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Employment: Job Opportunities in the Armed Forces
In 2003, more than 2.5 million people served in the Armed Forces. More than 1.4 million individuals were on active duty in the Armed Forces—about 490,000 in the Army, 377,000 in the Navy, 368,000 in the Air Force, and 179,000 in the Marine Corps. In addition, more than 1.1 million people served in their Reserve components, and the Air and Army National Guard. In addition, 38,000 individuals served in the Coast Guard, which is now part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Table 1 shows the occupational composition of the 1.2 million active-duty enlisted personnel in 2003; table 2 presents similar information for the 216,000 active-duty officers.
Table 1. Military enlisted personnel by broad occupational category and branch of military service, June 2003
Occupational Group - Enlisted
Army
Air Force
Coast Guard
Marine Corps
Navy
Total, all services
Administrative occupations
15,175
25,674
1,775
8,642
21,225
72,491
Combat specialty occupations
104,876
253
745
33,070
3,316
142,260
Construction occupations
15,340
6,261
5,145
5,397
32,143
Electronic and electrical repair occupations
14,035
37,155
3,530
16,082
52,094
122,896
Engineering, science, and technical occupations
63,531
43,422
720
35,237
41,003
183,913
Health care occupations
26,660
17,108
685
23,818
68,271
Human resource development occupations
16,202
12,715
6,784
5,510
41,211
Machine operator and precision work occupations
4,528
7,783
2,079
1,710
23,485
39,585
Media and public affairs occupations
4,552
5,921
131
1,556
5,255
17,415
Protective service occupations
24,831
29,516
893
6,086
10,630
71,956
Support services occupations
13,687
1,535
1,213
3,704
11,570
31,709
Transportation and material handling occupations
54,140
33,835
6,423
23,908
39,272
157,578
Vehicle machinery mechanic occupations
48,043
48,433
5,654
18,473
50,266
170,869
Total - by service
405,600
269,611
23,848
160,397
292,841
1,152,297
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center East
Table 2. Military officer personnel by broad occupational category and branch of service, June 2003
Occupational Group - Officer
Army
Air Force
Coast Guard
Marine Corps
Navy
Total, all services
Combat specialty occupations
18,306
5,422
2
3,990
5,626
33,346
Engineering, science, and technical occupations
17,368
15,902
1,715
3,044
15,413
53,442
Executive, administrative, and managerial occupations
10,139
9,579
388
2,398
8,234
30,738
Health care occupations
9,775
9,247
10
6,531
25,563
Human resource development occupations
1,369
2,406
247
23
3,807
7,852
Media and public affairs occupations
177
503
15
131
932
1,758
Protective service occupations
2,174
1,838
172
174
855
5,213
Support services occupations
1,500
836
40
1,654
4,030
Transportation occupations
12,612
19,710
3,244
6,258
12,679
54,503
Total - by service
73,420
65,443
5,793
16,058
55,731
216,445
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center East
Military personnel are stationed throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. More than half of all military jobs are located in California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. About 395,000 individuals were stationed outside the United States in 2002, including those assigned to ships at sea. Approximately 104,000 of these were stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany, and another 85,000 were assigned to East Asia and the Pacific area, mostly in Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Qualifications, Training, and Advancement
Enlisted personnel. In order to join the services, enlisted personnel must sign a legal agreement called an enlistment contract, which usually involves a commitment to 8 years of service. Depending on the terms of the contract, 2 to 6 years are spent on active duty, and the balance is spent in the reserves. The enlistment contract obligates the service to provide the agreed-upon job, rating, pay, cash bonuses for enlistment in certain occupations, medical and other benefits, occupational training, and continuing education. In return, enlisted personnel must serve satisfactorily for the period specified.
Requirements for each service vary, but certain qualifications for enlistment are common to all branches. In order to enlist, one must be between 17 and 35 years old, be a U.S. citizen or an alien holding permanent resident status, not have a felony record, and possess a birth certificate. Applicants who are aged 17 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian before entering the service. Coast Guard enlisted personnel must enter active duty before their 28th birthday,
whereas Marine Corps enlisted personnel must not be over the age of 29. Applicants must both 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 of the Armed Forces require high school graduation or its equivalent for certain enlistment options. In 2003, nearly 9 out of 10 recruits were high school graduates.
