Should I pursue becoming a USAF Officer (ALO) or a USMC Officer?

2018-12-11T13:27:00-05:00

Good day all,

I am considering applying to either USMC or USAF Officer school, and am looking for some insight on both/either (23 yr. old civilian, bachelors degree, currently in a management position, soon to be married, no kids). I have always wanted to join the military, and would like to become an officer supporting combat operations in some kind of direct capacity. I like the ALO job description from what I have read, but lately have been considering USMC as an option simply due to the amount of ground combat-geared jobs which this branch holds. A couple of questions:

-Does the Air Force do guaranteed contracts on specific jobs before OTS (I like the idea of ground combat-related positions in a leadership role, but realize that most AFSC Officer positions other than ALO are not ground-combat related)?
-I have read that the USMC does not do any kind of contract guarantee, and that your MOS is assigned to you right out of OCS; is there anything specific that helps improve chances at your preferred MOS?
-Going with this: what are some interesting/rewarding MOS in the USMC for officer
-Living/environmental/family considerations for both branches as an officer? I have read that ALO's work and live on Army bases, so I suppose I am looking for a comparison of Army garrison life vs Marine Corps garrison life.
-Deployment differences (length, frequency, etc.)
-General opinion on either also accepted. I realize this is ultimately my decision, but I would love to hear your all's input/dialogue.

Thank you in advance!

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Dec 11 at 2018 1:31 PM

2018-12-11T13:31:08-05:00

What is your degree in?

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 11 at 2018 1:58 PM

2018-12-11T13:58:20-05:00

Private RallyPoint Member You are soon to be married, and children are always a possibility. What does your fiancée think about your joining the military? Have you had discussions with her about the amount of time that you would not be with her while in training, deployments, etc.?

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Dec 11 at 2018 5:03 PM

2018-12-11T17:03:13-05:00

Reading you question narrative, it sounds to me like you want an opportunity to lead service members in the ground warfare environment. If that's the case, then my advice is to look seriously at the Army and Marine Corps. The Air Force and Navy have very few officer billets in which ground warfare is a primary mission.

Air Liaison Officers are most often rated officers (pilots, navigators, systems operators) who can bring air combat or air mobility expertise to their assigned ground forces units. To get there you would have to be commissioned, complete training as a pilot or other officer aircrew position, gain experience in an aircraft that either supports ground forces or provides air mobility. Then complete an air-ground operations course to familiarize you with the way the ground forces and air forces work together. This is a 5 to 8 year path.

The Army and Marines offer opportunities to lead troops in ground operations after a few months of OTS and officer advanced individual training. Time from commissioning to leadership opportunity, usually as a platoon leader, is less than a year.

It's also important to understand the Services assign different levels of importance to missions and positions in various MOS or AFSCs. (Major over-simplification follows.) The missions of the Army and Marine Corps are to fight and win the nation's wars on the ground. The Marines get there from the sea and air. The Army gets there from the ground, sea, and air. Consequently, officers in the combat arms of the Army and Marines (infantry, armor, artillery, etc.) often have higher promotion rates. The Navy is all about sea power. They operate surface and subsurface ships to control the ocean environment and launch strikes against sea and land targets. They have their own air force (Naval aviation) and their own army (the Marines). The Air Force mission is to fly, fight, and win. The key leadership positions normally go to pilots and other aircrew members who command and operate manned and unmanned air and space platforms. Non-flying officers can do well in the Air Force and often handle great responsibilities, but never serve in command of operational units taking the fight to the enemy.

I strongly recommend you talk with an officer recruiter from all 5 armed services. Spend some time researching the missions and functions of each service. Select the Service that is the closest match to what you think you want to do with your life. Also, understand which Service will give you the best deal in terms of accession date, potential credit for advanced education, and guarantees post-commissioning training or school.

As far as family life goes. The further from the front line your job, the more likely you are to be "home for dinner" every night. The front line officers in all services are subject to short-notice and extended deployments away from their families. This is often difficult for the spouse and more so when children are involved. The Air Force usually has the best on-base living quarters, recreational facilities, and shopping.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:31 PM

