counterparts. Which is why you should pick by MOS first, not branch.

Also, for the TC: pick the MOS by the role/type of work that interests you.... but for the love of god don't let the recruiters talk you into a different MOS. They have quotas by MOS. Don't be a front line bullet stopper if that is not what you really want to do.

Don't know, depends entirely on what you wish to do.

I'd advise giving some serious contemplation to putting yourself into any situation that may lead to conflict, however. Are you capable of dealing with the prospect of some really horrible situations you may encounter? You'll more than likely will get out unscathed, but the possibility is always there.

Wait till you're 20 and see if you actually want to join. 16 year olds know nothing. I have plenty of friends that loved ROTC with all of their hearts and planned to join right out of high school, and less than a year later most of them have wanted to get out. Dont let ROTC brainwash you please.

lol ok, I guess we will just defer to you decades long experience in both military and civilian careers.

Really the difference starts from the get go. Air Force has a much higher ASVAB requirement than most other branches leading to interservice jokes like these:

And like someone already mentioned USAF service members enjoy better accommodation and higher standard of living relative to other branches. The reason for that is because while DoD keeps the salary the same for all branches, but AF personnel faces higher attrition due to more lucrative civilian jobs the only way to compete is raising other branch specific budgetary areas like accommodation. There's also a very good reason why it's nicknamed the Chair Force since culturally speaking AF is most similar to civilian office environment than any other branches. Also culturally speaking, there's much less of an emphasis on simply following command of those appointed above you, and much more on independent thinking (AF tends to rely more on individual airmen, I've seen an A1C in charge of a multi-million piece of equipment or project). Something which most companies look for in their prospective candidates. Not only are most jobs in the AF are of technical based you have more opportunities to work along side civilian contractors (Navy jobs are also highly technical but with few opportunity if any to work with contractors on ships or subs), so you also start your networking often and early. I don't know how many fellow AF officers I knew personally who separated/retired only to go back working the same job but with the contracting companies they worked with from before. Last but not least, no other branches have a dedicated majcom for cyber warfare, and we are all aware of the earning potential in working in that industry.

Point is you can be a hardcharger in the AF as well. SOCOM takes it's share of AF personnels for their combat weathermen (yes, that's actually a thing), TACs (which I served as when enlisted) and PJs. But it's comparatively narrow to combat roles of other branches. It's a niche within the AF. So naturally AF is not a branch I'd recommend if one's intended take away from their military career is hooah shit. On the other hand, if someone wants to have a successful and well paying career after the military, their best chances of doing that is with the Air Force. Honestly no one who's been in the military would really argue against that.

You might also want to check reenlistment bonuses for some AFSCs. Some jobs are more critical than others. The AF tries to retain people in those fields by offering reenlistment bonuses. I recall one airman I supervised got a $60k (6-yr) reenlistment bonus. He also reenlisted while we were in a tax-free zone. So, he got the whole $60k.

@bmanva:

Agreed, and as you said, anyone who's been in the military knows this, and I served active duty Air Force back in the Reagan years when the Soviet Union was our cold war enemy.

Great memories and great friends while stationed in England and then Georgia, reconnected with a few on facebook. 80's were great times for me. And now I have the VA as a safety net for serving honorably.

As my handle implies, my dad was in the Air Force for 23 years, so I was an Air Force brat as well, wouldn't trade it for anything, lived all over.

@AFBrat77: As long as you get a job you like, Air Force is great

When joining the military, consider what you want to do before you consider the branch. For example, don't join the Marines if you want to be in the medical field because they get their medical support from the Navy.

I'm really into computers, so if I was fresh off of the street wanting to get in and not less than two years from retirement, then I would look at one of the cyber jobs they recently made available. The Army, for example, has MOS 17C, which is Cyber Operations Specialist, MOS 25D, which is Cyber Network Defender, and MOS 35Q, which is Cryptologic Network Warfare Specialist. All three require a top secret clearance, but those jobs would result in a lot of training that would get you paid when you get out. The Navy and Air Force have cyber jobs as well and the current director of the NSA is a Navy admiral.

The Air Force has excellent selections for jobs, but it is harder to get the exact job you want due to the way they recruit. You may be able to give a list of fields or jobs you want, but what you actually get depends on the needs of the Air Force. The Army allows you to select your exact job, but the job has to be available when you select it and you have to be qualified for the job when it is available. Others above me already mentioned positives and negatives of joining the Air Force.

As for the Coast Guard, they are probably the hardest branch to get in. While they don't fall under the DOD (they are under the control of the Department of Homeland Security), they do have the same benefits as the other branches. They can deploy too, I remember seeing a few of them in Baghdad while I was there in 2007.

No matter which branch you go to, take advantage of the benefits. Going back to myself, I didn't get a job that will do me a lot of good as a civilian outside of working for the Army as a contractor, but I'm using Army benefits to get my degree in Network Management.

It is free to talk to a recruiter. Study, and get in shape. Also, prepare yourself for disappointment just in case you don't get the job you want or worse, you aren't eligible to join at all. Around 75% of men and women between the ages of 17 and 24 in the US are currently ineligible to enlist due to various medical or legal obstacles. Lucky for the military, they only need a little over one half percent of the US population serving at any given time to meet current enlistment requirements.

There are also many who get disillusioned during their first enlistment. Either it's not what they expected or taking orders was simply not their thing.

Anyone contemplating joining should consider it carefully, because once you do, the AF owns you.

Good luck on what ever you choose. Just continue to ask questions and research all the military branches and positions that you want to pursue. Just remember sometimes you plan for one thing but another thing happens. Sometimes the position you wanted isn't available at the time or overmanned so will they offer you another position that is available. Just follow your gut feeling and be ready for anything.

I feel like you should try out civilian employment first, who knows, the non-military job may pay you more and give better benefits without sacrificing family time. But if the opportunities just aren't there and you're really prepared to live your own life having a career in the military is a great choice. You're only 16 and I feel like there's still a lot of growing up to do before joining the military. But there are a lot of young people that joins and grow up while in the military. Just know part of growing up are making mistakes so some of these mistakes make cost you the military job.

People do dumb stuff that cost them the military career so hopefully before joining you got all the dumb stuff out your system already. I have some friends that made the best out of their military careers and some friends that got kicked out and I know they regret it. So once in the military just take advantage of the opportunities that may come. There will be times that it will suck but I feel like there are more times that you will find happiness and success in the military. Just be ready for whatever and know that serving is a sacrifice. I think the best part of joining while young is that you could experience and see more things than other people your age and before you know it like 20 years later you could get that retirement. So just go for it while making smart decisions.