Can all military branches or any branch switch your job assignment without your consent? Even if you haven't..

Question

ever failed, scored low in training, lied, broke the rules or anything like that.

I'm asking because I finally want to do something important with my life after all these years of being a slacker. What i'm saying is that I want to be a part of the military. I don't want to be the guy with the gun, but I would be honored to support those brave guys with the guns fighting out there.

So my question is this: Have you ever known, met or heard of anyone who was given one job, such as a desk job administering paychecks and then all of sudden, in the middle of his duty, been reassigned to a job such as infantry?

Not that I think that infantry is a bad job...just the opposite actually, I think it's one of the coolest things a person could do; they do the duty most guys couldn't even fathom. So my question remains: Have you ever met or heard of someone who'd been assigned one job, and without his consent, was put in a job he didn't want to do, such as the infantry division?

P.S. I hope I didn't come off as unpatriotic or not passionate. And I hope I made the message clear that I really appreciate and respect the job that our infantry are doing by putting their lives on the line for us. I would just like to be informed before making the important decision of enlisting.

Answer 1

A lot of it depends on your contract read it over very well also score very high on your ASVAB if you are in a technical job that requires a lot of schooling there is a lot lower of a chance they will change you to a different job since so much monty and time was i nvested into yout trainning

but the be all end all is the needs of the service... if its a need to them they reserve the right to move you where they will

Answer 2

As I explained to you in a previous question, the military is authorized to do pretty much whatever they want to do with you and they don't need your consent. In my career field (Spanish Linguist) we tend to get overmanned every couple of years (for whatever reason). In order to thin out our field, and to fill others, people are picked up and retrained. More often than not, they are trained into a different language or some variant of their field (in this case, Intelligence) but they *could* be pulled to do anything. The liklihood of being pulled from an admin billet into a job like EOD (since AF doesn't have infantry) is unlikely though.

Specifically in this day and age, with the current on-goings here in the Middle East it is EXTREMELY likely that you will be called upon to do something other than your intended job if you are picked up for a deployment I know you are interested in working in an admin billet. And yes, you already know that admin personnel can and will be deployed to fulfill administrative positions in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. But you can also be used in any other capacity that the military sees fit. They *will* give you any additional training that you will need before you deploy. As I said, I am a Spanish Linguist and I am working ***completely*** outside my career field here in Iraq (filling an Army ground billet). Trust me, as intel, I never thought I would ever be up in the turret (I didn't even know what a turret was!!!) of a HMMVW manning a .50 cal machine gun! A move such as this is not considered permanent, and you would of course, go back to your normal job when you returned from deployment.

Additionally, bonuses have no bearing on this: I just recently reenlisted for $60K and yet here I am.

Answer 3

I can only speak to my time in the Navy, but understand:

"EVERY MARINE IS A RIFLEMAN"... and I'm sure the Army has alittle slogan similar.

KEY is to check your contract !! WHILE in the Navy training pipeline for "Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator" a number of us had missed the little clause that said after completion of Naval Aircrew Candidate School, we COULD be picked and sent to Rescue Swimmer School... and that refusal or failure to complete RSS would void the guaranteed A-School in our contract... you would then be shipped off to where ever the Navy needed a non-rated airman !!

ONCE you get your NEC / MOS... you and the service are bound by the contract and regulations.

I have NEVER heard of a clerk/supply/corpsman type being FORCED to change to "infantry" once rated. FMF Corpsman are ALL volunteers.

Not to say that if you're "in-country" and an emergency occurs you won't have someone point to the fence and expect you to stand a post.

I was AIRCREW... but when a fire occured on the BOAT, I was dragged into a fire-fighting team (damage control)... even though the training was 8 years in the past !

Answer 4

These guys are talking about what you're trained to do, job-wise, and it looks like most of them are right.

However, beyond the job/MOS/AFSC/rating, there is what unit you are assigned to and what they are assigned to do.

And that can be something different than your job training because, at the heart of it, you are trained as a soldier/sailor/Marine/airman first...

So, if you're an admin clerk and your unit is assigned to go by convoy from point A to point B across Bagdad, expect to be packing an M16 and shoot back when shot at.

Also, it's relatively common for almost anyone to be pulled to be an instructor or Drill Sergeant...

I had, while I was in the Army, Drill Sergeants who were Truck Drivers, Medics, Medical Admin Clerks, Infantrymen, Combat Engineers, Field Artillery Meteorological Crewmembers, Field Artillery Surveyors, and others at one time or another. Recruiters were a similar mix.

I've also seen many Admin types who were not school trained but were whoever the unit had that was literate, could type, and they thought they could spare...

So, your job training is more garuanteed, what you actually do is more dependent on the needs of your unit and the needs of the military...

Answer 5

Generally no. You must be informed and given a choice of either changing your job, or separate from the military. The only time it is not an option is if you are disqualified to do the job your sign up for, i.e. Loss of security clearance, a physical disability, or failure to meet standards while in training. The U.S. Navy now has a program called PTS (Perform to Serve) in which all first time Navy enlisted must submit a packet prior to re-enlistment to determine if you can stay in the job field you are in. Things that determine your staying in the job field are the creo group of the job field (how manned the job is) your performance evaluations, and such. Lately due to the Law Enforcement/Fleet Protection rating (Master-At-Arm) or MP, being overmanned there have been many that have been informed that they much change their job field in order to re-enlist in the Navy.

Answer 6

well if u were in a desk job for the military, and they wanted to move u up to infantry, i am pretty sure they would ask u first, or they would probably train u, wich takes months, and then u could be prepared to go into infantry, but then u wouldnt go right into fighting, beause u would have been not as experienced. But if u join as one thing, the chances are they arent going to just take u and put u into another military job. And if they were, the chances it would be slim that u would be a infantry person, there are over 800 jobs in the military, and i think only 8-15 are fighting forces.

Answer 7

The armed forces has an incredible talent for finding it's people the most effective position for them.
Have you ever watched the comedy series MASH? Remember the character Radar? He is just a clerk. But without him that mobile hospital completely failed to function. No supplies, food, staff, information coming and going.
I'm an army brat and the one thing I know for sure is there are no unnecessary positions. Your only as strong as your weakest link. What are the guys doing the fighting going to do if they run out of bullets, food and water?
Your question is founded on the wrong assumption. You would be put where you are needed according to your personal skills and attitudes....period.

Answer 8

I was a navy corpsman. The recruiter was flat out honest with me when I posed the same thing to him

There is no guarantee on the job. I explained to him that I could not intentionally kill a person and he indicated that by saying this they could prohibit me from joining as a conscientious objector.

It was shown to me where it says in the contract that the military can change your MOS (or your job) as the needs of the litary dictate.

This does not happen often especially if you are in a high demand position. I wil say the navy Corpsman was a great job and I worked in hospitals and cllinics the whole time I was in.

Answer 9

If I am not so out of date, I very much remember being told when I enlisted in the military, that the military will assigned you to a job you prefer, BUT, with the understanding that the needs of the military will come first. Meaning wherever the military needs you most is where you will go and do the job.

Answer 10

The military is all about contracts these days. If they breach the contract you get a lawyer. When I was in, I only saw one person who had their job changed, but she was committing forgery. What's funny is they made her a secretary, who handles finances. haha.

If you join the Army you should be fine,just be absolutely sure what they say is written on the contract, don't let them screw you. I always recommend the Air Force, even though I was in the Army, they always seemed to take care of their troops.

Check out this MOS for all services. Linguist, you will get some cool duty stations.