Military Options in California

What's up everyone? So I'm a rising junior thinking about joining the military after graduation, and my main goal is to stay in California if possible just 'cause my whole fam is here. Any of you have info on which branches of the military have significant presence in Cali?

Hello! In terms of military presence, all six branches of the U.S. military – the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force - indeed, have a significant presence in California. It's in fact the state with the highest number of active-duty military personnel. To give you a quick rundown:

1. The Army has Fort Irwin and Presidio of Monterey in California. The former is stationed in the Mojave Desert and is an important training center, while the latter hosts the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Centre, a premier school within the Department of Defense for linguistic training.

2. The Navy has bases located in San Diego, Long Beach, and Lemoore among other areas. The San Diego region in particular is home to the Pacific Fleet, boasting the largest concentration of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean region.

3. The Marine Corps has Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Camp Pendleton, situated near Oceanside, is the major West Coast base for the Marine Corps.

4. The Air Force operates Travis Air Force Base, Beale Air Force Base, Edwards Air Force Base, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and more. These bases are involved in varied missions, from supporting humanitarian operations worldwide (Travis) to space launches (Vandenberg).

5. The Coast Guard also has several installations dotted along the California coast, including the Coast Guard Island in Alameda, responsible for a variety of missions including search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and homeland security.

6. The Space Force AFB is located in the greater Los Angeles area - El Segundo, California. It serves as headquarters to the Space Systems Command (SSC), which is responsible for developing, testing and maintaining military satellite constellations and other Department of Defense space systems.

Now, remember that choosing a branch should ideally align with what you want to do and the skills you want to acquire. And worth noting is that, regardless of the branch you join, there will always be the possibility of being deployed or transferred, so a guaranteed permanent stationing in California might not be feasible. It's great that you're considering military service. Good luck as you explore your options!