My twelve year old son is expressing an interest in serving his country. He’s very academic and athletic, and if he sticks with this desire I’d like him to apply to one of the academies. What is the best way to explain the differences between them? I myself am not sure, except that one is Army and one is Navy. Thanks!
The academies themselves are fairly similar in terms of academics and the environment. USAFA is slightly more selective than either USMA or USNA in terms of standardized test scores. There are fairly major differences once commisioned though. Generally speaking an Army Officer is responsible for more soldiers earlier in their career than either an Air Force or Navy officer would be. Air Force and Navy officers in the first five or so years of their career may be responsible for a small team of 15 individuals or be an individual contributor. An Army officer would normally lead a platoon of 40 right out of the academy and then lead a company of 120+ somewhere between the five year and seven year point in their career.
thanks!
Find an Academy Day presentation in your state and register to attend. This will help you understand what each of the five service academies offer. Also, spend time on their websites as they each have valuable information there.
At 12 years old, wouldn’t it be more about explaining the differences in the Army, Navy, Air Force, etc?