Jesus Christ, Kaffee, you're in the Navy for crying out loud.
Yeah, this is what I was think'in:
Kaffee: Whoa. Hold it. We gotta take a boat?
Barnes: Yes, sir. To get to the other side of the bay.
Kaffee: Nobody said anything about a boat.
Barnes: Is there a problem, sir?
Kaffee: No, no problem. I'm just not that crazy about boats, that's all.
Galloway: Jesus Christ, Kaffee, you're in the Navy for crying out loud.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104257/quotes
To answer your question, the Navy
may be the more "safe" option than the other services in this war on terror due to the nature of the branch.
I say this because when the Army, Marines, or Air Force deploys, it is invariably to a ground station somewhere. In the Navy, you may be on a 6-10 month deployment off the coast, but at least the danger of insurgent activity is lower out to sea. Most nations we oppose have a small and relatively ineffectual naval presence compared to the US.
Now as for intel, these Officers and Petty Officers are frequently tasked with supporting an Army unit, since the Army needs the assistance. Your chances of getting ground duty in Iraq or Afghanastan is higher in this community than the Boatswain's Mate/1st Division community.
There are Naval personnel of all rates on the ground in the desert supporting the Iraq and Afghanastan operations. Most of the Navy, however, are best left on the ships.
I would suggest picking a job you like and not worrying about the actual risk, though. Find something you think would be fun and be the best you can.
As for leaving the US, I reference the quote above :tongue2_1 The Navy is all about deploying, more so than any other branch, since we do it even in peace time. If you want a branch that is primarily based in the US, you should look at the Air Force or Coast Guard.
Good Luck!