2018-12-11T19:31:02-05:00

I see quite often a good many career/educ questions like yours, and, whenever I see them, I try my genuinely level best to give an accurate description of what day-to-day life on active is actually like. I was Army ROTC 3 yrs, on scholarship the latter 2 yrs. of that period, I nearly got into what was termed at the time "summer camp", which was held then at Ft. Bragg; however, I had an ankle sprain, my run time shot up above the 2 miles in 18 mins. needed in fatigues and combat boots, so I couldn't finish that program. Stupidly, in retrospect at the time, I didn't stay to do a second bachelors in bio, I'd been elec engrg (EE), I also went to the wrong recruiter, who brought me in as a line EE, which is the AFSC you see for me, for the simple reason that I impulsively, both because my father had raised my next-younger brother and myself to on in, and because my next-younger brother was, at the time, a midshipman at USMMA Kings Point (I commissioned him when he finished, while I was USAF active duty), I didn't go to grad school for my masters and Ph.D., or go for clinical training, as I'd wanted bioengineering, and to have been on the clinical side, which, needless to say, I never got a chance to do at all, as there was a major EE shortage in USAF at the time. The USAF OTS recruiter I'd spoken with, a SSgt, listened to my whole saga, and explicitly told me to walk out of his office, and go see the recruiter for the USAF Biomed Science Corps (BSC), as the guy was right down the hall. I didn't know then that bioengineering had its own AFSC under the PSC, 9124F, which, had I known, you and I would obviously not be having this conversation now, needless to say. USAF OTS at the time was at Lackland, it's at Maxwell now, as you most likely know. I was denied once, mainly because of what happened with the Army ROTC; I appealed, writing an extremely detailed letter to the USAF OTS board, and was allowed to go. When that USAF OTS recruiter told me what he did, I said, stupidly, and naively, "Nah, I'm fine, I'll go with you," essentially; needless to say, I wound up in the wrong place, doing the wrong work, under the wrong people, even though I was trained for it, paradoxically; I also practically needed to have my head physically slammed into the pavement of my installation to learn what was expected of me day to day, how to organize my work, how to work under civil servants, NOT just active duty (trust me, you'd have to, regardless of svc, I assure you). Toward the end, I actually started to learn how to function halfway decently in the role, though, I assure you as well, I had to learn the myriad inner workings of so-called "additional duties" (as would you, I promise), namely, Company Grade Officers Council (CGOC), professional military education (PME) coursework that they were REAL serious about, I promise, handling disaster preparedness for my unit, spending a day with the base commander of my installation, charity drives, helping a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet squadron when I had time, and also being tasked with looking into an accident a SrA had with a USAF truck, wherein it had slipped on ice on a snow-covered parking lot, as to whether or not he warraned nonjudicial punishment (NJP), specifically, Article 15, and, in all likelihood, being fined from his pay for the repairs (I found, after much conscientious digging, that it wasn't his fault, thankfully). My installation also had active duty, Guard, and Reserve from all svcs, incl. USMC, several of whom were in the BOQ with me, and with whom I'd chat a good deal, on multiple occasions. We also had allied foreign-national commissioned whom I'd see all the time, I also, before going USAF OTS, through which I was recycled once, and actually had to go through twice while I was there, saw ALL the recruiters, for ALL the svcs, I chatted with USMC OCS recruiters, though that wasn't for me. I only learned much later about USMC platoon leaders course (PLC), which is a USMC analogue to NROTC, though I did look at both USMC OCS, as well as the aviation program, AOCS, which is run for both Navy as well as USMC by USMC drill sergeants, of course. I had some iea that the US Public Health Svc. (USPHS) had an active-duty component; however, I never applied to it, or, once again, had I done so, in all likelihood, you and I would once again not be having this discussion, of course. I also only knew in passing of the NOAA Commissioned Corps, as their direct-commission indoc program, their OIS, so called, called BOTC, was and still is actually a tenant at USMMA Kings Point where my brother was, I'd seen the building a couple of times, and actually wandered through it when he'd graduated, the day I commissioned him into USNR Merchant Marine Reserve (USNR-MMR).

Our Dad had also been 4 yrs. enlisted Navy as an aircraft mechanic on Grumman TBM Avengers; our Dad's sister's husband, one of our uncles, had been a radio operator for Gen. Eisenhower. One of our Mom's first cousins, who eventually went for law, had been Army armor commissioned in Germany during the Cold War in the Fulda Gap. My wife's Dad got a Bronze Star, we just got a combat "V" approved for it, for walking through a minefield to lead his 90th Div. unit's artillery fire in Pettite du Hettange, a small French town near the Moselle River, during the crossing of it in the Battle of Nancy. Her stepdad had been active-duty Navy surface combat on multiple destroyer escorts in the Pacific during both WW2 and Korea, sheels falling, bullets whizzing, kamikazes falling, freezing off the Korean coast in the dead of winter. Last my Mom's Dad had actually also very briefly been USMC during the buildup for Iwo Jima, I'd found out much later, though USMC released him, as he wasn't adapting well; he never spoke of it himself at all later on, obviously. I've also got multiple friends who were Navy, one prior 6-yr enlisted electronics tech for radar, another who went to Navy OCS, I actually visited him there while on active in USAF with other non-active friends, and other friends and acquaintances who'd been SUNY Maritime College, one of whom who'd been USMC enlisted before he went to the school, he didn't get through USMC boot camp at Parris Island, though he finished his USNR time as an O-4 later on. I'm total perm disabled now, I became ill, why is far too complex to go into here; I was noncombat, I'd volunteered for Desert Shield/Storm, I actually have the letter thinking me for having been on the list, I just never got to go; one of the guys in the Pentecostal church my wife likes that we go to had been USMCR, he went through all of it, needless to say, by contrast with him, I think myself rather a "chocolate soldier", if you will, and am obviously quite envious, as every year, the pastor of the church has him, me, and one of the other pastors, who'd been ARNG, get up and do the hold-the-flag thing for Meml. Day, 4th of July, and Veterans Day.

