USNA Combat Arms Team vs Infantry Skills Team

[sapper5446]

Hello everyone!

I am coming in for the Class of 2028 and I am excited to be surrounded by fellow savages this summer.

I have been looking into clubs to get into after plebe summer ends and Combat Arms and the Infantry Skills team are very interesting to me.

My question is, what's the difference between these two? From what I understand, CAT is mainly close quarters combat drills, and IST focuses on other fields such as small unit tactics, firing, rucking and competing against other NROTC units and going to Sandhurst at USMA.

What is the experience like at these teams?

 

[Capt MJ]

Hello everyone!

I am coming in for the Class of 2028 and I am excited to be surrounded by fellow savages this summer.

I have been looking into clubs to get into after plebe summer ends and Combat Arms and the Infantry Skills team are very interesting to me.

My question is, what's the difference between these two? From what I understand, CAT is mainly close quarters combat drills, and IST focuses on other fields such as small unit tactics, firing, rucking and competing against other NROTC units and going to Sandhurst at USMA.

What is the experience like at these teams?

While awaiting replies from recent/current mids, have you looked for these ECAs’ social media pages such as Insta and YouTube?

There will be info shared on clubs, and there will likely be people in your company who are in clubs of interest. You won’t have any problem figuring out what they do.

Wait and see how you handle the start of the academic year, which is an avalanche of heavy academic demand, plebe pro knowledge (“pro know” quizzes), plebe activities, drill practice, your sport requirement, personal workouts, room inspections, chow calls, PE and the whole pile of mandatory fun and evaluated elements of your performance. Figure out how to stay sat in all your required activities, then look for the sliver of time you can carve out for an ECA, personal enjoyment and a bit of relief.

You have 4 years to sample all kinds of things, but staying sat comes first. Being “sat-plus” supports your service assignment goals.

Looking at what you are interested in, if you have an interest in the Marine Corps, don’t overlook Semper Fi as one of the best ways to meet Marines from around the Yard and for them to get to know you.

Marines In The Making

Home page for Semper Fi Society at USNA.edu. Updated Wed Jul 12 15:41:24 EDT 2023.

www.usna.edu

 

[ParachutePanda]

@Capt MJ is right about waiting to see how everything shakes out in the academic year. I don't know a lot of people on the IST team, I think they might've changed their name but I'm not sure. Same for combat arms. I would say just wait until academic year and then go to the initial interest meetings.

 

[hopeful1998]

My oldest son was IST for 4 years and Captain his senior year ( Patriot Game champs 2019!) I remember him saying that each of the military skills teams were all great midshipmen with similiar interests, but each had a distinct team personality. It was obvious once he spent time with each of them, he fit best with IST. Although he is having fun with CQC in his current line of service.