What is the difference between commissioned and enlisted officers

Both of these roles are essential to the military and offer rewarding careers. A first step toward becoming an enlisted service member or an officer is to work with a military recruiter. Your recruiter will help you determine the best path for you depending on your level of education, goals and qualifications.

There you will:. As a recruit, you will attend basic training to prepare physically and mentally to become a member of your branch of service. Basic training typically spans seven to 12 weeks depending on your branch of service. After graduation from basic training, you will attend advanced training and in some cases, additional training to learn your job. Enlisted members start their careers as junior enlisted personnel, called privates in the Army and Marine Corps, airman basic in the Air Force and seaman recruit in the Navy.

Though military titles and rank can differ by service, the military standardizes pay grade rankings, designating them as E-1 through E Pay and responsibilities increase as you rise through the enlisted ranks. The enlistment process will usually begin with speaking with a military recruiter and visiting a Military Entrance Processing Station. To complete the enlistment process, prospective soldiers are then required to take an oath of enlistment, complete Basic Combat Training, complete Advanced Individual Training, then they will be assigned a job within a unit.

But what do enlisted service members and officers do? Having the knowledge of the differences between enlisted personnel and officers helps to connect the dots of how the Military works.

These jobs all require intensive training that develops skills that are highly transferable to civilian employment. In order to become an enlisted service member in the U. Once enlisted, many enlisted service members will train for jobs and learn skills and get hands-on experience in fields of employment such as transportation, human services, office administration, or mechanics.

These skills learned during their time in the military will usually prove to be an asset to veteran job seekers as this experience transfers well to civilian employment.

Although they are ultimately following the orders and commands of the higher-ups, commissioned officers are the central point of contact for every new recruit. Commissioned officers can also play an active role in various missions, excursions and other methods of training.

A non-commissioned officer NCO is a military officer that has not yet earned a rank or commission. Tasked with helping to execute the vast majority of military missions as well as leading by example at all times, they are responsible for fulfilling their individual duties and for ensuring that they accomplish all missions as a team.

Non-commissioned officers may be selected to take the lead in various aspects of the mission based on their unique strengths and weaknesses. Another important aspect of being a non-commissioned officer is to bond and commune with their fellow troops. Over time, they should learn to be both leaders and followers. They must learn to be dependable and also able to depend on their fellow troops as needed. A warrant officer WO is a highly trained technical specialist that can work in any of the main branches of the military.

They can specialize as combat leaders, advisors, trainers and their primary function is ensuring the Army's combat systems, vehicles and networks are operating at maximum capability and safety.

Warrant officers can work in intelligence, aviation or military police specialties. They outrank all enlisted personnel and can advance from technical experts into leadership roles that oversee Commissioned Officers in their particular specialty with experience, recommendations from their commanders and approval from a selection board. In addition to the roles they serve in the military, commissioned and non-commissioned officers have other differences as well.

These include:. Non-commissioned officers must graduate high school or earn a GED before they can enlist in the military.

One of the most common paths for NCOs is through the Non-Commissioned Officer Education System NCOES , which is a series of leadership training courses and classes designed to teach soldiers how to lead in various levels of the military. Commissioned officers are those who have obtained a mission from a specific channel, such as:. Even though commissioned officers come from these specialized military channels, they must also earn a four-year degree before officially entering into the military.

However, to improve their chances of climbing the ranks, they may pursue a post-secondary degree or take training courses and earn certifications to improve upon their skill sets. Warrant officers WO complete military training which begins with the Warrant Officer Candidate School training and can go onto the Warrant Officer Flight Training program if the candidate wants to be a specialized Army pilot.

Warrant Officer Candidate School: Candidates that are interested in specializing in a non-flight warrant officer career receive their education through the Warrant Officer Candidate School, which is a seven-week training, generally completed in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Military Entrance Tests. Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. There are Military Joining Process The entire process of joining the military is different for enlisted and officers, especially commissioned officers.

Enlisting only requires a high school diploma or GED. Military Oath of Office Have you ever been a witness to a swearing-in ceremony or watched some raise their right hand for military service and take the oath? So help me God. Below are two ways of identifying rank: Insignia : Objects on a service members uniform including stripes, bars, stars, eagles, or oak leaves. Usually enlisted personnel wear stripes while officers wear bars, stars, eagles, or oak leaves.

The BLS Handbook states some of the duties of an enlisted service member may include: Supporting military operations or disaster relief Operating, maintaining, and repairing equipment Performing technical activities The work of officers typically includes: Planning, organizing, and leading troops and activities in military operations Managing enlisted personnel Operating and commanding aircraft , ships, or armored vehicles Providing medical, legal, engineering, and other services to military personnel Military Greeting Another difference you may not have noticed is how military members address each other daily.

Wrapping Up the Difference Between Officers and Enlisted We understand how confusing the terms military officer and enlisted can be.