So, here's my point: I haven't necessarily seen everything, certainly; however, I have seen a good deal. The O-9 who'd commanded my installation had been a B-17 tail gunner in WW2 in Europe, who'd gone West Point after, then went USAF. My unit commander, an O-6 waiting to pin on O-7, I actually got to sit with for an entire hour, during which time, I assure you, by the end of the discussion, I was, most definitely, a limp dishrag walking out of the room. I only learned later that he'd received the DFC in Vietnam, and, among other feats, had flown as a forward air controller (FAC) in O-2s, armored Piper Cubs, if you haven't heard of them, on at least 150 combat missions (my jaw obviously dropped as I'd read that, you understand). I've met several general officers, not many, however, a few, at least; I also met one former Apollo astronaut, who'd been a friend of the USAF OTS commandant, and managed to stammer out a few ostensibly intelligent questions, as he'd been invited to speak with all the science/engineering majors. I also met another Apollo astronaut who'd spoken at a college near my wife and myself as well, a long while later, after I'd been out a long time.

Now, here is the heart of the matter: Having told you the basic gist of my story, trust me on something, will you please? You can plan this out, and plan it out, till the cows come home; I wasn't prior enlisted, though many I knew at USAF OTS had been, both USAF, as well as intersvc transfers, they all pretty much had an easier time adjusting; one guy in the class after mine, I'd read awhile ago, actually finished out as an O-10, getting his whole career exactly right, not one single mistake, which, of course, made me feel pretty small, I assure you, obviously.

It doesn't matter which svc you go into, trust me on that; all have their unique characteristics, all have their commonalities. I can virtually assure you that, regardless of what you might be told about any svc, from the day you'd go warrant or commissioned, you'd be expected to get, minimum, as masters, quite literally from day one; trust me, been there, done that (BTDT). You'd also be expected to go through all of the PME for your own svc, as well as for other svcs, whether nonresident by correspondence, or in residence, after a couple of tours. You'd be expected to do intersvc assignments, as well; one senior O-6 in my unit, not the unit CO, had spent time in an overseas exchange with an allied country, he always encouraged us to submit for that, he'd very strongly support if, I, for my part, was quite simply too stupid to listen. And, among all the other "additional duties" I had, I was expected to run the booth for the winter carnival where I was, which I did, using a microcomputer one of the NCOs in my unit, before I was ever assigned there, had extensively programmed with video games (I obviously had nothing to do with creating them, I merely used them to entertain kids at the carnival, of course). I also had one other initial assignment I pretty crassly got myself switched out of, even though I might likely have been sent to Europe periodically as part of it, all because I HAD to do science (even though it was all the WRONG science, stuff I'd never wanted to be part of back then). In short, I had to learn, all too frequently, the hard way, that I was there to serve, not be served; that was what I'd agreed to, and, in often forgetting that at first, that was why I all-too-frequently found my head being quite literally effectively smashed into pavement, to get me to understand that point.

I can't speak to what you're explicitly asking, in terms of actual combat assignments; I can say, it'd obviously help not just myself, but all others here, if you could possibly elaborate at all on more specifics, so far as possible. Namely, what training you've had thus far, whether associates or bachelors, at all; any AP coursework you did in high school (it'd help give an idea of your turn of mind); your specific interests, whether on STEM material, or non-STEM, as the case my be. Also, hobbies, interests, reading, what sports you do, incl. any martial arts (I've always loved aikido and iaido). Next, what is your ultimate object? Do you want to try to do a full 20-30 yr. career as commissioned? Would you consider warrant? What other svcs have you spoken with? Do you have any flight interests, e.g., Army WOCS for rotary-wing, esp. at that only needs high school, minimum?

