The Armed Forces, the federal military forces of the United States, is made up of 5 branches: the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Army. However, a problem I see most often is when people don’t remember what some of the 5 branches are, the purpose of each branch or when they are needed. I strongly believe that a lot of people can’t name the branches of the military. I’ve had a friend from college Air Force ROTC tell me once that the only branches he thought existed is the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Air Force. I don’t blame him for not knowing the other two, but it really lets me know that if a guy who used to be in a program that teaches you a lot about the military actually believed that, it convinces me that there are other citizens who also don’t know all of the branches either.

The Marine Corps is a branch that many people seem to be familiar with. I believe the Marine Corps is needed because of how small it is; in my opinion, a smaller, more intensely trained force is much more effective in operations that cover problems that aren’t big enough for the rest of the world to hear about. In short, the Marines are naval infantry, or the ground troops of the Navy. With their relationship with the Navy, they are competent enough for forced entry by land, air or sea. The Marine Corps also has an imperative part of the U.S, as it also carries the task of national security.

Next is the U.S Navy. Like other countries, the purpose of the Navy is to exert military force throughout water environments, or perform naval warfare against opposing nations that are also in the waters. With the exception of the Navy SEALS, the Navy doesn’t have infantry as an MOS (military occupational specialty) simply because the U.S already has the Army and the Marine Corps; a fact that I’m sure a lot of people don’t understand. I like to think of the analogy that since the Army has the Rangers, the Navy has the Marines.

Next is the Army, the largest branch of the U.S military. When the fight is too big for the Marines on the ground, I suspect that that is when the Army is called in. When there isn’t war, the Army also serves as a security force and defense for the U.S, as shown with the Army National Guard. Generally, the Army strictly does land-based operations, which makes it different from the Marine Corps in terms of infantry.

Next is the Air Force. The general purpose of this branch is to serve the U.S from the skies. When people look at military aircraft like planes and jets, they automatically assume they’re from the Air Force. In actuality, there are planes and jets that belong to the Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Coast Guard. Enlisted Airmen don’t actually actually get into aviation after basic training unless they become an officer, and instead do other jobs. Even with the amount of commissioned Airmen, a lot of them don’t actually fly. How I see it, those in aviation don’t just fly to fight, but can also do cargo runs, air rescuing and even food distribution around the world.

Last is the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is a branch, in my opinion, that doesn’t receive as much appreciation as the other 4 branches. Even though the Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security, it is still a branch of the military. The primary mission of it is for maritime law enforcement, keeping borders around the U.S safe. Unlike the National Guard, the Coast Guard can be deployed to other countries, but only to protect its own maritime zones. The way I think the Coast Guard differs from the Navy is that one of its main focuses is to serve the U.S at the coast rather than actually fighting in the water against another nation.