The Job Description
The mission of the Armed Forces is to: (1) Deter aggression and defeat attack against the nation, (2) strengthen and build alliances, (3) prevent a hostile power from dominating a region critical to our interests, and (4) prevent conflicts by reducing sources of regional turmoil through various means, including humanitarian aid, counterterrorism, or limiting the spread of militarily significant technology.
The Army and Air Force prepare for defensive and offensive operations, on land and in the air, respectively. The Navy organizes and trains forces primarily for sea operations, while the Marine Corps, part of the Department of the Navy, prepares or land invasions in support of naval or amphibious operations. The Coast Guard, under the Department of Transportation, except in wartime, when it serves with the Navy, enforces federal maritime laws, rescues distressed vessels and aircraft at sea, operates aids to navigation, and prevents smuggling.
Together, the Armed Forces constitute America's largest employer. Maintaining a strong defense encompasses such diverse activities as running a hospital, commanding a tank, programming computers, operating a nuclear reactor, and repairing and maintaining a helicopter. The military's occupational diversity provides educational opportunities and work experience in literally thousands of occupations.
Military personnel hold managerial and administrative jobs; professional, technical, and denial jobs; construction jobs; electrical and electronics jobs; mechanical and repair jobs; and many others. The military provides job training and work experience for people who can serve for a relatively brief period (3 to 6 years of active duty) or embark on a career that lasts 20 years or more.
The major military occupational groups are as follows:
Infantry, gun crews, and seamanship specialists are the backbone of the Armed Forces. Officers plan and direct military operations, oversee security activities, and serve as combat troop leaders. Enlisted personnel serve as infantrymen, aircraft crew members, weapons specialists, armored vehicle operators, demolition experts, artillery crew, rocket specialists, special operations Forces, and combat engineers. Although these functions are unique to the Armed Forces, some involve skills that can be applied to a number of civilian occupations such as police officers, firefighters, and heavy equipment operators. In addition, people in this category learn how to work as team members and can develop leadership, managerial, and supervisory skills.
Military personnel assigned to electronic equipment repair occupations are responsible for maintaining and repairing many different types of equipment. Officers manage the regular maintenance and repair of avionics, communications, radar, and air traffic control equipment. Enlisted personnel repair radio, navigation, missile guidance, and flight control equipment as well as telephone, teletype, and data processing equipment. Many of these skills are directly transferable to jobs in the civilian sector.
Communications and intelligence specialists in the military have civilian scientific and engineering counterparts. Officers serve as intelligence gatherers and interpreters, cryptologists, information analysts, translators, science and engineering researchers, and in related intelligence occupations. Enlisted personnel work as computer programmers, air traffic controllers, interpreters and translators, radio, radar, and sonar operators.
Military medical and dental occupations all have civilian counterparts. Holding the rank of medical officer are physicians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, therapists, veterinarians, pharmacists, and others in health diagnosing and treating occupations. Enlisted personnel are trained to work as medical laboratory technologists and technicians, radiologic technologists, emergency medical technicians, dental assistants, optical assistants, pharmaceutical assistants, sanitation specialists, and veterinary assistants. Health professions training obtained in the military is usually recognized in the civilian sector; service-trained health professionals are eligible to apply for certification or registration, a hiring prerequisite in many civilian health settings.
Military experience in other technical and allied specialty occupations is often directly transferable to civilian life. Officers in this field work as meteorologists, mapping directors, television and motion picture directors, and band directors. Enlisted personnel are trained to work as photographers, motion picture camera operators, mapping and surveying specialists, illustrators, weather data collectors, explosives disposal specialists, divers, and musicians.
Functional support and administrative occupations in military service require the same skills as similar jobs in private businesses and government agencies. Officers in this category work as directors, executives, adjutants, administrative officers, personnel managers, training administrators, budget officers/finance officers, public affairs officers, accountants, hospital administrators, inspectors, computer systems managers, and lawyers. Enlisted personnel in this category work as accounting clerks, payroll clerks, personnel clerks, computer programmers, computer operators, chaplain assistants, counseling aides, typists, stenographers, storekeepers, and other clerks.
Those in electrical and mechanical equipment repair occupations maintain aircraft, motor vehicles, and ships. Officers manage the maintenance of aircraft, missiles, conventional and nuclear-powered ships, trucks, earth-moving equipment, and other vehicles. Enlisted personnel serve as mechanics, engine specialists, and boiler technicians. They also install and maintain wire communications systems such as telephones. Skills obtained in these jobs are readily transferable to those in the civilian sector.
Military personnel assigned to craft occupations are skilled craft workers. Officers serve as civil engineers and architects and manage the work of enlisted personnel who work as carpenters, construction equipment operators, metalworkers, machinists, plumbers, welders, electricians, and heating and air-conditioning specialists.
Military personnel service and supply occupations handle food service, security, and personal services and supply. Officers work as logistics officers, supply managers, transportation and traffic managers, and procurement officers. Enlisted personnel include military police, correction specialists, detectives, firefighters, and food preparation and other service workers. They operate transportation equipment such as trucks, ships, boats, airplanes, and helicopters, and act as quartermasters, supply specialists, and cargo specialists. Many of these skills can be transferred to civilian occupations.