Would you want to go enlisted first? Simultaneous Member Program (SMP) that Army has? Would you want an ROTC at all? Would USMC PLC interest you as an alternative to an ROTC, whether Army ROTC, NROTC, AFROTC? Would you want to try to spare yourself the very often real aggravation of being expected to have a masters, minimum, as I'd explained, by trying to get at least to that level BEFORE you go in? Would you possibly want to use an ROTC or maybe USMC PLC to go grad level at all, which I'm aware exists, at least for ROTC, PLC I'm not as sure about? Do you have any interest in law at all? Where would you envision you'd want to be in, say, 5 yrs? Maybe 10 yrs? Or 15 yrs?

Understand, OK? I'm NOT telling you all the foregoing to dissuade you; my object is to teach you, to make you aware of the very real day-to-day cultural and professional realities of such life, NOT to merely answer, superficially, questions, about specific AFSCs, or specific MOS types. I explained what I did to illustrate what exposure I've had; also, more importantly, the realities of what can go wrong, if one merely leaps impulsively into going in, WITHOUT adequate forethought, research, and/or planning, ahead of time, that's all I'm trying to convey to you, honest.

When one does this, the life involved isn't merely taxing; it's a life-altering, fundamentally life-changing event, also being entirely honest. I only met my wife much later on, long after I'd gotten out; when I'd been doing my allied-health clinical doctorate (we shut my license off several years ago due to my whole disability thing), one of my clinical attendings had been a USPHS O-6, really rare for what I'd been training to do. I'd VERY seriously wanted to have tried to go back into USPHS on active, as their age limit was and is much higher, 44, I believe, plus, I had the 4 yrs. prior, which would've given me until 48, after which I'd have tried for an age waiver, as I'd done serious grad school besides the doctorate, and, occasionally, I'd heard, such waivers for such further training were "occasionally" allowed, "maybe". Needless to say, I couldn't get it, which, of course, thrilled me no end, as I'm quite sure you can no doubt infer, though, God knows, I tried, at the very least.

There's another possibility I'd suggest to you, however, it'd be for you to decide if you want to look into it at all. There's a group called SGAUS, http://www.sgaus.org, that is the professional association of all the state defense forces (SDFs), the supplements to the Natl. Guard, both ARNG and ANG. In NY, where my wife and I are, it's called the NY Guard, run along ARNG lines; however, it is most definitely not Federally recognized, and is NOT the Natl. Guard; there are very strict differences, along the lines of the Geneva Convention. NY State also has the NY Naval Militia (NYNM), which IS Federally recognized, however, only because 95%+ of its members are drilling members of the USNR, USMCR, and USCGR, who drill with NYNM for retirement points and/or pay.

I suggest it to you for various reasons: First and foremost, few, I've found, generally know of it. Second, our dentist had been thinking of going ARNG through a friend of his who'd been trying to get him to join, which he eventually did. However, he wasn't sure of the life would be for him, so I, for my part, in a fit of perspicacity incarnate, suggested he try the NYG first, just to test the waters, rather than diving into the pool head first, if you will. He did so, liked it, then applied for ARNG as a dentist, got accepted, and NYG released him to go Federal instead.

I explain that story for a couple of other reasons: My understanding is that the SDFs do not and typically normally cannot, barring some weird emergency for humanitarian relief, or being specially tasked by the governor of a state and/or territory, be deployed outside state and/or territorial borders. They're very real militaries, with real enlistement contracts, in the NYG, I think, for 3 yrs., minimum; they have their own periodic training, their own OCS programs, all the rest. Generally, as with our dentist, my understanding has been that if one goes into an SDF, there "might" be the possibility of resigning, I'd asked about that with NYG, as I'd obviously looked into the whole thing quite heavily, as I'd also very seriously thought about trying to be of use with them, you understand. However, once you're activated, as happened during 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy with NYG, you were in, obviously, for the duration or the emergency, whatever it was. However, as with our dentist, IF one gets into a Federal branch, whatever component, I've also generally understood that Federal obviously takes precedence over state and/or territory, and one can then be released, as he was to go Federal instead, once again. The SDFs are NOT like the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) or USCG Auxiliary, both of which I've also looked into as well, in very great depth; they're real militaries, as I'd said, however, they fall strictly under the governors of states and/or territories, and are there to supplement the Natl. Guard, both ARNG and ANG. NYG actually had an army division, and an air division at one point; however, I gather the air division idea kind of flopped, so it was eventually dropped, which was why NYG was now redone strictly along the lines of the army model, not the air model.