People thinking about enlisting in the military should learn as much as they can about military life before making a decision. Doing so 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. Find out what the military can offer you and what it will expect in return. Then, talk to a recruiter, who can determine whether
you qualify for enlistment, explain the various enlistment options, and tell you which military occupational specialties currently have openings. Bear in mind that the recruiter’s job is to recruit promising applicants into his or her branch of military service, so the information that the recruiter gives you is likely to stress the positive aspects of military life in the branch in which he or she serves.
Ask the recruiter for the branch you have chosen to assess your chances of being accepted for training in the occupation of your choice, or, better still, take the aptitude exam to see how well you score. The military uses this 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, your general and technical aptitudes, and your 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, and the test also affords an insight into career areas in which the student has demonstrated aptitudes and interests.
If you decide to join the military, the next step is to pass the physical examination and sign an enlistment contract. Negotiating the contract involves choosing, qualifying for, and agreeing on a number of enlistment options, such as the length of active-duty time, which may vary according to the option. Most active-duty programs have first-term enlistments of 4 years, although there are some 2-, 3-, and 6-year programs. The contract also will state the date of enlistment and other
options—for example, bonuses and the types of training to be received. If the service is unable to fulfill any of its obligations under the contract, such as providing a certain kind of training, the contract may become null and void.
All branches of the Armed Services offer a “delayed-entry program” by which an individual can delay entry into active duty for up to 1 year after enlisting. High school students can enlist during their senior year and enter a service after graduation. Others 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 their personal affairs.
Women are eligible to enter most military specialties; for example, they may become mechanics, missile maintenance technicians, heavy-equipment operators, and fighter pilots, or they may enter into medical care, administrative support, and intelligence specialties. Generally, only occupations involving direct exposure to combat are excluded.
People planning to apply the skills gained through military training to a civilian career should first determine how good the prospects are for civilian employment in jobs related to the military specialty that interests them. Second, they should know the prerequisites for the related civilian job. Because many civilian occupations require a license, certification, or minimum level of education, it is important to determine whether military training is sufficient for a person to enter the civilian equivalent or, if not, what additional training will be required. Other Handbook
statements discuss the job outlook, training requirements, and other aspects of civilian occupations for which military training and experience are helpful. Additional information often can be obtained from school counselors.
Following enlistment, new members of the Armed Forces undergo recruit training, better known as “basic” training. Through courses in military skills and protocol recruit training provides a 6- to 12-week introduction to military life. Days and nights are carefully structured and include rigorous physical exercise designed to improve strength and endurance and build each unit’s cohesion.
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, for example—may take as long as a year. Recruits not assigned to classroom instruction receive on-the-job training at their first duty assignment.
Many service people get college credit for the technical training they receive on duty, which, combined with off-duty courses, can lead to an associate degree through programs in community colleges such as the Community College of the Air Force. 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. The courses
may be correspondence courses or courses in degree programs offered by
local colleges or universities. Tuition assistance pays up to 75 percent of college costs. Also available are courses designed to help service personnel earn high school equivalency diplomas. Each branch of the service provides opportunities for full-time study to a limited number of exceptional applicants. Military personnel accepted into these highly competitive programs—in law or medicine, for
example—receive full pay, allowances, tuition, and related fees. In return, they must agree to serve an additional amount of time in the service. Other highly selective programs enable enlisted personnel to qualify as commissioned officers through additional military training.
Warrant officers.
Warrant officers are technical and tactical leaders who specialize in a specific technical area; for example, Army aviators make up one group of warrant officers. The Army Warrant Officer Corps constitutes less than 5 percent of the total Army. Although the Corps is small in size, its level of responsibility is high. Its members receive extended career opportunities, worldwide leadership assignments, and increased pay and retirement benefits. Selection to attend the Warrant Officer
Candidate School is highly competitive and restricted to those with the rank of E5 or higher (table 3.)
