Which branch of service has the best professional relationship between officer and enlisted ?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:57:27 -0400

What branch of service do you believe has the best professional working relationship between officers and enlisted ? During my time in the military I always felt that a strong professional relationship between myself and the officers I worked for led to a higher rate of mission accomplishment and espirit de corps in my unit. Now I am not knocking any branch of service down. I just wonder what branch of service do you feel has the better working relationship between officers and enlisted. Is it a factor in a motivated unit and does it determine greater sense of mission accomplishment.

Response by 1SG Jeffrey Bergeron made Jun 27 at 2014 10:48 AM

1SG Jeffrey Bergeron — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:48:51 -0400

I think it a individual unit standard. Some units have great relationship between officers and enlisted and others don't. The command teams create this atmosphere. I have been in both situations. However I can only speak from an Army stand point. I think the relationship between officers and enlisted has become more more relaxed.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2014 12:23 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:23:46 -0400

Iterating what has been previously stated, unless one has served in all branches on both sides of the equation the experience is relative to your perspective. Therefore the result is obvious, USMC.

Response by SSG John Bacon made Jun 27 at 2014 1:35 PM

SSG John Bacon — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:35:07 -0400

I personally have been in the Air Force and the Army. Between them, the Army has it better when it comes to enlisted and Officer's working well together. I always had a great working relationship with my officers as a Supply Sergeant. I always had a Direct line to my Commanders and Platoon leaders.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2014 1:41 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:41:52 -0400

Not only is this unit dependent, it's AOC/MOS dependent. The medical side is MUCH more relaxed than, say, infantry. Medical is about as close as you can get to civilian while still wearing a uniform. With that said, I've found Air Force medical to be about the most relaxed, followed by Army.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2014 8:32 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:32:30 -0500

Air Force! They all refer to each other by their first names and skip saluting while walking aorund the office with coffee cups right? Clearly they're on the best terms! =P

Honestly I do think the AF is best on this front because there is a greater level of personalability in the relationships (generally). But depending on your standards of "professional" you may disagree.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2015 6:15 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:15:08 -0500

I agree with many of the other posts on the thread that it is unit dependent.

Though I will say that from having grown up with my dad being in the Coast Guard and now with my brother as an officer in the Coast Guard, the working relationship that both of them have had from opposite sides of the coin being very similar, the Coast Guard takes it by a mile.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2015 6:20 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:20:12 -0500

The Air Force....most of them are on a first name basis anyway, so it has to be a good relationship!!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2015 4:13 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 04:13:58 -0500

19 years in the Army and counting and my answer will always be the Marines. Have you seen the way they interact with each other. Upmost Professionalism. Even the new recruits in the building next door already have that mentality seared into their brain at Paris Island. Not knocking the Army or the others. As an AIT PLT SGT, I have seen a ton of people I just look at, interact with or just observe and wonder how proud that recruiter is for making his numbers with these people.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Mar 15 at 2015 10:36 AM

Capt Richard I P. — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 10:36:24 -0400

Marine Corps. Disciplined mutual respect.

Response by CAPT Stu Merrill made Mar 15 at 2015 11:31 AM

CAPT Stu Merrill — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:31:33 -0400

What defines "best professional working relationship"? Some others have commented that more relaxed or casual is better. Is that the case or each military working environment? I would suggest that different military work environments require very different types of communication protocols up and down the chain of command in order toi be most effective and safe,

Response by Sgt Tom Vaughn made Mar 17 at 2015 1:42 AM

Sgt Tom Vaughn — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 01:42:35 -0400

It has NOTHING TO DO WITH UNIT. To this day I greet all former Marine officers as " Sir" or "Mamm" That respect and professional attitude is required to be an effective fighting force.
Guess that's why the every day Marines are better trained to go into hell if needed. U S Army Rangers know what I'm talking about. They are the only Army troops that I have seen that are NOT on a first name basis
SEMPER FI

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 21 at 2015 6:20 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 06:20:37 -0400

Does the ratio make any difference?

