United States Armed Forces
Consider the Military

Consider joining a branch of the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard! The training and experience you receive offer a real advantage in the civilian world. This article contains only brief information about some of the programs available. Contact a local recruiter for more detailed and current information.

The Army
Today's "Army of Excellence" is a modern and powerful military force redesigning to a goal of 69,000 officers, 11,500 warrant officers, and 450,000 enlisted soldiers. Army men and women work in many types of jobs, ranging from general administration to the operation and maintenance of the Army's many thousands of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and highly technical electronic systems.

Soldiers, working as a team, perform the Army's mission of protecting the security of the United States and its vital resources. The Army stands constantly ready to defend American interests and the interests of our allies through land-based operations anywhere in the world.

The Army needs approximately 80,000 to 90,000 new enlistees each year. Those who enlist into the Army will find hundreds of challenging career opportunities that can offer a lifetime of security and excitement to them and their families.

The Navy
The Navy plays an important role in helping to maintain the freedom of the seas. It defends the right of our

country and its allies to travel and trade freely on the world's oceans and helps protect our country during times of international conflict. Navy sea and air power make it possible for our country to use the oceans when and where our national interests require it.

The Navy is a large and diverse organization. It is made up of about 400,000 officers and enlisted people. Navy personnel operate and repair more than 340 ships and over 4,000 aircraft; they serve in such diverse fields as communications specialists, dental hygienists, computer programmers, ship electricians, and work in many other exciting careers. Navy people serve on ships at sea, on submarines under the sea, in aviation positions on land and sea, and at shore bases around the world.

The Navy recruits about 60,000 officers and enlisted people each year to fill openings in Navy career fields.

The Air Force
The United States Air Force is the primary aerospace arm of our nation's armed forces. The men and women of the Air Force fly, maintain, and support the world's most technically advanced aerospace vehicles including long-range bombers, supersonic fighters, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, and many others. These forces are used whenever and wherever necessary to protect the interests of the United States and our allies.

The Air Force is made up of nearly 385,000 men and women—disciplined, dedicated, and professionally trained officers and airmen—from all walks of life. Some 76,000 officers pilot multimillion-dollar aircraft, launch satellites, gather sensitive intelligence data, manage maintenance and other logistical support, or do one of many tasks vital to the Air Force mission. The Air Force currently commissions about 5,000 male and female officers each year to fill openings in a wide variety of challenging careers.

The Marine Corps
The Marine Corps is one of the most elite fighting forces in the world. The Marines are a part of the Department of the Navy and operate in close cooperation with U.S. naval forces at sea. The Marine Corps' mission is unique among the services. Marines serve on U.S. Navy ships, protect naval bases, guard U.S. embassies, and provide an ever-ready quick strike force to protect U.S. interests anywhere in the world.

To perform the many duties of the Marine Corps, approximately 174,000 officers and enlisted Marines fly planes and helicopters; operate radar equipment; drive armored vehicles; gather intelligence; survey and map territory; maintain and repair radios, computers, jeeps, trucks, tanks, and aircraft; and perform hundreds of other challenging jobs. Each year, the Marine Corps recruits approximately 41,000 enlisted men and women to fill openings in its numerous career fields.

Marine Corps training programs offer practical, challenging, and progressive skill development. The Marine Corps stresses professional education for all ranks and emphasizes the development of mental strength as well as traditional physical prowess. In this way, the Marine Corps provides the nation with a modern, well-armed force that is both "tough" and "smart".

The Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard regularly performs many functions vital to maritime safety. The Coast Guard's most visible job is saving lives and property in and around American waters. The Coast Guard also enforces customs and fishing laws, protects marine wildlife, fights pollution on our lakes and along the coastline, and conducts the International Ice Patrol. The Coast Guard is also responsible for monitoring traffic in major harbors, keeping shipping lanes open on ice-bound lakes, and maintaining lighthouses and other navigation aides.

The Coast Guard is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. In time of war, it may be placed under the command of the Navy Department. A vital part of the Armed Services, the Coast Guard has participated in every major American military campaign. The Coast Guard is the smallest of the armed services. Currently there are 5,864 commissioned officers, 1,520 warrant officers, and 29,839 enlisted members. Coast Guard officers perform in many different occupations to support the mission of the Coast Guard. Each year, the Coast Guard has openings for about 300 new officers in a wide range of challenging careers.

General Information About the Armed Forces
While you should certainly consult your local recruiter about all details pertaining to the branch of the military in which you are interested, the following may serve as a guide to the requirements and benefits of military education and/or service.

Enlistments: Enlistment programs vary greatly among the five services. Each service has recruiters who can explain the eligibility of applicants for specific training and assignments.

After preliminary processing by local recruiters, applicants are sent, at government expense, to a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and to undergo a physical examination. Results of the ASVAB test and physical exams determine basic eligibility and the training programs applicants are qualified to enter. ASVAB tests are often administered at high schools during applicants' junior and senior years. High school guidance counselors can provide more information about taking these tests.

A high school diploma is both recommended and prefered for future enlistees. In recent years, more than 95 percent of all enlistees for each service had high school diplomas.

Basic training: Basic or recruit training is how young men and women gain the fundamental knowledge, physical conditioning, and skills necessary to become productive military members.

Organization: Recruits train in groups of 35 to 80 people, instructed by enlisted personnel. These groups are called divisions in the Navy, companies in the Coast Guard, flights in the Air Force and platoons in the Army and Marine Corps. Selected recruits are appointed to leadership positions within their units and perform under the supervision of Drill Instructors.

