I am 19 years old I am not sure which reserve/guard branch is best? Navy, Air Force, Army?

Nicolas Guillen Cortez — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 20:08:33 -0400

I am planning on becoming an officer in the next 3 years btw.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2021 8:20 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 20:20:02 -0400

Think about what you want to do in the service. Are you on a ship, an airfield, or in the woods / desert?

Response by Nicolas Guillen Cortez made Sep 10 at 2021 8:22 PM

Nicolas Guillen Cortez — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 20:22:40 -0400

I want to know which branch offers the most in reserves.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2021 10:11 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 22:11:15 -0400

Be advised becoming an officer in the Air Force will be far more competitive since it’s a smaller component. Talk with an officer strength manager before choosing a branch to find out details such as what MOS, upward mobility, etc.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2021 10:37 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 22:37:20 -0400

I'm biased so I'm going to say Guard over Reserve just to give you the option of state missions, and potentially additional state programs depending on your state.

Ultimately though you need to think about what you want to do. Be an officer, ok, but what do you want to do as an officer? Does being on a ship appeal to you? Logistics? Ordnance? Medical? You have a lot of questions to answer for yourself, take the time to figure out what career field you are interested in, then you can move on to the branch and component.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2021 11:07 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 23:07:16 -0400

Nicolas Guillen Cortez Here is a previous post with answers. Search on "Which "Reserve/Guard branch is best", and then click on "Answers" to find other posts.

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/which-is-the-best-branch-for-reserve-guard-duty

Which is the best branch for reserve/guard duty? | RallyPoint

A 37 year old Friend wants to step up to the plate. What are his options?

Response by SFC Charles Diers made Sep 10 at 2021 11:41 PM

SFC Charles Diers — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 23:41:53 -0400

USARMY retired here. In my humble opinion the Army Engineers and the experience served me very well during and after my military career. Therefore I will naturally recommend the Army first and next the Air Force Civil Engineers. Keep in mind fellow men and women are also serving in the NAVY SeaBees. Know this, the National Guard and Reserves components combined collectively make up the majority of the total armed force equation and strength nowadays. You’ll be serving both your country, State and community doing more than many or than most people and your peers will learn or do their whole life. What ever the Service or Branch chosen you will quickly learn more about yourself, other people’s and places than you’ll ever see or experience by staying home or back on the block per se. Make and take every opportunity to train and challenge your Charges. Always plan, prepare and realistically Challenge your troops. Don’t waste their time. And remember the reserves are frequently deployed long in duration nowadays if and when called to Duty. They train as hard and do a lot more often with less time than the active components. I hope your Leadership is effective, caring, able and willing to to provide timely, challenging and realistic training. Good luck and be safe. Essayons!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2021 2:09 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 02:09:27 -0400

The one that is closest to you. You'll have to drive there every month, if you pick something hours away, it will get old real fast when you have to wake up at 3 am on a Saturday to get there in time

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2021 4:17 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 04:17:10 -0400

It is what you make of it, and how you learn to navigate within the system.

Being "reserves" the long game needs to be considered. So, where will your civilian obligations take you in 10+ years? If you can't say you know, then chances are the Army Reserves will give you the best chance at finding a position anywhere in the country. Say you land a lucrative job in Wyoming, how is that going to work out for the Navy Reserve?

Is 10 years to look forward too long? How about 7, because the reserve obligation is 8 years. That's effectively 1/3 of an entire civilian career. 1/3 of your civilian plans will be impacted with a single reserve contract.

The least competitive officer path will be the Army Reserves. I don't suggest national guard because of moving from state to state is not cut and dry. In the reserves, moving from state to state is just a matter of changing units.

Fun, cool, exciting goes away around Staff Sgt, and Captain. So about the end of your first contract obligation you will start to be looked toward to keep the wheels from falling off. You'll be the one paving the way for those below you to have fun, cool, and exciting experiences.

