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I've heard cyber intel is an up-and-coming necessity.
Army- their mission is to deploy to battle areas. They really don't have a home. I take care of Army Reserve facilities and have learned the Commanders do NOT care to know about the plumbing in their building. They're busy ensuring the troops are ready to mobilize. You can read that as: crummy deployed locations and accommodations.
Air Force- They fly planes. All jobs revolve around keeping the planes flying. They have the biggest budget. They fly the President around. I'd say much better working environment and living arrangements.
Guard- attached to the states they're in. You can be in the same guard unit forever and never have to go anywhere else.
Reserve - not sure about them even though I'm working with AR facilities - only since January
Guard and Reserves have active people called AGR's (Active Guard Reserves). In the Air Guard, you can't get sent anywhere. In the Army Reserves, AGR's can get orders to relocate. Not sure about Air Reserves or Army Guard.
Confused yet? No?
After 9 yrs active Marines I went Air Guard. (I'm female too! Sista! *fist bump*) I spent 20 yrs in the Air Guard but after a few years got hired on as a full time federal technician. Air guard and reserves have technicians... So now I have 29yrs retired military and 19yrs federal employment because I was accumulating military and federal at the same time. It's tricky, though because the reserve retirement is different. You don't get the same retirement as active duty. (very confusing, the whole POINT system) I'm not quite old enough to collect my retirement pay and benefits (you know my cat can't even go to the military vet because I don't have medical benefits yet???!!!)
Sorry for the novel. Go active Air Force first. It's like a campus. It won't be too hard to complete your college while you are enlisted. Then set your sites on officer. Not to sound sexist but women do well in intel, from what I've seen.
Army? You'll be wearing a pack and playing wargames in the dirt. That's only fun for a little while. The Air Force plays like that about a week or two out of the year. The rest of the time we're flying airplanes. UNLESS YOU'RE SECURITY FORCES. Then you just ain't right anyway!
Moderator cut: The post you replied to is deleted.
If you enlist in intelligence (either air or army ng), then you can sign up for rotc later while still getting the education benefits from the guard. Then if you decide to either stay in guard after graduation or active, you can do this as an officer if you stay with rotc your last couple years. Because of numbers, this route will be easier in the army guard. Whether you Get a commission and offered active duty in rotc will be based on the strength of your packet (on how well you performed your last two years).
Most intelligence schools are long so you'll have to take a semester off. If you go active duty after college as commissioned officer, you probably won't get same branch/career field.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 04-05-2014 at 07:34 AM..
The Guard is normally a pain in the butt...your drill weekend will always fall when you have other plans and you run the risk of being called to active duty and disrupting the real career you're trying to start in the civilian world and which you need to support yourself. I've known very few people that were actually happy with joining the guard, most I know are trying to figure out a way to get onto active duty either in the guard or another service.
Why did you pick the Guard?
I agree.
I'm in the reserves and it's basically the same commitment as the guard.
Let me give it to you straight, it's a total PITA. Drill weekends don't sound like a big deal but they suck. You have to work all week and then go spend your weekend playing military and trying to do a bunch of administrative work that takes longer than two days. I work a regular full time job that requires a lot of commitment and going to play reserves is about the last thing I want to do after a 50 hour work week. People also forget that you'll have to go to work the next week too. So every month, you'll work two weeks straight.
Very few people who join straight into the guard are happy. Most hate it. A lot of the people who are in the reserves/guard are prior active duty who are there for the benefits or because they have so much time invested that they can't leave until they make 20. The voluntary attrition rate for the Navy reserves is atrocious. I also spend my weekends dealing with disgruntled sailors who were forced off active duty.
And that whole one weekend a month thing? I spend a few hours each month outside of drill weekend having to do regular admin work.
The pay is also terrible for junior enlisted. You'll probably make less than 200$ after taxes. The benefits are good though. You can buy tricare for way cheaper than anywhere else. And, of course, you're working towards a pension.
It's not all bad and I'm sticking around. Just go into it knowing that it's not really what the recruiter tells you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBTRS
You'll be prior service after your guard contract is up and is very hard (next to impossible) to get onto active duty with prior service these days. If you did happen to get on active duty it would likely be at a reduced paygrade from what you left the guard as. If active duty is your ultimate goal you'd be much better off starting off on active duty than trying to fight to get on active duty as a prior service applicant.
Also this.
The only practical way to get on active duty after your contract is through OCS. And if you haven't been following that, the acceptance rate is around 15% right now. You also have to be released from the reserves. I've never seen anyone denied release for active but it's a pain to get the paperwork. It's not as simple as saying that you want to be active and you're on active duty.
As someone else suggested, do ROTC. You can sign an active duty contract as finish school that's paid for by the military, and they'll leave you alone until you complete your degree and do LDAC to get out of ROTC.
