What's the difference between the US Army and the USMC?

Condor97

The Marines are essentially a "light combat" unit while the Army is a "heavy combat" unit. This is only a complete generalization though, and they are this way for specific reasons. The Marines have to launch from ships and deploy faster, so they use lighter, cheaper equipment better suited for the quick-strike role they normally play. The Army uses bigger, thicker, more powerful equipment for long-term heavy engagements. A perfect example of proof would be the Marine Cobra Gunship and the Army Apache Gunship. Also the USMC LAV and Army Stryker.

The Marines were originally the soldiers/sailors onboard ships responsible for boarding enemy ships and preventing the enemy from doing the same. They later evolved into a first-strike invasion force, although the army also did and still does this too. The USMC is still part of the Navy while the Army is its own branch.

They fulfill slightly different roles, but can still cross-over although they'd be a bit less effective. They are similar in many ways. For example, the Army Rangers and Marine Force Recon are aesthetically almost the same, but they work for different levels of command, which would technically place the Rangers higher up, although it's not fair to judge two units fighting for the same country against each other, and either one would gladly fight alongside the other.

Also, the army is huge while the marines are a relatively small force.

Blu

Yes, they are legs that specialize in amphibious assault. Today they are a redundant infantry unit basically left over from the more fragmented days of early modern warfare. It used to be that our Air Force was a part of the Army and Marines were little more than naval landing crews and ship board soldiers for engagements with the British, but during the 1900's with the politicization of the armed services came a lot of independent little groups all fighting for a bigger piece of the taxpayer pie. Like all Bureaucracies, their primary but unspoken mission is always to grow the bureaucracy.

The Marines today survive only on their reputation and performance during the WWII Island Hopping campaign. There have been several attempts since the 1980's to modernize and incorporate them into the modular unit concept that the rest of the services have gone too but they have fended them off with brilliant PR campaigns taking credit for Airborne operations and propagating the myth that Marines are a part of the rapid deployment forces of the US, which they of course are not.

Just read below and you will see what I mean. Marines cannot deploy for days on end, however they still spread the myth that they will be the first there despite the fact that US doctrine designates which units are rapid deployment and how many hours before they have till time on target. It is a function Marines are not even capable of, but they claim it none the less. Every single engagement and deployment since the 1980's was spearheaded by one or more of the US Airborne forces. All US Army units and Navy Seals.

Stefano

The US Army and Marines are very similar in appearance yet perform different tasks. First the Marines are in charge of guarding embassies. Secondly, the Marines tend to work with the Navy more, using navy equipment and usually riding in Navy transportation. The Army on the other hand tends to associate itself more with the Air force, due to the fact that they were a single entity at one point. The big differences between the Army and Marines is funding, size, structure, and role. Marines play more of a light infantry role than the army does.

Justin N

First off I happy some Marine douche didn't come in saying the Army is ****. Mostly everything here seems accurate. The Marines are under the department of the Navy. They thus do naval things. People always rag on the Army but our mission is land. Most people in the world live on land so our mission is using mostly land based equipment.

Sicily

no, the marines aren't just land-based, they do a lot of different things too.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-the-us-army-and-the-us-marines.htm

WhoIsJohnGaltCom

The Marines are more closely related to the Navy.

From Wikipedia:
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States. In the civilian leadership structure of the United States military, the Marine Corps is a component of the United States Department of the Navy, often working closely with U.S. naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes; however, in the military leadership structure the Marine Corps is a separate branch.

Mike

umm blu... most missions arent spearheaded by airborne units...

The Balkans= 1st Armored Divison(Old Ironside)
Baghdad=3rd Infantry Division

Chanse

the Marines is nothing like the army. the marines go in first and tear up the enemy while the army waits for the marines to tell them its ok to come in and they go in and see what they can help with.

Rick

That last guy apparently has not bothered to study much military history. He only wants to repeat what some other misinformed Marine has told him. Why don’t you try and open a book? I think you would be very surprised, and probably a little disappointed, at what you find to be the truth. You are probably not even in a combat arms M.O.S. You sound like one of those rear echelon mess kit repairmen.

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