Air Force has one officer for every 4.1 enlisted personnel, reserve is 1 for 4

the Army has one officer for every 4.5 enlisted personnel, reserve is 1 for 4.7

the Navy has one officer for every 4.9 enlisted personnel, reserve is 1 for 3.5

and the Marine Corps has one officer for every 8.1 enlisted personnel. 1 for 9.1 reserve

Response by PO1 Raymond Sauter made Mar 21 at 2015 10:53 PM

PO1 Raymond Sauter — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 22:53:54 -0400

The best dept. head I ever reported to was in a command that had the worst CO (Horrible morale, order and discipline, zero respect for enlisted ranks, Etc.) so it really is dependent on who you are serving with. During your career, you will encounter some really great officers and senior enlisted as well as some that are really horrible! Can't say much about the other branches but I can say that in the Navy, it seemed to be a better relationship between officer and enlisted among the Airedales than with the "Shoes" but I was also in a smaller detachment while deployed so we were a tight-knot group with an outstanding OINC (that ultimately made RADM) but other detachments in this squadron that modeled the leadership of the skipper fared much worse so I guess I lucked out!

Lesson learned here and appreciated through the years. You cannot change those around you but you can look within and be the best damn sailor (Marine, Soldier, Airman, Etc.) and put the needs of others (senior or subordinate) above your own and you just may win over that surly Chief, First Class, or Officer to your way of thinking and life will be far better for you!

Response by SSG Gerhard S. made Mar 23 at 2015 4:25 PM

SSG Gerhard S. — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 16:25:57 -0400

Me: " Sir, I'm here to give a mission brief
Colonel X: " SSG Seidel, nice to meet you." ( Shakes my hand.)

Me: " Sir, My team and I have reviewed your Priority Information requirements, and understand your intent is that my team report on any unusual activity in THIS sector, AND to deny the enemy the opportunity to use this sector for rocket, mortar, and IED operations. "
Colonel X: "That's exactly correct. Have a seat here beside me and show me your plan."

I've had mostly excellent interactions with Army officers, whether they be Infantry, Air, or Support. Professional, and not condescending.

Response by Cpl Tou Lee Yang made Mar 26 at 2015 2:43 AM

Cpl Tou Lee Yang — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 02:43:20 -0400

Being in the Marines and the Navy, I can accurately say it is like night and day. No where in my time as a Marine would I smoke and joke with an officer nor would I wrestle with him. At no point in time would I ever call a 2nd or 1st Lieutenant, LT. And I would never ever say "Wassup 'insert rank'" to an officer. All that has been done in the Navy from what I have witnessed.

Response by CPT Ahmed Faried made Apr 6 at 2015 12:42 AM

CPT Ahmed Faried — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 00:42:14 -0400

definitely not the Navy. Too much of a caste system going on there.

Response by Capt Andrew Cosgrove made Apr 6 at 2015 3:42 PM

Capt Andrew Cosgrove — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 15:42:08 -0400

I have only served in the Corps as an Officer. That being said, having been out of the military since 2005 I have worked with people from both Officer and Enlisted from every branch. This is an inevitable point of discussion in some form or fashion when eating meals together on the rig.

It basically boils down to how the junior member chooses to interact with the senior member. When I was on active duty in the late 90's in the Air Wing, we relied on the enlisted Marines to be subject matter experts. The Infantry did this as well, but focused much more on enlisted being "labor" for the vairous requirements.

Professionalism and discipline are a huge "thing" in the Corps. This is something that no matter where you go, someone WILL instruct you on the proper courtesies if you fail to render them.

That being said, if the junior member did not try to be "buddy, buddy" with the senior, the interactions were generally professional and most times collegial. We all were working for the good of the unit and trying to accomplish the mission at hand.

That being said, I have heard stories about service members going out and drinking with their officers and such. I blame the officers and would have had some serious ass chewings if they were my officers. As it was I had 2nd Lieutenants who thought it was OK to fraternize in uniform, on base, with opposite gender enlisted because they weren't in our unit.

All of it boils down to the type of leadership that was illustrated time and again in the HBO Series "Band of Brothers." I was never more touched as when a former enlisted Marine sent me an email to share some good news about his family and he mentioned how he and his other "Lance Criminals" always knew that I wanted them to succeed.

As an officer, if your troops know that you are loyal to them, they will kill themselves to perform better than every other unit. Simple things like volunteering for night ops when it was hot and sunny at CAX or WTI so they could sleep during the day in the A/C went a long way. Always making sure that there was at least ground coffee stashed somewhere in the unit's containers and all we needed was hot water because the Captain had filters, that kind of stuff always served me well.

Take care of your troops, model the behavior you want from them, and remember that they ALWAYS eat before you. That was my golden rule and I never had a single problem.

