Info Sharing Between Military Branches—How's That Work?

I'm looking at potentially joining the military after graduation, but had a quick question. Does anyone know if the different branches of the military share information with each other? It'd be weird if they didn't, right?

Sure, your intuition is correct. The U.S. military branches do indeed share information with each other. This is crucial not only for their individual operations, but also for a cohesive national defense strategy.

The method and extent of this cooperation are handled through a variety of channels. First, there are inter-service training programs and joint military exercises where different branches work together directly. This means personnel from different branches often physically converge and share information and strategies.

Secondly, there's what we can term the 'administrative layer.' This includes bodies like the Department of Defense (DoD) which oversees all branches of the military. The purpose of the DoD is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of our country. In this role, they ensure that pertinent information and intelligence is disseminated amongst the army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, and the space force.

Also worth noting are specific units like the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) which gather, process and disseminate military intelligence to warfighters, defense policymakers and force planners within the DoD and the Intelligence Community, in support of U.S. military planning and operations and weapon systems acquisition.

So yes, there's intense cross-communication amongst the military branches, designed to ensure they're all 'on the same page' when it comes to national defense.