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

2018-05-19T20:55:56-04:00

Just want to see what differences there are between them in the day to day activities for commissioned officers.

Response by LTC Jeff Shearer made May 19 at 2018 9:06 PM

2018-05-19T21:06:01-04:00

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.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made May 19 at 2018 9:23 PM

2018-05-19T21:23:16-04:00

For officers? Other than the vehicles that you will need to be familiar with, which actually isn't that difference except the heavy strykers and tanks that armor officers use. Officers are rather interchangeable.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 19 at 2018 9:35 PM

2018-05-19T21:35:44-04:00

I spent much of my time in the motor pool as an armor PL.

Response by Maj John Bell made May 19 at 2018 9:49 PM

2018-05-19T21:49:43-04:00

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.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made May 20 at 2018 3:24 AM

2018-05-20T03:24:48-04:00

2LT Private RallyPoint Member; 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.

Response by 1LT Carl McKnight made May 20 at 2018 1:01 PM

2018-05-20T13:01:59-04:00

Key differences:
Armor = riding in tanks.
Infantry = walking.
Armor Officers spend a lot of time in the motor pool conducting maintenance. Responsible for many vehicles as well.

Response by CPT Don Kemp made May 20 at 2018 6:38 PM

2018-05-20T18:38:13-04:00

First disclaimer: It has been a long time since I had any experience with either (June 1983 DEROS)
I was in a Mechanized Infantry unit at the end of the M113A1 era and beginning of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle era. We had lots of time in the Motor Pool pulling Maintenance. I enjoyed my time in European-based Mech Infantry. In my earlier enlisted years, I spent time in 1/8 Cav, which was Infantry, and A Company 75th Infantry, Ranger. So, I guess that gives me a rounded but somewhat outdated view of Infantry.
In Europe, we went on joint maneuvers with Armor. If I had it to do over again, I would have put in for Armor with a bias toward Armored Cav.
In today’s environment, I get the feeling all MOS’s function as Infantry so perhaps that would be best these days.

Response by LTC John Wilson made May 20 at 2018 9:45 PM

2018-05-20T21:45:23-04:00

Having served as an Abrams Tank Platoon Leader (19A) and as an HHC Commander in an Air Assault MTOE Rifle Battalion (11A), much of the duties are very similar. As a Tanker, your duties will center more around maintenance. As an infantry leader, the focus is more personnel-centric as you are responsible for twice as many people (physical readiness, discipline issues, etc.).

The general principles remain constant. You have to know how to shoot, move, and communicate. Focus on the fundamentals.

I enjoyed both a great deal. But I'll always have to say my time as a Tank PL was the best job I ever had.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2018 7:31 AM

2018-05-21T07:31:28-04:00

This goes for mech infantry and armor:

- Motor stables once a week - you spend a full day in the motor pool.
- A lot of time in simulators before you go to the field, where light infantry just goes to the field.
- More focus on gunnery tables than maneuver in the field.
- As a mech guy, you'll get to balance all of the above with all the stuff the light guys do.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2018 11:44 AM

2018-05-21T11:44:09-04:00

To name a few from the Armor side:
1) Two branches in one: Recon and Armor
2) Maneuver is our specialty
3) We look at the map in terms of teens of kilometers compared to leg infantry

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2019 5:08 PM

2019-05-04T17:08:24-04:00

Armor fat, Infantry not so fat.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made May 6 at 2019 11:39 AM

2019-05-06T11:39:58-04:00

Well, I went from light infantry/air assault in the Infantry to a mechanized Divisional Engineer Battalion that supported Mech/Armored Combined Arms teams, plus I had more equipment in my company, so I got very familiar with the Motor Pool. I think I had a huge advantage being a former grunt when dealing with the Combined Arms commanders (when I started as an Engineer, the Engineer Platoon Leader was also the Task Force Engineer. After Desert Storm, Divisional Engineers were reorganized to push more Assets into the Maneuver elements, so the Battalion Commander became the Brigade Engineer and you had a Battalion of Engineers per Brigade instead of just a company). I could do an operations order, I could talk maneuver, and I had a much better understanding of how engineers could be utilized as force multipliers. I liked working with the mech combined arms teams and I just got to the point where I considered maintenance was a vital part of the job.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made May 22 at 2020 12:47 PM

2020-05-22T12:47:44-04:00

Heavy: 32 ton IFV Plt walking 50% vs 4x72 ton MBT Plt walking? What’s that?
Light: Rifle Plt walking 99% vs RSTA Cav Sqdn Plt walking 50%
world view: light = examining individual grid squares for avenue of approach and fields of fire vs heavy = looking at a 40km approach match, assembly areas and attack positions based on systems that have ranges in KM.
Maintenance: what’s a motor pool vs dedicated coffee cup and coveralls in the motor pool.
Weapons: man portable, go to ranges and live fires, some gunnery qualifying expert vs mounted gunnery tables 1-12. Consuming weeks of your career. Qualifying Distinguished. Crew Quals. If you are IN in a Brad you get this too.

Both are fine branches but they have different weapons and utilization. You should not use one without the other. They compliment. I. The combined arms team you’ll see armor and infantry officers used interchangeably. You’ll also see task organizations where they will work for each other, so you need to understand both and how they fit together.

Response by MAJ Matthew Arnold made Oct 22 at 2021 3:03 PM

2021-10-22T15:03:15-04:00

I don't think an infantry officer knows what compare and contrast means. OK, seriously, I don't really mean that. I was airborne infantry for 5 years, two before commissioning and 3 after. I loved being in the airborne infantry until my body just could not take that physical intensity any more. I envy those guys who could stay infantry for 25 years. Back to your subject. I went airborne infantry because it was cool and macho and it was the path to get to Special Forces, so I never considered going any other way. However, I always was very glad that I did not have to spend so much time maintaining vehicles and other equipment that mech infantry, armor, and artillery have. And one more thing. I never wanted to be in a flaming tin can. (But, then I went to flight school, and that's another story.)