20+ Differences Between Army And Marines (Explained)

Both the Army and the Marines take great pleasure in having the hardest, most diverse personnel in the American Armed Forces.

The two military service branches have many characteristics, yet they also have differences that set them apart. One important distinction to highlight when contrasting the two branches of the military is the difference in size between them.

The Marine Corps is one of the smaller branches of the US Armed Forces, with the Army being the largest. The Army has a lot more soldiers than the Marines, but because of the Marines’ connection to the Navy, the Army has more varied aviation.

I/C

Key Differences:

Army

  1. The Army is often made up of land-based combatants who carry out their missions using infantry, tanks, and artillery.
  2. Although certain Army special forces are trained in amphibious combat, they do deploy aircraft and helicopters when necessary to aid their ground-based objectives.
  3. The Army’s personnel are educated to handle the largest range of tasks across the world.
  4. The Air Force and Marine Corps also provide support for the Army, but the Navy is often not a source of assistance.
  5. Of the two branches, the Army normally receives the most advanced weaponry first.
  6. The Marines’ platoons lack an extra squad for infantry weapons, although the Army’s platoons do.
  7. There are several chances to work in a non-combat capacity in the U.S. Army, such as that of a physician, linguist, or chaplain.

Marines

  1. It is the duty of the Marine Corps to take and control land, ships, or oil rigs.
  2. The fact that the Marines are amphibious fighters—that is, they fight on land via the sea, sometimes necessitating underwater combat—is one of their distinguishing characteristics.
  3. Typically, a Marine Expeditionary Unit will have resources available to it in the air, on land, and at sea.
  4. The Navy and Air Force will provide support for other forces, whether it takes the shape of ships, planes, or helicopters.
  5. The three squads of a Marine rifle platoon are commanded by sergeants.
  6. Each squad has three fire teams, each of which is directed by a corporal and consists of a rifleman, an assistant automatic rifleman, and an automatic rifleman.
  7. In the Marine Corps, there aren’t as many alternatives for non-combative positions, but there are many other occupations available in other fields like aviation because the Marines have their own air force.

Comparison between Army and Marines

ParameterArmyMarines
Moto“This We’ll Defend” is the slogan of the American Army. The War Office first used this catchphrase in 1775, just before the Revolutionary War started.The commonly used Latin word “Semper Fidelis,” or simply “Semper Fi,” serves as the Marine Corps motto. This means “Always Faithful” in Latin.
SizeThere are around 500,00 military members in the Army.Less than 200,000 Marines are on active duty.
FunctionThe Army’s duties include ensuring national security and maintaining tranquility.The Marines’ objective is clearer. The Marines were initially designed to support naval battle, but they have subsequently developed into the United States’ rapid reaction force.
HeadquartersThe U.S. Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, houses the headquarters of the American Army.They are stationed in the Headquarters Marine Corps, which is located in Arlington County, Virginia, and has a number of facilities.
Application RestrictionsYou must be an authorized permanent resident or a citizen of the United States. Not allowed to enroll are single parents with one or more dependents.Before enrolling, single parents must submit a waiver and wait a year.
Age RequirementsThe U.S. Army requires recruits to be 17 or 18 years old to enroll.The minimum age to join the Marine Corps is the same as the U.S. Army, however, you must be under 29 years old.
Reports toThe Secretary of the Army, who works under the Secretary of Defence, is the person who the United States Army reports to.Although explicitly under the Secretary of the Navy’s management, the Marines also answer to the Secretary of Defence.
OperationDue to the fact that the U.S. Army is predominantly a ground force, it will transport personnel using trucks, tanks, and all-terrain equipment.The Marines regularly manage Navy-related missions; therefore in addition to Humvees or tanks, they may also deploy ships, submarines, and amphibious vehicles.

Major Differences Between Army And Marines

What exactly is an Army?

An army is a sizable, organized force that is equipped and prepared for battle, particularly on land. The phrase can refer to a sizable force set up for autonomous operations or to the whole military structure of a country or ruler for ground warfare.

Armies have undergone many organizational and character changes throughout history. Due to socioeconomic and political changes in several nations, militaries have undergone changes over time.

The development of new weaponry had an impact on how armies were set up and how the war was fought. Armies have occasionally been formed around foot troops, mounted fighters, or men in vehicles.

They have included experts or novices, mercenaries engaged in pay-for-play or plunder-for-pay battles, or patriots defending their country. The formation of an army must be taken into account in the context of the eras in which it was formed and the conflicts it participated in.

I/C

Duties- Army vs. Marines

Duties of the Army:

  1. Equipment operation, maintenance, and repair in support of military tasks, such as combat or training drills, humanitarian assistance, or disaster relief.
  2. Carry out technical and support tasks.
  3. Watch over junior enlistees.
  4. Plan, coordinate, and command military operations’ personnel and actions.
  5. Control the enlisted people.
  6. Operate and command ships, armored vehicles, or aircraft.
  7. Offer engineering, legal, medical, and other services to military personnel.
  8. Information on troops, equipment, finances, and other military-related operations is kept up to date by administrative staff. 
  9. They provide support roles in industries including finance, accounting, law, maintenance, supplies, and transportation.
  10. The infantry, artillery, or special forces are examples of combat units that use personnel with specialized combat training.
  11. Personnel with a specialty in combat may go toward hostile troops and launch missiles, firearms, mortars, or artillery to destroy them. 
  12. Construction workers construct or maintain a variety of constructions, including buildings, airfields, and bridges. Additionally, they could operate large machinery like cranes or bulldozers.

