Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

Veterans Employment Toolkit

Menu
Menu
Quick Links
Veterans Crisis Line Badge
My healthevet badge
 

Military Structure

In this section you will learn about all branches of the military and the meaning of each rank as well as the level of leadership and responsibility held by each rank. You will also learn about both current and past military conflicts.

Want to know all of the branches of the military or understand what your Veteran employee may have done in the Army or Navy?

Learn more about the structure of the military and read brief descriptions of what each branch does in our Structure & Branches (Handout).

Need to know what a rank of ‘E-5’ on a Veteran's resume means or understand the level of leadership and responsibility a Veteran had in his or her military service?

Learn about the different types of military personnel and the order of ranks in each military branch in our Military Ranks (Handout).

Unsure about the difference between someone who is 'active duty' and someone who is in the Reserve or National Guard?

The military and its personnel are very mission oriented. Learn more about that orientation by reading our handout. Learn about the difference, the roles of the Reserve and National Guard, and what it means when they deploy in our Active Duty vs. Reserve or National Guard (Handout).

Interested in knowing more about who is serving in today's military?

Learn more about the demographics in the Who Are Today's Service Members? (Handout).

Want to know the correct names of military conflicts, what OEF or OIF means, or which conflicts are considered wars?

Learn more about both current and past military conflicts in our Dates & Names of Conflicts (Handout).

Highlight

Check out the Who Are Today's Service Members? handout for interesting facts and statistics.

A soldier salutes to the US national flag.

*Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs web site. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.