Also, there are numerous other alternatives you haveven't likely looked into. Namely, active Guard and Reserve (AGR); Guard Tech; and Reserve Tech. Further, you said nothing about warrant as I'd pointed out before, nor what other svcs you'd even considered and/or looked at. I can obviously deluge you with such more info on all those, should you want it; however, I've been told that I can often tend to overwhelm with too many rapid-fire submissions to questions like yours by admin on here, which was why I figured I'd give you a really thorough, detailed explanation, so you could really go over it in depth, think it through, and decide if you might care to hear more. I might try sending you a few such further links, besides the SGAUS one I've included here; however, obviously, not wishing to overwhelm you, and having promised admin I'd try to avoid doing so, I'll obviously limit what I'd said till you have a chance to possibly elaborate at all, and tell me if you'd care to see anything further in any depth. I hope all that was at least of some use and/or benefit; I hadn't been married when I was in, certainly, in retrospect, I think that might have made a genuine difference in all that happened to me, certainly. As I'd said, my object wasn't to dissuade you; my object was to try to inform you, so you would have, at least from the perspective of all I'd gone through, what actually happened to me, what went wrong, and why, so you'd know how to plan properly, and research the whole thing the right way, ahead of time, OK? Should you care to chat further, I'd be most eager to hear more, no rush, whenever convenient; as I'd said, I tend to get rather engrossed in such career/educ questions as those you'd asked, yours, esp., was quite interestingly phrased, which was also why I'd thought you might find all I've said here of at least some potential use, and/or benefit, I hope it wasn't too much, and would look forward to hearing from you whenever you might have time to answer at all, of course.

SGAUS – State Guard Association of the United States

State Guard Association of the United States

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:32 PM

2018-12-11T19:32:26-05:00

http://www.ocsfoundation.org

You might find this of use, esp. the forum pages, it's not all-inclusive, it doesn't include Army WOCS or OIS programs at all, however, the major five OCS programs are all listed....

OCS Foundation

SERVICES FOR: Candidates Alumni Officer Families

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:37 PM

2018-12-11T19:37:43-05:00

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/united-states-marine-corps-platoon-leaders-course-3332801

You'll find this useful as well....

US Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course: What You Need to Know

The Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) is an alternative for NROTC or OCS for college students who wish to become commissioned officers.

Response by MSgt Steve Sweeney made Dec 11 at 2018 7:38 PM

2018-12-11T19:38:53-05:00

If there is any question in your mind if you want to be a Marine Corps officer, of any kind, it may be best to go with the other service.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:42 PM

2018-12-11T19:42:47-05:00

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/current-and-prior-service/advance-your-career/warrant-officer/flight-warrant-officers.html

If you have any flight interest as I'd said, this only needs high school minimum, we had a family friend who'd been Army enlisted, he got into Army WOCS, was rotary wing with Army for several years, then finished his bachelors in aviation at Embry Riddle Univ., after which Army released, him, USCG picked him up, I was never sure if he'd gone USCG OCS or not, I think he went to an OIS of some type, being as he'd been warraqnt when he'd switched, he finished hos 20+ yrs. with USCG asn an O-3...I've heard Army WOCS can be a quite rough program, obviously, however, you've got nothing to lose by trying, whether as pilot, or as nav/WSO, Army also had fixed wing aircraft of their own, I'd seen material on here about that, though, of course, the bulk of the potential aviators going Army WOCS would be rotary wing, Army WOCS obviously processes multiple MOS types, I'm merely saying that by way of explanation, of course....

Flight Warrant Officers

If you have dreamed of becoming a helicopter or fixed-wing pilot, the Army can help you turn that dream into a reality. Warrant Officers fly some of the most exciting, technologically advanced aircraft in the world.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:44 PM

2018-12-11T19:44:07-05:00

And I'd seen you'd said you're bachelors already...it's obviously help to know if you also had associates along the way, as well as your grades, GPA, and specific STEM and/or non-STEM actual course titles, so far as you might care to elaborate at all....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:46 PM

2018-12-11T19:46:17-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=rotc%20graduate%20school&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Look at this search cross referencing ROTC programs with graduate school...I only suggest it, as, obviously, you could conceivably go this route, and have far less of a distraction getting a masters part time, once you'd be in...as I'd also said, I don't know if USMC PLC allows it at all as well, you could certainly ask, of course....

rotc%20graduate%20school - AOL Search Results

Are you looking at going to graduate school? Do you need someone to pay for it? Well Army ROTC can help. We can pay for your graduate school and pay you a stipend each month.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:47 PM

2018-12-11T19:47:56-05:00

http://www.omao.noaa.gov

If you're inclined at all toward flight, once again, possibly with science, NOAA has a 5-yr. commitment after flight school, they also have, as I understand, among the best diving programs in the military....