Working Conditions
Military life is much more regimented than civilian life, and one must be willing to accept the discipline. It is important to remember, by signing an enlistment contract; you sign a legal document that obligates you to serve for a specified period of time.
Dress and grooming requirements are stringent, and rigid formalities govern many aspects of everyday life. For instance, officers and enlisted personnel do not socialize together, and superior commissioned officers are saluted and addressed as "sir" or "ma'am." These and other rules encourage respect for superiors whose commands must be obeyed immediately and without question.
The needs of the military always come first. As a result, hours and working conditions can vary substantially. However, most military personnel usually work eight hours a day, five days a week. Some assignments require night and weekend work, or require people to be on call at all hours. All may require substantial travel. Many require long periods at sea, sometimes in cramped quarters, or lengthy overseas assignments in countries offering few amenities. Some jobs are in isolated areas subject to extreme cold or heat. Others, such as carrier flight deck duty, are hazardous even in noncombat situations.
During times of conflict, many are in combat, and may find themselves in life or death situations. Countless hours of training produce teamwork that is highly critical to the success or failure of an operation, and possibly to the lives of individuals in the unit. Also, rapidly advancing military technology has made warfare more precise and lethal, further increasing the need for teamwork. Noncombatants may also face danger if their duties bring them close to the combat zone. They may also participate in dangerous training activities.
Those aboard ship, on air crews, and others travel regularly, while others in the military are stationed at bases throughout the country or overseas. Military personnel usually are transferred to a new duty station every few years.
Military personnel enjoy more job security than their civilian counterparts. Satisfactory job performance generally assures one of steady employment and earnings.
Employment
Military personnel are stationed throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. California, Texas North Carolina, and Virginia accounted for more than one in three military jobs. Thousands are stationed outside the United States. A large number have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Qualifications, Training, and Advancement
The military expects to continue to meet its personnel requirements through volunteers. Enlisted members must enter a legal agreement called an enlistment contract, which usually involves a commitment to eight years of service. Depending on the terms of the contract, two to six years are spent on active duty, the balance in the reserves. The enlistment contract obligates the service to provide the agreed upon options: job, rating, pay, cash bonuses for enlistment in certain occupations, medical and other benefits, occupational training, and continuing education. In return, enlisted persons must serve satisfactorily for the specified period of time.
Requirements for each service vary, but certain qualifications for enlistment are common to all branches. Enlistees must be between the ages of 17 and 35, must be a US citizen or immigrant alien holding permanent resident status, must not have a felony record, and must possess a birth certificate. Applicants who are 17 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian before entering the service. Air Force enlisted personnel must enter active duty before their 28th birthday. Applicants must pass a written examination—the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery—and meet certain minimum physical standards such as height, weight, vision, and overall health. All branches prefer high school graduation or its equivalent and require it for certain enlistment options.
People thinking about enlisting in the military should learn as much as they can about military life before making a decision. This is especially important if you are thinking about making the military a career. Speaking to friends and relatives with military experience is a good idea. Determine what the military can offer you and what it will expect in return. Then talk to a recruiter, who can determine if you qualify for enlistment, explain the various enlistment options, and tell you which military occupational specialties currently have openings for trainees. Bear in mind that the recruiter's job is to recruit promising applicants into the military, so the information he or she gives you is likely to stress the positive aspects of military life.
Ask the recruiter to assess your chances of being accepted for training in the occupation or occupations of your choice or, better still, take the aptitude exam to see how well you score. The military uses the aptitude exam as a placement exam, and test scores largely determine an individual's chances of being accepted into a particular training program. Selection for a particular type of training depends on the needs of the service, general and technical aptitudes, and personal preference. Because all prospective recruits are required to take the exam, those who do so before committing themselves to enlist have the advantage of knowing in advance whether they stand a good chance of being accepted for training in a particular specialty. The recruiter can schedule you for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery without any obligation. Many high schools offer the exam as an easy way for students to explore the possibility of a military career.
If you decide to join the military, the next step is to pass the physical examination and then enter into the enlistment contract. This involves choosing, qualifying, and agreeing on a number of enlistment options such as length of active duty time, which may vary according to the enlistment option. Most active duty programs have enlistment options ranging from three to six years, although there are some two-year programs. The contract will also list the date of enlistment and other options such as bonuses and types of training to be received. If the service is unable to fulfill its part of the contract such as providing a certain kind of training the contract may become null and void.
All services offer a "delayed entry program" by which an enlistee can delay entry into active duty for up to one year. High school students can enlist during their senior year and enter a service after graduation. Other enlistees choose this program because the job training they desire is not currently available but will be within the coming year, or because they need time to arrange personal affairs.
