Duty status is a common way that Service members self-identify.
Active Duty
There are 1.4 million active duty Military personnel within the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, all of which are under the Department of Defense. In addition, there are approximately 47,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime. These Service members are employed full-time by the Military, whether in times of peace or times of war. Active duty members voluntarily sign up for full-time Service, usually ranging from two to five years in length, and are obligated by law to fulfill the terms of their Service. Some active duty Service members will later join Reserve components as a way to fulfill the terms of their Service.
Reserves
The Reserve component includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard. In the civilian world, you might compare the Reserves to part-time employment. Many Reservists maintain full-time jobs in the civilian world and live in locations of their choosing. Reservists take part in regular training and are subject to call to active duty in times of war or emergency, but they are not normally “stationed” at a military installation. There are nearly 850,000 members of the Reserve components.
National Guard
The Army National Guard and Air National Guard are part of the Reserve component. Guard units are organized by state and territory. Under normal circumstances, all Guard units answer to the governor of that state and can be called to assist during emergencies within their states. However, during times of war or national emergency, Guard units come under federal control and authority shifts to the commander in chief – the President of the United States.
Rank communicates Service members’ level of responsibility and leadership.
Chains of command and authority provide a foundational basis for the Armed Forces. In the Military, a person’s status can mean the difference between giving orders and following them. Rank varies from Service to Service; for example, there are captains in both the Army and the Navy, but they are not at equal levels of responsibility or leadership. When a member of the armed services is in uniform, he/she will wear insignia to denote his/her rank. Rank is divided into three categories: enlisted, warrant officers, and commissioned officers.
Enlisted
Enlisted members are the individuals who voluntarily enlist or enroll for a specific period of Service and are positioned below commissioned officers and warrant officers. As the most junior members of any Military branch, they comprise the majority of the Armed Forces.
Warrant Officers
Each Military branch, with exception of the Air Force, has warrant officers. They rank between the highest enlisted rank and the lowest commissioned officer rank. They typically have highly specialized skills in a specific area. Warrant officers undergo special training in order to remain experts in their field.
Commissioned Officers
Commissioned officers make up the senior-most leadership positions within the Armed Forces. Service members who qualify as officers meet more than the minimum requirements for enlisting and are placed in positions of immediate leadership. Officers have completed college course work and most have at least a bachelor’s degree.
For a complete listing of insignia worn by officers and enlisted members, click the Resources link.
How rank is communicated will vary depending on the venue or situation.
How you address a member of the Armed Forces will vary depending on the mode and the formality of the interaction. For instance, you would address an envelope to a Service member differently from how you would address the person in conversation or formally introduce him/her to an audience. Generally, lower ranking Military members will refer to a senior officer simply as “sir” or “ma’am.”
To learn more about appropriate ways to address Military members, click the Resources link.