Army Vs. Marines
The U.S Army and U.S. Marine Corps are primarily ground-based branches of the military. While the two branches share much in common, there are plenty of differences between the two services.
Other People Are Reading
-
Founding
-
The Army and Marines were established in 1775, although the Marines were disbanded after the Revolutionary War and reestablished in 1798.
-
Branch Focuses
-
The Marines exist as an expeditionary force to establish a military foothold in hostile territory, often through joint operations with the Navy. The Army's mandate is broader and aims towards ground-based military actions.
Careers
-
Since they have a narrower focus, the Marines do not offer the variety of careers that the Army does.
Marines and the Navy
-
The specialization of the Marine Corps comes from a symbiotic history and organizational existence with the Navy, with the Marines acting as "The Navy's Army" and the Navy providing logistical assistance, while the Army combines the land-based military forces of the Marines with the logistical infrastructure of the Navy.
Reserves
-
This structural difference also extends to the reserve units of the branches, with the Army's reserves outnumbering the Marine Corps' by nearly 175,000 members (along with the Army National Guard, a homeland-based reserve that the Marines do not have).
References
- Photo Credit "The Marine Corps Silent Drill Team" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Sister72 (Jackie) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