Women are eligible to enter almost all military specialties Although many women serve in medical and administrative support positions, women also work as mechanics, missile maintenance technicians, heavy equipment operators, fighter pilots, an
People planning to apply the skills gained through military training to a civilian career should look into several things before selecting their military occupation. First, they should determine how good the prospects are for civilian employment in jobs related to the military specialty which interests them. Second, they should know the prerequisites for the related civilian job. Many occupations require a license, certification, or a minimum level of education. In such cases, it is important to determine whether military training is sufficient to enter the civilian equivalent or, if not, what additional training will be required.
Additional information often can be obtained from schools unions, trade associations, and other organizations in the field of interest, or from a school counselor.
Training programs for enlisted personnel. Following enlistment, new members of the Armed Forces undergo recruit training. Better known as "basic" training, recruit training provides a 6-to-11-week introduction to military life with courses in health first aid, and military skills and protocol. Days and nights are carefully structured and include rigorous physical exercises designed to improve strength and endurance.
Following basic training, most recruits take additional training at technical schools that prepare them for a particular military occupational specialty. The formal training period generally lasts from 10 to 20 weeks, although training for certain occupations, nuclear power plant operator is an example, may take as much as one year. Recruits not assigned to classroom instruction receive on-the-job training at their first duty assignment.
In addition to on-duty training, military personnel may choose from a variety of educational programs. Most military installations have tuition assistance programs for people wishing to take courses during off-duty hours. These may be correspondence courses or degree programs offered by local colleges or universities. Also available are courses designed to help service personnel earn high school equivalency diplomas. Each service branch provides opportunities for full-time study to a limited number of exceptional applicants. Military personnel accepted into these highly competitive programs receive full pay, allowances, tuition, and related fees. In return, they must agree to serve an additional amount of time in the service. Other very selective programs enable enlisted personnel to qualify as commissioned officers through additional military training.
Officer training in the Armed Forces is provided through the federal service academies (Military, Naval, Air Force, and Coast Guard); the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC); Officer Candidate School (OCS); the National Guard (State Officer Candidate School programs); the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences; and other programs. All are very selective and are good options for those wishing to make the military a career.
Federal service academies provide a four-year college program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree. The midshipman or cadet is provided free room and board, tuition, medical care, and monthly allowance. Graduates receive regular commissions and leave a five-year active duty obligation, or longer if entering flight training.
To become a candidate for appointment as a cadet or midshipman in one of the service academies, most applicants obtain a nomination from an authorized source, usually a Member of Congress. Candidates do not need to know a Member of Congress personally to request a nomination. Nominees must have an academic record of the requisite quality, college aptitude test scores above an established minimum, and recommendations from teachers or school officials; they also must pass a medical examination. Appointments are made from the list of eligible nominees. Appointments to the Coast Guard Academy are made strictly on a competitive basis. A nomination is not required. College graduates can earn a commission in the Armed Forces through OCS programs in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard.
Persons with training in certain health professions may qualify for direct appointment as officers. In the case of health professions students, financial assistance and internship opportunities are available from the military in return for specified periods of military service. Prospective medical students can apply to the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, which offers free tuition in a program leading to an M.D. degree. In return, graduates must serve for seven years in either the military or the Public Health Service. Direct appointments also are available for those qualified to serve in other special duties, such as the judge advocate general (legal) or chaplain corps.
Flight training is available to commissioned officers in each branch of the Armed Forces. In addition, the Army has a direct enlistment option to become a warrant officer aviator.
Advancement Opportunities
Each service has different criteria for promoting personnel. Generally, the first few promotions for both enlisted and officer personnel come easily. Subsequent promotions are much more competitive. Criteria for promotion may include time in service and grade, job performance, a supervisor's recommendation, and written examinations. Although the Armed Forces is a large organization that will continue to promote many of its people, the military drawdown continues to reduce the number of promotion slots. People who are continually passed over for promotion are eventually encouraged to leave the military.
Earnings, Allowances, and Benefits
Army Basic Pay varies with the number of years you have served in the army and how far you have progressed in the ranks after enlisting as a private. Army base pay will increase as you climb in rank and years of experience.
A private with between 4 to 6 years’ experience can take home an annual pay between $20,398 and $20,398, whilst a Corporal with similar experience can make anything between $27,659 and $28,840. Similarly for a sergeant the pay would increase to $30,359 and $ 35,226. As ranks increase the salary increases significantly. A first lieutenant with up to 6 years’ experience would in $55,037, whilst a Captain would earn around $10,000 more. A Major can expect to take home $69, 296. Moreover, this does not include bonuses, allowances and other benefits.
In addition to basic pay, military personnel receive free room and board (or a housing and subsistence allowance), medical and dental care, a military clothing allowance, military supermarket and department store shopping privileges, 30 days of paid vacation a year, and travel opportunities. Other allowances are paid for foreign duty, hazardous duty, submarine and flight duty, and employment as a medical officer.
Athletic and other recreational facilities, such as libraries, gymnasiums, tennis courts, golf courses, bowling centers, and movies, are available on many military installations. Military personnel are eligible for retirement benefits after 20 years of service.