The OP is mainly desiring college assistance so either the air or army guard are wise choices. When you're in college, the national guard or reserves are not nearly as stressful as competing interests are later in ones civilian career. College summers are welcomed with Annual training or other volunteer short training missions. If the military career is going well after a couple years, bring prior service allows someone only two years of rotc before getting a commission and a solid shot at active duty if that's what is desired.
The tuition assistance, drill pay as a cadet, and reserve gi bill often work it better than getting an rotc scholarship.
The Guard is normally a pain in the butt...your drill weekend will always fall when you have other plans and you run the risk of being called to active duty and disrupting the real career you're trying to start in the civilian world and which you need to support yourself. I've known very few people that were actually happy with joining the guard, most I know are trying to figure out a way to get onto active duty either in the guard or another service.
Why did you pick the Guard?
I served in both Pa. Guard and Pa Air Guard and I will tell you from experience the Pa Army sucks!
Ft Indiantown Gap is a hellhole and don't be suprised to see confederate flags flying there either. In 1995, there was almost a racial incident there when a predominate black unit ran across some good ole' boys from somewhere in the middle of the state.
My advice is to go into the Pa. Air Guard, or better yet the Air Reserves
In my state, Washington, only the Army Guard gives Tuition Assistance. That is in addition to MGIB-SR and any other state benefits. I've been in both the Army and Air Guard, along with being active duty in the Marines.
You have a broader range of intel jobs in the Army. What really matters is what kinds of units you have near your home. As long as you know going in that one weekend a month and a couple of weeks throughout the year you'll be drilling what's the big deal? Wars are winding down, so your chances of deploying are going down as well.
In the Air Guard, I work in the Cyber career field, we get to pick our deployments. Don't want to deploy? Don't. Want to go somewhere, then volunteer. We've had Airmen go to Turkey, Guam, Italy, Kuwait, A-Stan...all over the place.
Guard has a state mission in addition to any federal duties. Natural disasters near you can get you called up, it's a great feeling helping out the your local community. Air Guard units are very flexible with college students.
Give it a shot, if I were you I'd go with the Air Guard.
As someone else suggested, do ROTC. You can sign an active duty contract as finish school that's paid for by the military, and they'll leave you alone until you complete your degree and do LDAC to get out of ROTC.
If you're talking about Army ROTC, your information is a little skewed.
When a student makes a commitment to ROTC, and ROTC makes the commitment back, it's called a 'contract'.
There's no such thing as an 'active duty contract' in Army ROTC. There are unrestricted contracts, and Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty contracts.
An unrestricted contract may be offered active duty, but it's not a guarantee. It's awarded based on performance-GPA in college, demonstrated leadership within ROTC, physical fitness, extracurricular activities. Many unrestricted contracts go Guard or Reserve, either by choice or because their performance was not high enough to receive their first choice.
A GRFD contract is going to go Guard or Reserve on commissioning, full stop, regardless of how well they perform. There was one situation where the #1 Cadet-not just 'one of the best' in a non-numerical sense, the quantitatively ranked, #1, best Cadet in the nation-was a GRFD contract, and was awarded National Guard after asking for active duty. Many students assume they can sign a GRFD, and later say, 'I'd rather go active'. It almost never happens.
Scholarships are available, but competitive. Everyone wants one, and there aren't enough to go around. Every parent assumes little Johnny or Jane will get tuition paid for by doing ROTC, and that's not true-unless the student is offered a scholarship.
The OP is mainly desiring college assistance so either the air or army guard are wise choices. When you're in college, the national guard or reserves are not nearly as stressful as competing interests are later in ones civilian career. College summers are welcomed with Annual training or other volunteer short training missions. If the military career is going well after a couple years, bring prior service allows someone only two years of rotc before getting a commission and a solid shot at active duty if that's what is desired.
The tuition assistance, drill pay as a cadet, and reserve gi bill often work it better than getting an rotc scholarship.
This.
I disagree with everyone who said you should enlist and try to finish college later.
I could not disagree more.
I enlisted out of high school and was in a job that deployed often. I was able to get a decent amount of college completed in four years, but it was very tough to do so. They didn't care if I was in school, the requirements of the Air Force came first (rightfully so). It might be easier now with a lot of online courses.
I left active duty after four years and went to college on the G.I. Bill.
My wife left active duty after five years, joined the ANG, and got her college paid for, making her G.I. Bill free money. She then got commissioned in the ANG and has done well as an officer.
I would absolutely join the Guard, finish college, and then re-evaluate. You can either then try to go active duty (officer) or stay in the Guard (officer, eventually) and get a civilian job, having a college degree. I would not lock myself into an enlisted contract and "hope" I can go to school on my off time and "maybe" get commissioned later.
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No?
army national guard
