Technical School Requirements in the Military

Hi! I've been doing some research about joining the military after high school and noticed that some branches require technical school training. Do all branches require this?

Hi there! Great question. While not all positions in the military require technical school training, many do across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. This is usually for positions that require specific skill sets or knowledge that needs to be learned in a more specialized or focused setting.

Let's break it down by branches:

1. Army: After Basic Combat Training (BCT), recruits usually proceed to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) where they specialize in a specific Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This is where a soldier would receive his or her technical training.

2. Navy: After Boot Camp, sailors typically proceed to an "A" school where they learn the ropes of their specific job or rating. This serves as a sailor's technical training.

3. Air Force: The Air Force follows a similar pattern, with recruits being enrolled in Technical Training after Basic Military Training (BMT).

4. Marine Corps: Marines attend a Marine Corps Combat Training (MCT) course, after which they are sent off to their respective MOS schools to gain technical expertise in their field.

5. Space Force: As it is a relatively newer branch, they have inherited a lot from the USAF's organizational structure, including their technical training which follows the same pattern as the Air Force.

6. The Coast Guard also has “A” schools for more specialized job training in their designated career paths.

In that sense, you could say that all branches require some form of technical school training, but it really depends on your specific role and where you're assigned within the branch. Keep in mind that these trainings aren't always coined as "technical school," but they do provide the specialized training one would need for a specific job or role within that branch. The details may vary, so it's crucial to get information for your specific situation from a recruiter or educational officer.