Can you compare and contrast the Infantry Officer branch v.s. the Armor Officer branch?

2LT (Join to see); your day to day activities as a junior officer (2LT-1LT) won't be that different. The only exception is if you end up light infantry. Mechanized (Bradley) or motorized (Stryker) infantry platoon leaders spend just as much time in the motor pool as armor officers do. Beyond that, there is individual training and administrative work is the same for everyone. No one tells you about all the other stuff that officers do either that is the same no matter what kind of officer you are. You own all of the equipment. Armor officers and mech/motorized infantry have much more equipment to sign for and account for. Again, the light infantry gets over here...but they should be able to spend more time training (theoretically). Officers have anywhere from 3-6 extra duties they have to perform as well. These range from being the NBC officer of a company to being the Arms Room OIC, safety officer, fire prevention officer, or any other number or required duties which all eat time in your day. As a captain, things get more broad. You are expected to be able to command both armor and infantry platoons in maneuver warfare at that point after the Maneuver Captain's Career Course. As a Major, it's even more broad. At that point, I'd tell you that most infantry and armor officers are interchangeable unless you have spent your whole career in the light or airborne world. If an officer hasn't been mech or motorized, they are missing some key logistics and maintenance knowledge that just doesn't exist in the light world like it does in the rest of the Army. I've seen that personally when they take someone out of Bragg after 20 years and make them a Battalion or Brigade Commander. They catch on quick, because at that point they are top notch officers, but they start behind everyone else. The real difference is the mission. That's the deciding factor. Pick which one appeals to you the most and do that. As a colonel, I'd tell you that every infantry and armor colonel is interchangeable. The only formation I wouldn't feel comfortable commanding as a colonel at this point would be an 82nd Airborne Brigade. I do not have the required skills to be good in that job.

Damon I have spent zero time in Aromor, I have seen a tank but that is close as I have gotten. I will tell you some of the obvious. I was 11A light infantry, so as you guessed I did not spend much time in a motor pool working on tracks. I did not go to armor ranges unless we shared one for machine guns or mortars etc... You will become an expert at packing a rucksack.

You will become and expert at an OPORDER, patrol order, priorities of work, and fitness has nothing to do with OER's it has everything to do with getting the mission done.

No, I was never an armor officer. I was too good looking for armor. :-) Seriously I respect armor and am always glad when they show up if they are on my side. (Not so happy when they aren't) Plain and simple fact is the better we understand each other's operations, tactics, capabilities and limitations, the better off both MOS's are.

My impression is those armor officers spend way too much time on maintenance. Me... I'm all about being outside in the sun, rain, snow, mud or whatever.