Duties of the Marines:

  1. The Marines serve as the United States’ main deployment force.
  2. Marines are trained to be prepared for immediate action, whether on land, at sea, or in the air.
  3. Honor, courage, and dedication are traits that Marines strive to exhibit both domestically and overseas.
  4. Sometimes, especially in regions of escalating tension, Marines are sent throughout the world to guard embassies and the employees attached to them.
  5. A Marine’s overall instructions in battle are to fight the enemy, protect the battlefield for incoming comrades, and then advance to the next task at hand.
  6. Marines participate in humanitarian operations alongside other arms of the armed military.
  7. Recent operations have included assisting in the halting of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and Bosnia.
  8. Marines frequently engage in humanitarian endeavors at home, both individually and collectively.
  9. Toys for Tots, a charity that gathers toys and gives them to kids in need throughout the Christmas season, is organized by the Marine Corps.
  10. Marines represent the United States abroad, whether they are delivering humanitarian relief or fighting in close quarters battle with a dangerous opposition force.
  11. The Marine Corps is comfortable operating at sea since it is a part of the fighting team made up of the Navy and Marine Corps.
  12. On a Navy ship, a typical Marine detachment fulfilled numerous functions, including security and defense.

What exactly are Marines?

A military force that is specifically organized, trained, and recruited for duty at sea and in land operations incident to naval campaigns is the Marine Corps. Marines have been employed for many years in history.

Epibatai, or heavily armed sea troops in the Greek fleets, were mentioned by the Greek authors Herodotus and Thucydides in the fifth century BCE and Polybius in the third and second centuries BCE. 

Regular soldiers frequently boarded ships in Europe during the Middle Ages to act as a fighting unit, but it wasn’t until the naval conflicts of the seventeenth century that the British and Dutch nearly simultaneously rediscovered the specific and structured role of marines, establishing the first two modern marine corps.

Although other nations also have marine corps, the United States Marine Corps, which was established in 1775, is now the most well-known of its sort.


Contrast Between Army And Marines

Mission 

  • Army- In addition to ensuring national defense, the Army’s goal is to uphold peace and safety. The Army protects national security and responds to any violent threats that might put the country at risk.
  • Marines- The purpose of the Marines is more clear. The Marines were initially designed to assist in naval conflict, but they have since developed into the American fast-reaction force.

    When there is a natural disaster or military conflict, they are called upon to defend American interests and deliver life-saving relief.

Roles

  • Army- When serving in the military, soldiers defend the nation from both internal and international adversaries while also defending one another and themselves.

    Soldiers labor to defend freedom and democracy with an emphasis on putting the mission foremost, without letting up, preserving health and competence, discipline, and self-care.
  • Marines- The United States’ main deployment force is made up of the Marines. The Marines, who live by the motto “Semper Fidelis,” are taught to be ready to take instant action on land, at sea, or in the air.

    Marines work individually to represent the virtues of honor, courage, and dedication both at home and overseas.

I/C

Top Army Ranks:

  1. General of the Army
  2. General
  3. Lieutenant General
  4. Major General
  5. Brigadier General
  6. Colonel
  7. Lieutenant Colonel
  8. Captain
  9. Major
  10. First Lieutenant
  11. Second Lieutenant

Top Marine Ranks:

  1. E1 Private
  2. E2 Private First Class
  3. E3 Lance Corporal
  4. E4 Corporal
  5. E5 Sergeant
  6. E6 Staff Sergeant
  7. E7 Gunnery Sergeant
  8. E8 Master Sergeant, First Sergeant
  9. E9 Master Gunnery Sergeant, Sergeant Major, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Work Environment 

  • Army- Military vocations have different work settings and circumstances depending on the occupational specialty, unit, branch of service, and other variables. In the United States and across the world, the majority of active-duty military personnel reside on or close to military bases and facilities where they work and live.
  • Marines- Put in at least 8 hours a day of work, perhaps more, seven days a week. Three to five consecutive months of work at sea. In close quarters, usually inclement weather and with jarring ship motion, people must live and work.

Salary 

  • Army- Base pay is determined by rank and length of service. All branches have the same pay scales. Depending on their work assignment or qualifications, members of the armed forces may be paid more.
  • Marines- Most Marine enlistees begin their careers at the E-1 pay grade. You will earn a base salary of $1,514 per month at this level with fewer than four months of service in the Marines.

    Pay increases to $1,638 per month as soon as you have worked more than four months. If you don’t have any dependents, you receive $548 per month for housing; if you do, you receive $730 per month.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is the difference between marines and Navy?

While the Marines conduct amphibious combat missions, the Navy focuses on guarding the sea ports’ entrances and exits.

The Navy will help the Air Force when needed, and the Marines will assist the Army when a quick deployment is required.

The Marines are not totally independent since, unlike the Navy, they occasionally need logistical and administrative help from the Navy.

Q2. Is there any law for marines?

A complex of laws, agreements, and treaties referred to as marine law, sometimes known as admiralty law, regulates open water offenses, shipping, and other maritime activities.

The Law of the Sea refers to international regulations that control how the oceans and seas are used.

Q3. What is military law? 

The military is governed by a body of legislation known as military law. The application of military law to the armed services was essentially a recognition that those in the armed forces are subject to different laws and expectations than regular civilians.

For military personnel, military law serves as a kind of government. However, it should be remembered that Military Law is not the same as Martial Law.


Similar Posts:

Was this article helpful?

Leave a Comment