Response by SGT William Howell made May 6 at 2015 11:16 AM

SGT William Howell — Wed, 06 May 2015 11:16:46 -0400

I have served in both the Army and Navy. I would have to say the Army. My experience has been that NCOs were asked questions by officers and their opinions were respected. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the education level of enlisted has risen to the point that some enlisted are subject matter experts in certain fields and the officer corp recognizes that. I think that enlisted also recognize that there is a ton of responsibility that goes with being an officer.

Response by SGT Michael Glenn made May 7 at 2015 3:02 PM

SGT Michael Glenn — Thu, 07 May 2015 15:02:17 -0400

I would have to say that it all depends on if you have a stract unit or not.I have been in units where I never doubted my chain and had the utmost respect from all of them, then again I have been in units where nothing worked because ego's ran amok and it was a dog eat dog world, where NCO's belittled each other as well as officers behind each others back, Officers were appalled at a common soldier ever talking to them, and favoritism was practiced as well as racism, I am deeply dishearten to have ever served in such a disgraceful unit but back then they were the norm.

Response by LCpl Craig D. Pfautz made May 12 at 2015 6:54 PM

LCpl Craig D. Pfautz — Tue, 12 May 2015 18:54:18 -0400

I THINK IT HAS TO BE NAVY & MARINE CORP, MOST OF THHESE OFFICERS ALREADY HAD ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS W/ EACH OTHER AT NAVAL ACCADAMY.
NOT TILL CLOSERR TO GRAD DID THEY HAVE TO DECIDE NAVY OR CORPES.
SO HANDS DOWN ITS THE NAVY WINNING THIS ARGUEMENT...
THANKS

Response by LCpl Craig D. Pfautz made May 12 at 2015 7:01 PM

LCpl Craig D. Pfautz — Tue, 12 May 2015 19:01:23 -0400

MY BAD I THOUGHT U SAID BTW BRANCHES, NOT OFFICERS & ENLISTED...
IM ALSO PARTIAL TO MARINES, THEY REALLY TRUELY HAVE TO HAVE A MORE OF A US VS THE WORLD ATTIDUDE, I ALSO THINK MOS HAS A HUGE SAY IN THIS GREAT DEBATE.
OBVIOUSLY THE GRUNTS ARE GOING TO FEEL THE NEED TO ACT LIKE THEY R SUPIOUR TO THERE BUTTER BAR LIUTENIT...

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Jul 23 at 2015 9:12 PM

SGT Rick Ash — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 21:12:54 -0400

I was ARMY but worked closely with the AIR FORCE. I witnessed the most camaraderie between Officers & Enlisted there. Almost casual but still with the utmost respect the AIR FORCE has the best internal relationships.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jul 24 at 2015 4:15 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 16:15:26 -0400

I would hope the Air Force. Pilots who anger mechanics soon find themselves role playing lawn darts...

Response by MSgt Jim Wolverton made Jul 24 at 2015 10:54 PM

MSgt Jim Wolverton — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 22:54:21 -0400

I think that beyond even unit, where you work in a unit can dictate how your working relationships are between you and the officers over you. I know when I worked on staff for my commander, I enjoyed a level of access to my senior leadership that even those superior to me in rank from other flights didn't enjoy, it was all positional. I needed to be able to go into my Chief's office, Capt's office, or Commander's office with a simple knock on the door to get something signed or discuss something, often times right at that moment without some of the formalities you'd experience if you had to make an appointment to talk to them.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 25 at 2015 12:15 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 12:15:10 -0400

I believe we are all the same. As a medical tech when I served I worked with officers all the time so my opinion is going to be vastly different. I worked with company grade officers and above all the time and even had the ear of the BG who was my commander. I also interacted with Hq AF-surgeon generals office frequently.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 12:30 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 12:30:24 -0400

I think it depends more on the individuals, and the unit they find themselves in, more than the branch itself. If the officer and enlisted member respect each other and the value that each brings to the team, the work relationship will be prosperous. If either member holds a view that "all" of the members of either group possess certain negative qualities, then the professional relationship suffers. The unit can either help or hinder this relationship based on the policies (open door policies from the top down, for example) and the ways in which they encourage the entire team to work together to accomplish the mission. I've heard stories of success and failure across all branches equally.

