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How do I know if I want to go navy or AF

Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Insomuch as it matters to a junior officer, I’ve found the biggest difference is quality of life and where you can be stationed. With some glaring exceptions, the Air Force has excellent facilities in shithole locations, while the Navy has the reverse.
 
insanebikerboy

insanebikerboy

Internet killed the television star
pilot
None
Contributor
Gatordev said:
I'm curious if things might be different just because of where @insanebikerboy is at, but in my experience talking with AF O-3s, it seemed that Navy O-3s have had a lot more opportunity to lead/manage enlisted by that point in their career than an AF O-3. That could be a positive or a negative depending on what you're looking for. I found it to be a huge positive.

I also wonder if that doesn't fuel the "top-down," "I'll defer it to higher" leadership style that IBB is describing that's endemic to the AF as a whole, even if it's not at the squadron level.
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These are excellent points and you’re exactly right. Depending on the squadron type, it is possible that an officer won’t ever directly lead enlisted until senior O-4/5 levels. It’s also very possible that an officer may only have to supervise a couple of other officers until that O-4/5 level.

I believe the lack of a division and department structure contributes to the situation you described. Everything is pushed up to the DO or CC and there’s no intermediate stop where someone can make the decision.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
What else can we do to help this youngster…

1.Navy gets cool movies like Top Gun, Flight of the Intruder, and Top Gun: Maverick. AF gets Iron Eagle…four versions of it.

2. In the Navy you get to be an “aviator” and even a “unrestricted aviator,” but in the AF you can only be a “pilot.”

3. This is mostly opinion, but Navy squadron patches are way cooler than AF patches.

4. In the Navy you get fur on your flight jacket collar, in the AF it is all horse right up to the neck.
 
gparks1989

gparks1989

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Same bullshit, different language. That's about the best way to describe the differences. Diversity of air frames is a win in the USAF column, culture/locations is a win for the Navy column. Spent lots of time with the USAF and something about the culture is off to me, but that's a biased and unscientific assessment.
 
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