Classroom/field training: Classes are conducted on military regulations; the handling and care of weapons; rules of conduct; military courtesy; drill and ceremonies; military justice; personal services; hygiene and sanitation; military insignia; organization and mission; first aid; and marksmanship. Other subjects related to specific services, such as tactics in the Army and Marine Corps, and seamanship in the Navy and Coast Guard, are also taught during basic training. Classroom work is mixed with field training and practical experience.

Physical training: Physical fitness and stamina are developed and maintained through daily exercises and competitive sports. Periodic tests measure the degree of physical fitness each trainee has attained. Recruits (except those in the Army) are given additional aptitude and classification tests and are interviewed by counselors during training.

Assignments: The types of duty and the areas where military members are assigned (overseas and within the continental United States) depend on the missions and needs of the service and personal qualifications and desires. Requirements for duty include rank or rating, specialty training, time left on current enlistment, past record of conduct, performance of duty and reassignment eligibility.

The length of time served overseas is determined by the type and location of duty and whether family members accompany the service member. Tours of duty range from one to five years. A percentage of all service enlistees are assigned overseas for their first tour of duty.

Pay: During basic training, recruits are usually in pay grade E-1 unless they have qualified for a higher grade at the time of enlistment. Promotions after this rank follow standards of length of service and achievement. Based on current pay scales, a typical trainee would earn about $854 a month, if single, and after four months, more than $1,400 with allowances if married. In addition to basic pay, many military people receive different nontaxable allowances. Allowances are the nontaxable monies authorized for subsistence (food), quarters (housing), clothing, travel and transportation, which help service members defray some of the expenses incurred as a result of military service.

Enlistment bonuses of up to $12,000 (depending on the branch of service and the program) may be awarded on a limited basis to qualified people enlisting for certain skills for specific periods of time.

Service Academies
All service academies offer four years of college education leading to a bachelor of science degree. Cadets and midshipmen receive tuition, medical care, room, board and approximately $558 a month which pays for uniforms, books and incidental expenses. Upon graduation, those commissioned are obligated for an active-duty period of at least five years.

The overall academic and physical preparation of a candidate is of vital importance to success at any of the academies. In high school, the student should strive for extremely competitive grades and participate in athletic programs, clubs and extracurricular activities. An applicant's academic qualification for admission is determined by results on the standard College Boards Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Testing Program (ACT), plus a review of scholastic records.

ROTC Programs
ROTC is composed of about 475 Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units at public and private colleges and universities nationwide. ROTC is a four-year program. The training (electives in most schools) consists of two to five hours of weekly military instruction and some summer training periods.

Advanced ROTC training, during the junior and senior college years, is optional. Students must qualify for admission to the Advanced Course.

ROTC graduates fulfill their military obligations (a total of eight years) by serving on active duty as regular or reserve officers from three months to eight years, or by serving in the National Guard or Reserve for six to eight years. The remainder of the eight-year obligation, if not served on active duty, will be served in the Ready Reserve.

Reserve Components
The reserve components are made up of Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard Reserve units and the National Guard (Air and Army). "Ready Reserve" describes units or individuals immediately available for active duty in a national emergency declared by the president, Congress, or when otherwise provided for by law. Application can be made to any local reserve recruiting agency including the Army or Air National Guard. All reserve programs require enlistees to serve some time on active duty for training. Normally, most of this period is spent in basic training and basic technical schooling, or on-the-job training in a military occupational specialty. Upon completion of training, reservists return to the local units for which they enlisted to serve the terms of their enlistments.

Reserve unit training: Reservists are required to attend training usually conducted on designated weekends throughout the year. An annual training period of 12 to 17 days is normally scheduled during summer months. Active duty for training of Naval Reservists is scheduled throughout the year.

Pay: National Guard and Reserve pay is based on a pay scale according to grade, length of service and the number of days allotted for each drill period. Members receive one day's pay for each drill period performed. A normal weekend training period consists of four drill periods and entitles guardsmen and reservists to four days of basic pay.

Military occupations: Reserve enlistees are accepted to fill military job vacancies in the particular unit they join based on education, aptitude, civilian experience and personal preferences. Skill qualification training is provided during the reservist's initial tour of active duty, attendance at regular service schools, unit on-the-job training or correspondence courses. Military jobs may parallel civilian occupations, thus helping progression in civilian employment. Reserve branches have promotion systems separate from those of the regular services. Reservists compete only with other reservists of their service or unit for promotion.

Education benefits: The Reserves offer educational benefits for non-prior service and prior service officers and enlisted personnel. Personnel who enlist, re-enlist, or extend for a six-year Selected Reserve obligation, or after July 1, 1985, are eligible for 36 months of educational assistance under the SELRES Montgomery GI Bill. Participants must complete initial active duty for training and meet the requirements for a high school diploma, or equivalent, to gain eligibility. Reserve members can receive up to $251 per month for full-time college attendance. Benefits may be used for approved courses at colleges, universities or similar institutions, including technical or business schools, residence courses in non-college degree schools, correspondence courses, apprenticeship or on-the-job training, cooperative programs, refresher courses, remedial and deficiency courses, or flight training. The Department of Veterans Affairs has responsibility for determination of approved programs of education. More information is available from local recruiters.

Information from the January 2001 Basic Facts Edition of Profile Magazine, published by the Department of Defense, High School News Service.