Office of Marine and Aviation Operations |

Learn about the NOAA Diving Program, which trains, certifies, and equips personnel to safely support underwater missions

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:49 PM

2018-12-11T19:49:27-05:00

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?96884-PLC-during-Graduate-school

I just found this about USMC PLC during graduate school, so, clearly, it's at least been thought about, you know?

showthread.php

Marine Corps Community for USMC Marine Veterans.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:50 PM

2018-12-11T19:50:01-05:00

And if, as you say, you want management, management is inextricably linked to law...just food for thought, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:51 PM

2018-12-11T19:51:32-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=military%20rhodes%20scholars&s_it=loki-tb-sb

You might find this of interest...the military has had numerous Rhodes Scholar participants, depending on your GPA and interests, obviously, though I expect the competition would obviously be quite stiff, certainly....

military%20rhodes%20scholars - AOL Search Results

Cecil Rhodes set up the Rhodes Scholarships to recruit and bring top men from several nations to Oxford to be initiated into the Illuminati and to learn about how to bring in a One-World-Government Educational grant to the University of Oxford, established in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes for the ...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:53 PM

2018-12-11T19:53:13-05:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Institute_of_Technology

All warrant and commissioned from all svcs can apply here, though, in all likelihood, you'd have to do at least a couple of tours to have a realistic chance, it's not solely for USAF, senior USAF NCOs also can do their PhDs here, I saw a YouTube video on that...I'd wanted it really badly, I could never get it....

Air Force Institute of Technology - Wikipedia

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is located in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton. AFIT is a component of the Air University and Air Education and Training Command.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:55 PM

2018-12-11T19:55:27-05:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Institute_of_Technology

This is the Navy equivalent, I had a serious recommend here for my masters full time from my unit CO I'd mentioned meeting, I could never get it either...they have an online PhD in systems science I found quite interesting, as with AFIT, all warrants and commissioned from all svcs can apply, incl civil servants, industrial participants, and, I'm pretty sure, students from Allied countries....

Air Force Institute of Technology - Wikipedia

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:56 PM

2018-12-11T19:56:37-05:00

https://www.dcmilitary.com/tester/news/local/navy-expands-cyber-warrant-program/article_41cd7fc9-2704-5598-b223-d640f085659c.html

This just restarted, I'd gathered, I'm not saying you want it, I'm merely sending it purely as FYI, just interesting reading, that's all, honest....

Navy expands Cyber Warrant Program

The Navy announced the implementation of warrant officer 1 (WO1) pay grade (W-1) for cyber warrant officers and the application process for fiscal year (FY) 2019 and FY 2020 WO1

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:57 PM

2018-12-11T19:57:55-05:00

https://www.goarmy.com/army-cyber/cyber-direct-commissioning-program.html

This is the Army equivalent, Army does it as a direct commission, presumably through an OIS program, I'd expect, rather than through the main Army OCS at Ft. Benning, I think....

Cyber Direct Commissioning Program

System admin, web developer, programmer. Put your civilian experience to work and become an officer in the Army through the Cyber Direct Commissioning Program.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 7:59 PM

2018-12-11T19:59:47-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=state%20national%20guard%20part%20time%20officer%20candidate%20schools&s_it=loki-tb-sb

I did this search on the Natl. Guard part-time OCS programs, which I gather are generally ARNG, not ANG, I think ANG sends everybody to USAF OTS, I could be wrong, however, that, at any rate, has been my impression....

state%20national%20guard%20part%20time%20officer%20candidate%20schools - AOL Search Results

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:00 PM

2018-12-11T20:00:28-05:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Guard_Reserve

This one is on AGR....

Active Guard Reserve - Wikipedia

Active Guard Reserve (AGR) refers to a United States Army and United States Air Force federal military program which places Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve airmen on federal active duty status under Title 10 U.S.C., or full-time National Guard duty under Title 32 U.S.C. 502(f) for a period of 180 consecutive days or greater in order to provide full-time support to National Guard and...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:02 PM

2018-12-11T20:02:33-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=national%20guard%20technician&s_it=loki-tb-sb

This search is on the Natl. Guard technician program...here, one is paid by a state and/or territory, yet wears the uniform during the week, drilling during all drill periods...I gather it applies to both ARNG and ANG, as I least I "think" that's the case, at any rate...note the differences between this and AGR....

