USCGA vs USNA

navy2016

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What are some major difference between the Coast Guard and the Navy after graduation?

Does the CG frequently leave US waters? What are some common officer assignments in the CG?

I have interested in 4 of the 5 SA's; I want to be on a ship but AF does seem exciting too.
 
You should seriously look into USMMA as well. You graduate from KP with a BS degree, A coast guard license, and you are a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. The plebes at KP got sworn into the Naval reserve this past weekend.
 
USCG Opportunities and Careers

The Coast Guard is broken up into three main divisions: air operations, operations afloat, and shore operations.

Air operations deal with the use of Coast Guard aviation assets to accomplish the eleven core missions of the USCG. Currently, the USCG's inventory includes MH-60 Jayhawk and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, and HC-130 Super Hercules, HU-25 Guardian, and HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed wing aircraft. Coast Guard aviators do everything from airborne use-of-force (shooting out engines on drug boats) to search and rescue.

Operations afloat will take you aboard a USCG cutter, the workhorse of the service. The cutter fleet is broken down into white hulls (law enforcement), black hulls (construction and buoy tenders), and red hulls (icebreakers). There are two pathways available to junior officers station aboard cutters. The first is deck watch officer, which entails driving and navigating the cutter. The other is student engineer, which deals with operating and maintaining the cutter's propulsion systems and other machinery.

Shore operations for officers are mostly at sectors, which are like the Coast Guard's regional field offices. Sectors coordinate operations between small boat stations, air stations, and cutters. Junior officers assigned to sectors will typically end up in either the prevention or the response community. Prevention officers inspect commercial vessels to ensure they meet Coast Guard standards, while response officers conduct security boardings of high risk vessels and other law enforcement operations.

As you progress in your career, there are many other jobs that open up, such as XO or CO of a cutter, congressional staff duties, headquarters positions, research and development, naval engineering, and even teaching at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Coast Guard cutters frequently visit ports of call in other countries, and a typical sea period could be anywhere from 16 hours on a buoy tender to 8 months on an icebreaker.

The opportunities in the Coast Guard are plentiful, and I hope you keep considering USCGA as a potential place for you.

Go Bears!
 
Air operations deal with the use of Coast Guard aviation assets to accomplish the eleven core missions of the USCG. Currently, the USCG's inventory includes MH-60 Jayhawk and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, and HC-130 Super Hercules, HU-25 Guardian, and HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed wing aircraft. Coast Guard aviators do everything from airborne use-of-force (shooting out engines on drug boats) to search and rescue.

The guys at Air Station Washington would be sad you left out their airframes (ok, there aren't very many of those "special" jets".

Good summary of the Coast Guard! In between those tracks are staff tours, which were covered in the "Congressional staff...HQ....etc etc etc" part. The bread and butter of the Coast Guard is operational units.


In addition to what was already said, you will find that the Coast Guard gives its people a great deal of responsibility early in their careers. A junior officer on a ship will have a number of collateral duties. You could see a third class petty officer on TV talking about a national disaster. Because it's so small, everyone has to carry the load. It also allows the Coast Guard to watch out for its people.

I looked at USNA, USMMA and of course USCGA....I would not change what I ended up doing for the world. USNA and USMMA are fine institutions (despite KP's football team), but I liked the Coast Guard's total package in the end....great service, great people, great missions....it's a small community that asks you to do a lot with a little. You will grow to have some pride in that, including doing your job 24/7 when most people have no idea what it is you do....of that your service exists.
 
I never realized that the CG does travel around the world.
I just checked out their website and found it rather interesting. I will definitely apply.
 
I never realized that the CG does travel around the world.
I just checked out their website and found it rather interesting. I will definitely apply.

The Coast Guard has been a part of every U.S. war since 1790. Fired the first naval shot of the Civil War, lost the highest percentage of personnel in WWI, landed troops in WWII, were some of the original members of the OSS, patrolled the coasts of Vietnam, and you can even find Coast Guardsmen now, in the North Arabian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan (ok, not THAT many in Afghanistan, but remember, there also isn't a coastline there).
 
The Coast Guard has been a part of every U.S. war since 1790. Fired the first naval shot of the Civil War, lost the highest percentage of personnel in WWI, landed troops in WWII, were some of the original members of the OSS, patrolled the coasts of Vietnam, and you can even find Coast Guardsmen now, in the North Arabian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan (ok, not THAT many in Afghanistan, but remember, there also isn't a coastline there).

So has the Red Cross :wink:

Interesting rundown of the USCG.
 
I think it all boils down to do you need to be the big fish in a small pond or can you live with being a small fish in a very large pond. Both have their advantages/disadvantages and personality type does play a part.
 
USCGA v. USNA v. USMMA

I am a senior in HS, and USCGA, USNA, and USMMA are my top three schools. I have finished applying to USNA, am waiting on two letters of rec for USMMA, and have started the USCGA essay with the goal of getting it complete before October 15th. I also went to both NASS (USNA) and AIM (USCGA) this past summer and I've visited USMMA this past winter. All three are excellent schools in my opinion, and are similar in that they serve a common general purpose. YET they all have individual missions; THAT is where your decision should be made (again, in my humble opinion). One of the things I heard at AIM that I don't necessarily agree with (but still thought was funny) was: "if you want to kill people, join Navy; if you want to save people, go Coast Guard" :rolleyes: . The Merchant Marine kinda mixes it up.

Just have fun, navy2016; each school offers different things to different people. Be sure to visit the Academies, and if you're still a junior (I'm assuming by the 2016 entry) make sure you apply to the summer programs.
 
Also, as evidenced by today, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is the only service academy that allows you to beat USMMA. Go Bears, Continue to Beat KP.
 
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