Should I join the Air Force or Navy?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m currently talking to Navy and Air Force recruiters (well, I talked to the Navy recruiters, and I’m waiting for the Air Force guy to call me back since he’s evidentally always running from place to place), and I was just hoping to ask any Dopers who have experience in either (or both) of the services of their opinions of them. If it matters, I’m not planning to enlist until next summer or fall (I can currently afford to finance my way through college to finish my Associates, so I’m probably just gonna go ahead and do that while I get in shape and mill things about in my head).

The way I see it, I could probably do largely the same job in either service (scored very well on the ASVAB, and both services involve lots of technical stuff like airplanes and whirlybirds), and thus the differences would be in cases of possibilities for promotion, overal quality of life (ie: things to do for fun, quality of living spaces, stuff like that), and assuming I don’t do somethign like Pararescue, fireman, or Corpsman, I’m relatively equally likely not to get my ass shot off (or any other body part I might miss, as it is, my ass is a relatively big target thanks to my Mexican heritage).

So, Seaman or Airman dopers, what can you tell me? What are promotions like? What are the possibilities of getting a commission after I finish my school (planning to continue taking college classes whenever the oportunity presents itself while I’m serving, the eventual goal being a BA in History)? Overall, do folks who join the service like it? Do people who join the service require a lot of adjustment (ie: living on a ship or hearing the sound of jets trying to rattle your fillings loose)? Are the benefits comparable or better, or the hireability afterwards?

I’ve talked to the Army recruiters, and while their deal sounded tempting (hey, I could get a commision in the Army Reserve with 90 hours of college!), I’ve decided not to do it (among other things, my sister, who is married to an Army E4, my brother-in-law, the aforementioned E4 (and possibly speaking at my sister’s behest) and my dad, who has been working for AAFES for around 15 years, have all warned me off of it), and if I joined the Marines, my mom would have a fit (had an uncle who joined the marines and died in Vietnam).

Coast Guard also sounds interesting, but it’s just not high on my list of services I want to join in any case (but if any Coast Guard dopers are hanging around, feel free to tell me the great things about it)

2

I;ve heard that the Air Force tends to have pretty good spaces. They also tend to take less idiots and have less crapwork. Not to diss the Navy: I’ve know some good peeps there. BUt there are an awful lot of morons who wind up aboard ship, taking their fire-patrol duties very seriously.

3

I was in Air Force ROTC for a while although I left it to pursue other options. My stepfather went through ROTC and became an officer in the Navy although that was a long time ago now.

We have discussed variations on this a few times here. The stock answer is that the Air Force has the cushiest facilities, the least rigid command structure in a day-to-day setting, and offers jobs that more closely mimic the civilian world. The Navy isn’t that much different except that it involves a lot more boats. I have heard this question broken down as asking how much do you really like boats or not?

4

Heh, the Navy recruiter I talked to said the only difference he could think of for the speciality we were discussing (Aviation electronics tech somethingorother), was that in one service, I would work in a building, and in the other, the building I worked in would float (unless we were having a very bad day).

I like laid-back environments, but on the other hand, I have found I like having a fair bit of structure in how things work (ie: this guy is in charge, you call him “Sir”, things are done this way, but not to an excessive degree).

5

Ex-Navy here.
The Air Force is probably the better duty but the Navy would have the quicker advancement. Both services are very tech oriented and have been for a long time.
Bonus to the Navy: Travel to many places you would never otherwise see in your youth.
Negative to the Navy: Potential of 100+ days straight at sea. We once broke the record by going 110 days straight without a port. Not a record you really want.

Air Force is often considered the cleanest and most elite service. They have the best quarters and the highest retention rate. It can be much harder to advance then the other 3 services and it can be tougher to get a choice assignment if you choose to stay in for more than one term.

Good Luck, they each have advantages. I both loved and hated the Navy. My father loved the Air Force. He would not have left accept his Father-in-law {my Grandpa} said he would not marry my mother if he stayed in.
By most accounts the Air Force is better, but the Travel and promotions in the Navy are a good balance to that.

Jim {EM3 or E4}

6

Heh, so it sounds like I might end up deciding with my trust D2. :cool:

7

erg… trusty D2.

8

I retired from the Navy in 1979, so I’m sure a lot has changed. I think Jim (What Exit) has summed it up pretty well. If you know what specialty you’d like to pursue pehaps we can give you more specific advice.
One slogan used to be “Join the Navy and ride the waves”, but w/ women’s lib and all they don’t call them Waves anymore, so I guess that option’s out. :dubious: :stuck_out_tongue:

9

Since all the services pay the same (and offer the same health care and vacation and so on), there is little to chose between them. There are lots of good (and bad) gigs in each branch of the service.

That being the case, why not give priority to the Army, which has more generous educational benefits?

10

Well, it is a very important decision, I would use an old fashion Silver Dollar and not a quarter at least. :wink:

I should quickly explain one more thing. I kind of joined the Navy by mistake and out of ignorance. I went to the recruiter’s office at 6:30am and the Navy, Air Force and Marines shared the office.
I walked in and a note on the door to the Air Force said the hours were 9am to 3:30pm. As I am looking at the door a Navy 1st class and a Marine Sgt come out quickly to talk to me. I quickly explained I had zero interest in the Marines and I went in and talked to the Navy Recruiter. I ended up liking what I saw, but I really should have realized just from the recruiters hours that the Air Force an easier service.

From the Op it sounds like Raguleader would prefer to avoid combat duty. I think overall, that decreases the attractiveness of the Army.