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:03 PM

2018-12-11T20:03:45-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=wikipedia%20reserve%20technician&s_it=loki-tb-sb

This search is on the Reserve Technician program, essentially, as I've understood it, the Federal equivalent of Guard Tech....

wikipedia%20reserve%20technician - AOL Search Results

Air Reserve Technician Program's wiki: Air Reserve Technicians , commonly referred to as ARTs, are a nucleus of full-time uniformed U.S. Air Force leaders, managers, operators, planners and trainers in what's known as the Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air F...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:04 PM

2018-12-11T20:04:56-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=uscg%20scholarships&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Most generally don't know USCG has their own scholarship programs, I'm once again not saying you'd want it, I'm merely making you aware of it, nothing more, honest....

uscg%20scholarships - AOL Search Results

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:05 PM

2018-12-11T20:05:56-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=uscg%20direct%20commission&s_it=loki-tb-sb

These are the USCG direct-commission routes, incl engineering, I'd also expect through OIS-type programs....

uscg%20direct%20commission - AOL Search Results

1 You were selected because you have the ability to make the Navy Reserve a better, more prepared and capable Force. NAVY RESERVE / DIRECT COMMISSION OFFICER HANDBOOK

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 11 at 2018 8:11 PM

2018-12-11T20:11:24-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=jag%20scholarships&s_it=loki-tb-sb

This one is on JAG scholarships, if you have any inclination toward law...believe me when I tell you, there's no substitute for being at the top of the intellectual food chain once you'd go in, so, if your GPA is high enough, I'd very seriously, aside from a masters, consider going doctoral first, whether PhD, or JD, I realize you likely have no interest in clinical...once you'd be in, you'd likely have to cram coursework into your normal active-duty tasks, and, believe me, I did my first masters part time, exactly that way, and, candidly, if you can avoid the need to do it that way, believe me, you'd be well off, honest, you've got the time, and if you can get an assistantship, whether graduate (admin), research, or teaching (GA/RA/TA), depending on your GPA, trust me, try, OK? I realize you're likely chomping at the bit to go active duty right now, as I'd said, I can only offer the accumulated wisdom of 20/20 hindsight on my part, in such regards, honest....

jag%20scholarships - AOL Search Results

Indian army official website has published the JAG 20 Notification, JAG 20 or Judge Advocate General 20 is a special entry for both male and female law graduates. All law graduates (both Male and ...

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 12 at 2018 2:25 PM

2018-12-12T14:25:35-05:00

I saw you'd mentioned your major here, which I did find interesting, certainly...have you wanted to go for masters and/or Ph.D. in it, or grad-level coursework in any other field? Also, purely out of curiosity, being as you're exercise physiology, would you even think about trying to go for something in any of the services that would be clinically related? I only ask that, as, if you might possibly at least be willing to entertain the idea, I think I could suggest various possibilities to you; I gather, as you'd said, that you'd wanted combat, I get that, however, I'd ask you to please think about what I'm going to say here, relative to the other question you asked. When I went in, as I'd explained to you, I'd gone with totally the wrong recruiter; where that becomes germane to your other question was that I was given a field guarantee, as well as option of five places to pick from to be assigned on a first tour. What I didn't realize, unfortunately, was that I'd have exactly maybe 4-5 days to make up my mind about where I'd wanted to go, aside from totally going into the wrong field, for, as I'd explained, the simple reason that I didn't know what questions to ask, who to ask them of, or have the time, or had taken the time, to have looked into the whole thing properly. Now, given that you're exercise physiology, that military clinical group I'd sent you a link for, AMSUS, could be a very, very good thing for you to look at. Yes, I know it's not combat; yes, I gather your heart is set on it, I obviously fathom both of those points. Here's the thing, however, as I'd also explained, you can plan this, and plan this, till quite literally the cows come home, and, sooner or later, no matter how carefully you plan what you'd seek to do, eventually, inevitably, reality is gonna intrude, and you're gonna wind up needing to make lemonade out of your lemons. I don't say that to be a cynic, I say it to be a realist, and for the simple reason that, if you're exercise physiology, you're immeasurably better off building from what you were expressly trained to do, not because of other ambitions. I had multiple conflicting ambitions, way too many, which considerably contributed to my totally bollixing up where I'd wound up, who I was under, what I was doing, and the God-only-knows unbelievable disaster that ensued for me. So, humor me for a minute, and, for the moment, try, however hard it might be, to curb your ambitions, and let me suggest things for you that are directly related to what you've expressly been trained to do. I'd be quite certain you could eventually serve overseas somehow as an exercise physiologist, possibly in a hospital and/or other clinical facility in an allied country, possibly in a combat zone, if such possibilities exist at all you might request, or in a CONUS (continental U.S.) facility someplace. I tried, while I was in, to actually look at seeking to go interservice to go naval flight officer (NFO), I actually was med examined for it, and passed; what I didn't reckon on was that I was having a total adventure fantasy, seeking to escape from pure office-based engineering work for something exciting, which, while the analogy might not perhaps be exactly precise, could well be said for your ambitions here. Then, too, you've got the whole aspect of wanting to get married, and, while I fathom you and your fiancee have discussed the whole active-duty thing ad nauseum, certainly, I'd point out that she might well be considerably happier knowing you'd be doing work directly related to your degree, even if that isn't necessarily giving you all the emotional charge and excitement you'd certainly be seeking in combat. I've been around a LOT of bureaucratic blocks, more than I even like to recall most days, and I can tell you a good many day-to-day realities, as I'd said, that, even if not as exciting as being an ALO, certainly, would at least giver you a modicum of family stability, as well as be directly related to what you apparently went to school for in the first place, you know? I only mention all that as further food for thought, honest; lemme send you stuff more suited to what your bachelors is actually in; it'd also help to know precisely what type of work you do, if it in fact directly relates to exercise physiology at all, or if you went and did something totally different, instead, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 12 at 2018 2:28 PM