Table 3. Military rank and employment for active duty personnel, June 2003
Grade
Army
Navy & Coast Guard
Air Force
Marine Corps
Total Employment
Commissioned officers:
O-10
General
Admiral
General
General
35
O-9
Lieutenant General
Vice Admiral
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
126
O-8
Major General
Rear Admiral Upper
Major General
Major General
282
O-7
Brigadier General
Rear Admiral Lower
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
446
O-6
Colonel
Captain
Colonel
Colonel
11,884
O-5
Lieutenant Colonel
Commander
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
28,565
O-4
Major
Lieutenant Commander
Major
Major
44,501
O-3
Captain
Lieutenant
Captain
Captain
69,184
O-2
1st Lieutenant
Lieutenant (JG)
1st Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant
29,416
O-1
2nd Lieutenant
Ensign
2nd Lieutenant
2nd Lieutenant
28,597
Warrant officers:
W-5
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
504
W-4
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
2,082
W-3
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
4,385
W-2
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
6,118
W-1
Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
2,603
Enlisted personnel:
E-9
Sergeant Major
Master Chief Petty Officer
Chief Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major
10,869
E-8
1st Sergeant/Master Sergeant
Senior Chief Petty Officer
Senior Master Sergeant
Master Sergeant/1st Sergeant
26,545
E-7
Sergeant First Class
Chief Petty Officer
Master Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant
100,002
E-6
Staff Sergeant
Petty Officer 1st Class
Technical Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
175,281
E-5
Sergeant
Petty Officer 2nd Class
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant
251,122
E-4
Corporal/Specialist
Petty Officer 3rd Class
Senior Airman
Corporal
268,606
E-3
Private First Class
Seaman
Airman 1st Class
Lance Corporal
218,219
E-2
Private
Seaman Apprentice
Airman
Private 1st Class
83,423
E-1
Private
Seaman Recruit
Airman Basic
Private
53,211
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Defense
Officers. 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) program offered at many colleges and universities; Officer Candidate School (OCS) or Officer Training School (OTS); the National Guard (State Officer Candidate School programs); the Uniformed Services
University of Health Sciences; and other programs. All are highly selective and are good options for those wishing to make the military a career. Persons interested in obtaining training through the Federal service academies must be single to enter and graduate, while those seeking training through OCS, OTS, or ROTC need not be single. Single parents with one or more minor dependents are not eligible to become commissioned officers.
Federal service academies provide a 4-year college program leading to a bachelor-of-science degree. Midshipmen or cadets are provided free room and board, tuition, medical and dental care, and a monthly allowance. Graduates receive regular or reserve commissions and have a 5-year active-duty obligation, or more if they are entering flight training.
To become a candidate for appointment as a cadet or midshipman in one of the service academies, applicants are required to 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, however, are based strictly on merit and do not require a nomination.
ROTC programs train students in about 950 Army, approximately 70 Navy and Marine Corps, and around 1,000 Air Force units at participating colleges and universities. Trainees take 2 to 5 hours of military instruction a week, in addition to regular college courses. After graduation, they may serve as officers on active
duty for a stipulated period. Some may serve their obligation in the Reserves or National Guard. In the last 2 years of a ROTC program, students receive a monthly allowance while attending school, as well as additional pay for summer training. ROTC scholarships for 2, 3, and 4 years are available on a competitive basis. All scholarships pay for tuition and have allowances for subsistence, textbooks, supplies, and other costs.
College graduates can earn a commission in the Armed Forces through OCS or OTS programs in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard. These officers generally must serve their obligation on active duty. Those with training in certain health professions may qualify for direct appointment as officers. In the case of persons studying for the health professions, 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 a doctor-of-medicine (M.D.) degree. In return, graduates must serve for 7 years in either the military or the U.S. Public Health Service. Direct appointments also are available for those qualified to serve in other specialty areas, 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.
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 in grade, job performance, a fitness report (supervisor’s recommendation), and the passing of written examinations. People who are passed over for promotion several times generally must leave the military. Table 3 shows the officer, warrant officer, and enlisted ranks by service.
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