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JOIN

U.S. ARMY

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CONTENTS

About the Army 4Personnel 4 Structure 5 Composition 5Service Options 6 • active duty & army reserve 6 Active Duty: Serving Full Time 7

Army Reserve: Serving When Needed 7

• enlisted soldiers & officers 8 Enlisted Soldier 9 Warrant Officer 9 Commissioned Officer 9

Careers & Jobs 10 Help Choosing a Career 10 Become an Officer 12 Army ROTC 13 Direct Commission 13 Officer Candidate School 13

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ABOUT THE ARMY

Personnel

WHAT IS THE U.S. ARMY MADE OF?The strength of the Army lies not only in numbers but also in the individual Soldier. Because no matter what job they have or rank they hold — there is nothing stronger than a U.S. Army Soldier. The Army consists of more than 675,000 Soldiers: 488,000 on Active Duty, ready to respond im-mediately to any mission; 189,000 in the Army Reserve, who can be rapidly mobilized when their skills are needed in times of national emergency or global conflict.

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Because the Army is made of such a large number of Soldiers, it must be organized into units, each with its own leaders and reporting structure. Each unit—whether it’s a squad or division—was created to respond to any mission, regardless of size or complexity.

The Army is made of two major components: the Active Duty and Army Reserve. Those who serve in either component are Enlisted Soldiers, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), War-rant Officers or Commissioned Officers.

Structure

Composition

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Service Options• active duty & army reserve

TWO CHOISES — ONE ARMYWith tensions building around the globe, it takes a multi-tiered force of highly trained, committed Soldiers to protect our freedoms and uphold democracy. This force consists of Active Duty Soldiers and Soldiers in the Army Reserve. These two groups work in tan-dem to create the most powerful, well-prepared fighting force in the world.

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Active Duty is similar to working at a full-time civilian job. There are hours when, as a Soldier, you will be training or performing your job, and then there are off-hours when you can do what you like. For an Active Duty Soldier, your length of service can range from two to six years. Typical deployments are 12 months in length, and after six months, Soldiers are usually eligible for a two-week Rest & Relaxation (R&R) leave.

The Army Reserve is more like a part-time job that enables you to keep your civilian career while you continue to train near home and serve your country. As a Soldier in the Army Reserve, you should expect to spend one weekend a month in training and at-tend a two-week Field Training Exercise (FTX) once a year. In times of war, Soldiers in the Army Reserve may be called up to Active Duty (“activation”) as our country’s needs require. Service options for the Army Reserve range from three to six years, depending on your Army job and where your Army Reserve Center is located.

Active Duty: Serving Full Time

Army Reserve: Serving When Needed

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• enlisted soldiers & officers

THERE IS NOTHING STRONGER THAN A U.S. ARMY SOLDIER.The Army has three categories of Soldiers: Enlisted Soldiers, War-rant Officers and Commissioned Officers. Each has its own special-ized training, responsibilities and areas of expertise. Each and every Soldier is the pride of our nation. Together, they are critical to the Army’s ability to defend our coun-try, our freedoms and our way of life.

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Enlisted SoldierWell prepared and highly adaptable, Enlisted Soldiers are regarded for their sense of duty and the sacrifices they have made for their country. Much like employees at a company, Enlisted Soldiers perform specific job functions and have the knowledge that ensures the success of their unit’s current mission within the Army. An Enlisted Soldier’s rank can range from Private to Sergeant Major of the Army.

Warrant OfficerA Warrant Officer is a highly specialized expert and trainer in his or her career field. Warrant Officers remain single-specialty Officers — progressing within their career field.

Commissioned Officer

Commissioned Officers are the manag-ers, problem solvers, key influencers and planners who lead Enlisted Soldiers in all situations.

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CAREERS & JOBS

Help Choosing a Career

There is no limit to the opportuni-ties in the Army — so there’s no limit to what you can learn and achieve. The Army strengthens you with expert training in one of over 150 different jobs for Soldiers on Ac-tive Duty and over 120 in the Army Reserve.From working with comput-ers to assisting physicians to fixing helicopters, there’s an Army job right for you — providing the ex-perience that will give you an edge over those in the civilian world.

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS * U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien * 17-41 years old * Healthy and in good physical condition * In good moral standing * High school or Equivalent EducationSome positions may have additional qualifications

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We’ve put part of the Army enlistment process online, allowing you to see if you qualify for jobs that match your interests and abilities. Simply follow the easy steps set up for you. Once all the steps are completed, we can compare your interests and abilities to a de-tailed database of Army jobs then share those findings with you.

STEP 1: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELFIn this section you will be asked to provide information so that we can provide a list of jobs that are best suited for you.

STEP 2: SEARCH FOR AVAILABLE JOBSChoose your search timeframe and let our system find the available jobs that you qualify for. Please note, processing may take a while.

STEP 3: SELECT PREFERRED JOBSWhen the search is done processing, you can review and learn about the available jobs and choose the ones you prefer.

STEP 4: PRIORITIZE PREFERRED JOBSYou’re almost done now. All that’s left to do is prioritize the list of jobs based on which jobs best match your interests.

STEP 5: APPLY ONLINEThe Army Career Explorer can provide you with a simple way to start the enlistment process. After you have completed Tell Us About Yourself, continue here to provide more information and send your application to a Recruiter. Your Recruiter will then contact you to discuss further details.

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INSPIRING STRENGTH IN OTHERSHonor, integrity and personal cour-age are three of the values Army Officers embody in their pursuit of mission accomplishment and personal excellence. By standing as examples of the leadership skills honed through centuries of Army achievements, today’s Officers set the standard. They serve our nation with distinction in peace and in war. As leaders, Commissioned Officers constantly validate themselves as Army Strong by having the strength to inspire strength in others.The four paths to become a Com-missioned Officer in the world’s pre-mier Army are highlighted below.

Become an Officer

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Army ROTCArmy ROTC is available at colleges and universities throughout the United States, as well as in Guam and Puerto Rico. Students enroll in ROTC’s elective lead-ership and military courses in addition to their required courses. Upon graduation, ROTC Cadets are commissioned as Army Second Lieutenants.

Direct CommissionDirect Commission provides leaders in professional fields such as law, medicine and religion the opportunity to become an Army Commissioned Officer. Upon completion of their Officer training pro-gram, they are commissioned at a rank determined by their career branch.

Officer Candidate SchoolOCS allows college graduates to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be commissioned as an Army Officer. Through classroom instruction and training exercises, Candidates learn to become leaders. Upon completion of OCS, they are commissioned as Army Second Lieutenants.