Example: My life is now consumed with making sure the Lodging In Kind hotel rooms are secured each month for those that fly in from out of town. That sort of thing can end up in anyone's lap that is half way responsible with the right amount of rank (and it doesn't take much). This wasn't on my radar in terms of what I had expected to do in the USAR. The upside I suppose is going forward in my career I'm now more in tune with jumping through the hoops to get the right ducks lined up for Travel, Hotels, Flights, and getting it actually funded.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2021 12:10 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 12:10:48 -0400

Best for whom? Different strokes for different folks. Check USMCR leading to PLC or OCS. Keep your grades up and stay fit. Study military while in college. Contact a USMC Recruiter or OSO.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Sep 11 at 2021 2:08 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 14:08:26 -0400

You'll need to provide more information in your profile for RP members to provide specific answers about the Services related to your education level and experience. If you plan on being an officer in the next three years, then I am assuming you are in college and expect to complete at least a bachelors degree. Here's some general thoughts.

First the general organization of the Department of Defense and Armed Services. The Army has active duty, Army Reserve, and Army Guard. The Navy includes active duty and Navy Reserve, the Marine Corps has active duty and Marine Corps Reserve. The Air Force has active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. US Space Force has only active duty for now. The other Armed Service is the US Coast Guard. All of the Armed Services personnel are divided into enlisted, non-commissioned officers, Warrant Officers (except Air Force and Space Force), and Officers (also called commissioned officers). The Services generally require officers to have a bachelors degree. Each Service lists requirements to join as an enlisted person, Warrant Officer, or commissioned officer on their web site. Go there first to make sure you meet the minimum requirements before you talk to a recruiter.

The Services offer different pathways to becoming a commissioned officer. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on some college campuses. (Some Air Force ROTC graduates may be commissioned into the Space Force and some Navy ROTC graduates may be commissioned into the Marine Corps.) The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have Officer Candidate School (OCS) (sometimes called Officer Training School). This training is designed for prospective officers who have completed their bachelors degree and did not take or did not complete ROTC. Of course there are the Service Academies. Much harder to get into than ROTC or OCS, but it's a free 4-yeat college degree leading to a commission. Academies are filled by appointment. Congress members, Senators, the VP and President get to make appointments. Look up web pages for the US Military Academy at West Point, the US Naval Academy, and the US Air Force Academy. In addition, the National Guard in each state may operate an OCS.

The Service you select depends primarily on your personal goals and priorities. Too many variables can effect your selection for me to give you good advice without additional information. Talk to Recruiters from all the Services, Reserves, and Guard. Get an idea of which Service has specialties that most closely match your personal goals. Also consider the amount of time it may take to apply, be accepted, get a school slot, and complete training.

Let us know what you find out. RP members can offer more specific advice once we know what some of your choices may be.

Response by MAJ Albert McCaig made Sep 11 at 2021 3:41 PM

MAJ Albert McCaig — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 15:41:36 -0400

Look into Army ROTC. You can be in the USAR or National Guard while in schedule and l working on a commission.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Sep 11 at 2021 5:30 PM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 17:30:18 -0400

@ Nicholas Guillen Cortez: Congratulations on becoming an Officer; in the future!

Response by SGT Erick Holmes made Sep 11 at 2021 7:52 PM

SGT Erick Holmes — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 19:52:49 -0400

Its what you want. I can try to convince to go Army National Guard others on here will convince you to go Air Force Guard and Navy Reserve. What you have to ask yourself do you want active duty do you want water ship life or land type of military.

Response by CMSgt Alan Yoshida made Sep 16 at 2021 2:37 PM

CMSgt Alan Yoshida — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:37:57 -0400

Ultimately it will be up to you what path you take and why you take it. The best thing to do is look at your goals and ask the question with that in mind. For example ask a quesiton like this... I enjoy leading people and accomplishing tasks that involve x/y/z what service and career would folks recommend that would allow my talents to best be used by the mission? I am biased by my past expereince so I will say go AF becuase it give you a chance to do many amazing things but only a few careers will allow leading ground elements so if that is what interests you then the Army or Marine Corps is the best path. If the Maritime environment is of interest and you want to command a vessel and the personnel on a Navy platform then that is a good path for you. Back to by preference to the AF, the cool thing about the AF is it is relatuvely small and the competition is high because you are surrounded by very smart people in general and to succeed you must perform.