2018-12-12T14:28:21-05:00

https://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=%22exercise%20physiologist%22%20usaf%20or%20usn%20or%20army%20or%20usphs&s_it=loki-tb-sb

Look through these first, I'll try to narrow them down more specifically, to try give you a decent idea of whether you'd meet the minimum needed background...also, what's your GPA, what were your grades, as I'd mentioned, and what specific serious science/math (STEM) coursework have you actually taken thus far, so far as you can elaborate, knowing would help me try to help you a good deal, honest, as I'd said, OK?

%22exercise%20physiologist%22%20usaf%20or%20usn%20or%20army%20or%20usphs - AOL Search Results

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 12 at 2018 2:29 PM

2018-12-12T14:29:15-05:00

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/amedd-categories/medical-service-corps-jobs/biochemist-physiologist.html

Look specifically at this one next....

Biochemist/Physiologist (71B)

The Biochemist/Physiologist conducts medical research, manages lab operations and serves as chief in various labs. Learn more at goarmy.com.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 12 at 2018 2:31 PM

2018-12-12T14:31:16-05:00

https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/aerospace-operational-physiologist

This, I assure you, would quite possibly offer you all the intellectual stimulus you could possibly ask for while on active, as well as be precisely what you'd trained to do in the first place, the last one is good, this one, however, I honestly think is closer to suiting your ambitions....

U.S. Air Force - Career Detail - Aerospace & Operational Physiologist

Welcome to the United States Air Force. Learn about great opportunities for enlisted airmen, officers and health care professionals.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Dec 12 at 2018 2:34 PM

2018-12-12T14:34:04-05:00

https://www.navy.com/careers/research-physiology

Here's another...you wanna go this direction, (A), it'd make a good deal of sense, and (B), you'd have a pretty decent chance of going masters level of Ph.D., so trust me please, and look at these really seriously, OK?

RESEARCH PHYSIOLOGY CAREERS | US Navy

Navy Physiologists apply innovative technologies in physiology and medicine to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate exercise and training-related injuries. Their responsibilities include:

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2018 8:29 PM

2018-12-16T20:29:20-05:00

TACP works on Army Posts. You don’t have to live there as an Officer. You’ll ya e to assess and pass AAA for 13L ALO before they will guarantee you a slot. There should be a USAF Special Warfare recruiter in your area. Ask a regular recruiter. I can’t tell you jack about USMC
XOXO
TACP dude.

Response by William Dell made Dec 24 at 2018 9:04 PM

2018-12-24T21:04:07-05:00

You're in the same boat as I was. I decided to go the USMC route and join my local Officer Selection Office. For me it was about the physicality of the Marines, the Air Force PT Standards were a joke to me and I just mesh better with the prior service Marines I've met so far. ALO is a cool AFSC, but very competitive. Currently I believe the Air Force has all their slots for OTS 2019. I'm looking forward to working towards Selection for OCS at Quantico and TBS after.

Response by CPO Arthur Weinberger made Mar 16 at 2020 11:24 AM

2020-03-16T11:24:09-04:00

Join the Corpse. The Air Force is okay if you can spend many hours siting in a chair or lying on a couch.

Response by 1st Lt Padre Dave Poedel made Mar 22 at 2020 12:06 AM

2020-03-22T00:06:51-04:00

Why not consider Physical Therapy....? Your undergraduate degree in exercise physiology is a pretty good prerequisite for the field and doctoral studies. The job outlook is excellent both in the military and in civilian life....and deployments are less likely except when they mobilize a whole hospital.....look at asking the military to put you through PT school on a contract for active duty or AFRES to follow....all branches use physical therapists (well, the good Marines use the medics from the Navy).