Jim

11

If travel is important to you, I think the consensus is that the Navy has more interesting postings. Major port cities in general tend to be interesting, lively, historical places. With the Navy you can get stationed in (IIRC!!) Italy, Greece, Spain, the Azores, Hawaii, Japan, Guam, etc. Air Force bases can be a little more remote, though there are still some interesting posts (ie Rammstein and Aviano, for example). I talked to one Air Force wife whose husband had been stationed for most of his career in North Dakota. Just something to keep in mind.

12

I’ve known three people in the Air Force. They served in Korea and Japan (and enjoyed their time there very much) but also in places like Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Montana – and not the fun parts of any of those states.

13

Don’t forget Scotland, I wanted Scotland so badly and got San Diego.
But no matter where you get stationed in the Navy, you see so much more.
We went to Hawaii, South Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vancouver, San Fran, LA and right after I left Australia. That was in a 4 year span of time.
In the Air Force you will probably go to 1 to 2 places in 4 years.

Jim

14

Retired Army guy here - I’ve had a lot of contact with Air Force, Navy and Marine folks. If I had to do it all over again, I would have definetely have gone with the Air Force. They seem to have a less rigid and less conservative “Corporate Culture” than all of the services, and seem to be a bit more laid back…seems to be more of a meritocracy than the other services, which may explain why they have rep for not promoting as fast as the other services.
They always struck me as more “classy” than all of the others…

Just my opinion, and of course, ymmv.

15

The US Air Force is undergoing a massive reduction-in-force over the next several years. They’ll still need new recruits to replace personnel who are mustering out, of course, but I don’t know how good of an opportunity it’ll be in the long haul. Also, the Air Force seems to be becoming the least crucial of any of the branches. Aside from providing critical support services (air transport, overflight and air cover support) many of their main duties, like operting the ICBM fleet and strategic bombing forces, are becoming obsolescent as these forces are reduced and retasked. Aside from operating the GMD missile defense program there really isn’t one mission that the Air Force is uniquely qualified to provide, and it’s been suggested that fixed wing air support, air transport, and unmanned surveillance functions could be reintegrated into the Army. (The Navy largely provides these services for itself already, and at least numerically has a stronger combat flight presence than the Air Force.)

This is, of course, quite a change from the early days of the Cold War through the Eighties when the Air Force was the key service in strategic defense. It’s even been suggested that the ballistic missile defense and orbital surveillance functions could be largely distributed amongst non-military agencies like MDA, NRO, CIA, et cetera and the Air Force entirely disbanded, though I find it unlikely from both a political and legal perspective. Still, save for some significant change in strategic doctrine, I’d be expecting the Air Force to continue downsizing; there might be some personal benefit in terms of getting more training (as they have fewer people filling more billets) but possibly reducing your overall career opportunities, if you’re planning to do the career thing.

Plus, the Navy seems to have the best cooks. Just don’t call their combat surface ships “boats”–that term is reserved for submarines and small craft. (And if you’re a submarineer, all surface ships are “cans”.)

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Stranger

16

If you must sign up, go Coast Guard.

Officer Cadet admission to the Coast Guard Academy is based on academics alone. The other Service branches will admit on political preference. I believe each Congresscritter can stick 2 of his bone-lazy, idiot in-laws into each Service Academy, every year.

The only way to get into the CG Academy is to be good.

Also, you’ll find it more convienent to visit friends & relative whilst stationed in North America, whilst stopping smugglers & terrorists, than stationed in the Gulf, whilst picking scorpions out of your bunk. :slight_smile:

17

I have friends in both and was friends with recruiters in both services. I also worked with both services hand in hand and have had a chance to visit bases for both services.

My take:

The Air Force has a MUCH higher quality of life. The travel is less and they take care of their guys more. However, if you are looking for the ‘excitement’ of the military life, this is not the way to go, IMO. It is as close to a ‘job’ as you can get in the American military.

The Navy moves around a lot and the bases tend to be a little older and a little more run down. You will spend a lot of your time on the ship, and even when on land (not at sea), you might have to live on the ship temporarily (if not married). The first two years will be the hardest because you will be given shit jobs to start out, which is not bad in the character building. The higher in rank you get, the better life is. If you are looking for travel, this is definitely the way to go. You will have more stories to tell your grandkids one day if you are in the Navy.

Remember, do not trust the recruiters. Both services recruiters will lie. And… in the Navy they can NOT guarantee you a specific MOS, but more of a field. The Air Force will guarantee you a job.

18

If a civilian can add her two cents, here’s mine. So many of the people I’ve liked most have been ex-Navy, including one of my closest friends, my best friend’s husband, and my current CEO, not to mention our own What Exit, that I now have a bit of a bias in favor of anyone who’s Navy or ex-Navy. On the other hand, I once applied to be an officer in the Air Force and got shot down (pun intended).

Which ever you choose, good luck and stay safe!

19

FormerMarineGuy, I am pretty sure that if you join for 4 years the Navy will guarantee your ‘A’ school, but I am not 100% on that because I only signed up for 2.

Having toured AF base dormitories, they are 1400% nicer than living conditions aboard ship. Life aboard is going to be completely different from anything you are used to. You will sleep in a 3 sided steel box with 2 other steel boxes above or below you. There will be someone else’s rack 18 inches across the aisle and your storage space is whatever you can fit under your rack and in a locker smaller than the one you had in high school.

That being said, I had a decent time in the Navy and you can get used to anything after a while. And I really loved being in the Seabees when I switched ratings in the Reserves

Thanks for taking the opportunity to serve.

BU3 (AW) Jones

20

From Navy.mil :

From what I understand the Navy (like the Marines) guarantees only an occupational field, not an occupational specialty.

Perhaps it was different for 2 year enlistments.

To add a little more (I think this was touched on a little already), the discipline tends to be a little higher in the Navy, which might benefit you more later in life. The Navy is better for the intangibles, the Air Force for the tangibles.