Response by SMSgt Tony Barnes made Jul 27 at 2015 10:38 PM

SMSgt Tony Barnes — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 22:38:29 -0400

Air Force. I have been in the Marine Corps and Air Force. Now I work for Army. Hands down -- AF

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Jul 28 at 2015 3:18 AM

SSgt Terry P. — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 03:18:23 -0400

wow loaded question--and of course i am going with the Marines

Response by CWO3 Randy Weston made Jul 29 at 2015 1:11 AM

CWO3 Randy Weston — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 01:11:15 -0400

I absolutely agree with the unit consensus, however when it comes to an overall statement I would say the Marines without reservation. They exhibit an esprit de corps like no other branch and fraternization is highly frowned upon, even within enlisted. I had a cousin that was a Lance Corporal stationed at Bangor, Wa and I had him and his wife over for dinner one time. I was a Chief at the time and he asked me if it was appropriate for him to be at my house. Coming from submarines, I found this quite odd for rank did not have that much of an impact with us. As I grew in the Navy, I studied the other forces and found the Marines to have that quintessential state of professionalism throughout their ranks.

As to the individual unit, I treated my people well and have always had good relationships with them, as we all contributed to the mission and we need to recognize that. Even the E1 contributes something significant and when we forget that, we become ineffective.

Response by SCPO Penny Douphinett made Jul 29 at 2015 8:55 AM

SCPO Penny Douphinett — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 08:55:21 -0400

I'm coming late to this party, but I have to speak for my Navy! Particularly the relationship between Chiefs and officers. The Chiefs community takes very seriously its role to assist junior officers learn to be the best leaders they can be. We do this not by "smokin' and jokin'" but leading by example and displaying the professionalism we have acquired over our years and decades of service. Ever here an officer say "Ask the Chief?, it is always done with respect. When I served with a joint command, I observed that senior Army and Air Force, E-7 in particular, being treated no differently than E-5s, I've seen an Army Master Sergeant doing Field Day (cleaning) when there weren't manning issues because the Colonel felt all enlisted should clean. A Marine Gunny seems to be treated with the same level of professionalism and respect as a Chief.

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Aug 5 at 2015 11:31 AM

Maj Mike Sciales — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 11:31:19 -0400

Depends on your focus, your organization and your mission at the time. No one branch has the best because those subjective standards are hard to calibrate. Is the best relationship based on a officer who trusts his/her NCOs as professionals and let's them do their thing unchecked? Is it the "buddy/buddy" thing (so many times wrongly attributed to the USAF)? I think talented, motivated people in smaller units are able to be recognized for their talents and mission accomplishment. That leads to trust and respect up and down the line. For instance, pilots have a tremendous personal regard for their crew chiefs -- because they are trusting that chief with their lives. There is a constant replenishment of this confidence every time a take off = a landing. A well-oiled tank crew might have an absolutely terrific officer-enlisted relationship. In a large unit, it's hard for a great performer to stand out, but certainly down at the platoon level I imagine you'd see those great professional relationships develop over time. There is a real difference in the behavior and relationship of a junior officer and enlisted and senior officers and senior enlisted. Again, all based on trust and confidence. The more troops can absolutely rely on each other the better the organization.

Response by SN David Joyner made Feb 5 at 2016 5:18 PM

SN David Joyner — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:18:51 -0500

It would depend upon what your job was while you were serving. I was a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman from 1990-1994. All of the officers that I worked with were either doctors or nurses. I was always treated with respect, though I never referred to an officer by their first name. I feel this would be true for health services through all of the branches.

Response by Cpl Richard Regal made Jan 6 at 2018 10:27 AM

Cpl Richard Regal — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 10:27:31 -0500

I agree. Oohhhraaa

Response by CPL Sharon Fahey made Aug 11 at 2019 12:48 PM

CPL Sharon Fahey — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 12:48:59 -0400

I think it all depends on the command. I think all branches have the ability to have that but I'm sure there are commands who lacked in many ways to accomplish that trust and comeraderi.

Response by SPC Shawn Durnen made Aug 13 at 2019 11:38 PM

SPC Shawn Durnen — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 23:38:30 -0400

Army

Response by SSG Matt Murphy made Aug 16 at 2019 9:18 PM

SSG Matt Murphy — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 21:18:31 -0400

Having been in four branches, my anecdotal vote is the Air Force. After all, it’s the only branch where the enemy shoots at officers in most cases. The smaller the team, the more likely we were on a first name basis and highly mission focused.

Response by MSgt Mike P. made Aug 24 at 2021 7:36 PM

MSgt Mike P. — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 19:36:31 -0400

I served in 3 branches and each,for the most part depending on proper distancing, yet required close teamwork! I was lucky to work with excellent Officers, each branch, however was more comfortable in the USAF!!!