Military jobs or military careers? Safest bets? Consider this: A significant amount of the U.S. budget is spent on defense. And while anything can happen politically, the probability of the U.S. defense budget being drastically reduced in the next few years is pretty slim. After all, right now it takes about 185,000 new people each year to keep military numbers at the current 2.4 million. That’s a lot of people, and a lot of military jobs!
But first, you have to get into the military, which means passing the ASVAB test. Second, in order to get a good job – one that you will like, and also have a few possible choices in your job, you must get good ASVAB scores. A GOOD ASVAB practice test or ASVAB study guide can raise your scores significantly.
The current goal of the Armed Forces (per the Bureau of Labor Statistics) is to maintain a force sufficient to fight and win two major regional conflicts at the same time. Given the world political climate, the U.S. military is stretched pretty thin right now, which also means good job security.
All U.S. military jobs exist to perform one of four functions. Every single job in the U.S. armed forces exists to either do one of these tasks, or to support those who carry them out:
1. To protect our freedom (and those of others in varied parts of the world).
2. To maintain peace.
3. To provide relief to people who are in need around the world.
4. To support policy around the world.
There are five branches in the U.S. military, (actually four, since the Coast Guard is part of Homeland Security) and each of these branches helps to carry out the above four overall functions:
-The Army: The U.S fighting force with approximately 522,400 full-time soldiers. There are 189,000 Army Reserve soldiers and 325,000 Army National Guardsmen. This is about 473,000 enlisted people in army jobs, and 80,000+ officers in army careers.
-The Marine Corps: Generally the first on the ground in major conflicts, the Marine Corps has 184,000 Marines and an additional number in the Marine Corps Reserve. This is about 182,000 enlisted people in Marine jobs, and about 20,000 officers in Marine careers.
-The Navy: The U.S. Navy forces are equipped to handle operations on land, in the air, and the sea, with a majority of active enlisted men and women being deployed at sea. There are approximately 330,000 personnel in the Navy and
approximately 130,000 Navy Reservists. This is about 276,000+ enlisted people in Navy jobs, and 51,000+ officers in Navy careers.
-The Air Force: The U.S. Air Force has about 352,000 troops who are focused on air, space, and cyberspace. The Air Force Reserve employs about 74,000 and a Guard Service with about 161,000 guards. This is 261,000+ enlisted people in Air Force jobs, and about 65,000 officers in Air Force careers.
-The Coast Guard: The U.S. Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime and under the Navy during wartime. The 39,000+ active-duty members of the Coast Guard perform search and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental clean-up operations. There are about 33,000 enlisted people in the Coast Guard, and about 8,000 officers in Coast Guard careers.
So all totaled, these 2.4 million people who serve in one of these five branches of the military have a specific job to do. Requirements to do these jobs vary by branch of service, but enlisted personnel need at least a high school diploma or its equivalent while officers need a bachelor’s or graduate degree.
Enlisted personnel, who make up about 82% of the Armed Forces, carry out the fundamental operations of the military in combat, administration, construction, engineering, healthcare, human services, and other areas.
Officers, who make up the remaining 18 percent of the Armed Forces, are the leaders of the military, supervising and managing activities in every military job.