Why is the Army the largest branch?

Answer 1

First, because it is tradition, and second because all the other branches have missions which are either equipment heavy and require fewer personnel (air force and Navy) or are specialized for a few primary missions (Marine Corps). The Army has both the most missions and the most varied types of missions. The Marines have both aircraft and tanks for example, but they are not (historically) expected to go very far inland for very long amounts of time, or act as an occupying force. In theory, it should work like this: Special Forces and SEALs go in weeks or even months prior to invasion, doing reconnaisance and/or direct action. They are followed by the Marines and/or Airborne forces, supported by the Navy and Air Force. Finally, the large Army divisions come in and finish the battle, and then do the occupying, which can go on for years.

In modern times, it tends not to be this simple. The Army and Marines have overlapping missions sometimes, so one service might not be involved at all. Or, the area of operations may be too far away from the logistical lines of one of the services. Or both may be involved the entire conflict, like in Iraq today.

The Navy and Air Force basically act as support to the ground forces. This is mainly due to the fact that no enemy nation ever been defeated by sea or air power alone. Even in Kosovo, which air power proponants look to as an example, the Air Force only acted as support to the Kosovo Rebel Forces.

Answer 2

The Army is the main branch responsible for ground operations. They need the most.

Some one above said

"Ground assaults take people. If you get there the "firstest with the mostest", you generally win the battle.

The other services generally do not do ground assualts."

That is just stupid. Don't speak if you don't know what you talk about. The Marines are all about Infantry and they are the smallest branch other than the Coast Guard.

Answer 3

The mission requirements of the Army require more people than those of the other branches. They are tasked to do more things then the other branches so they need the personnel to accomplish those missions. P.S. This is not a value based statement (i.e. this does not make the Army a superior branch or "better" branch), they simply are ordered to do a much larger variety of things than the other branches. This is also why they have more jobs available then the other branches (much larger MOS selection).

Answer 4

The army's mission is different than the other two branches (Marines are NOT a separate, branch - they are a part of the Navy). Ground operations is the forte of the Army - infantry, artillery, helicopter assault, armor. This is what the majority of combat has consisted since the advent of a professional army. The Air Force is concerned with the control of aerospace assets, both conventional and missile (ICBM). The Navy handles seaborne operations, and the Marines support that with their training in amphibious landing operations.

The army's basic mission is to take and hold the ground objectives and prevent the enemy from dislodging him from it. That takes a LOT of men and materiel.

Answer 5

1. More people know about the Army than any other branch.

2. Army has more publicity than any other branch.

3. Army is easier to get into than any other branch.

4. Faster promotions than any other branch.

That's all I can think of cause it's definitely not the pay. The pay is the same for all branches, the benefits are the same too.

Answer 6

If not the Army, some other branch would be. Basic law of mathematics predicts that of a set of of items of varying size, one item will be largest, one smallest, and the remainder in between.

Answer 7

This is a guess. Since we need a good security force, I think the largest branch would be given to the Army. (It's a guess!)

Answer 8

First to get into the Army you need a 17 or 20 on the ASVAB. Second you can get in the Army with a GED , unlike the Navy , Air Force,USMC,USCG. Third here is the score break down for the ASVAB from high to low 1.USCG 2.USAF 3.USN 4.USMC than way at the bottom is the army

Answer 9

Army is the largest branch becuase of the good pay, great values, and really good health care benefits covering your whole family specially for health and dental insurances. It is also an easy branch to get recruited becuase of the war and they really need soldiers out there.

Answer 10

The army does everything, they work with ground, air and naval systems.

Also, I happened to max out the test scores, and I am in the Army, so there is no one in any other branch who can claim to be better than this Army soldier.

By the way, the Marines are a bunch of under-equipped Army wannabes. The Army has the best training in the world.