What is the difference between US Marines and US Army?

Answer 1

Well the short answer is that they are different branches of the military. The long answer is this and I'll try to be as indifferent as possible. Ill compare the rangers to Marine Corps infantry.

Lets start with the USMC as I am more knowledgeable with them.

First training wise, the Corps makes you go through a 13 week bootcamp. After which they go to ITB (Infantry Training Battalion) which is another 9 week long school. After which they go to their respective units (unless recon but they are not considered typical infantry). From there its training day in and day out and playing all of absurd "games" (not the fun kind). The training is extremely difficult and is non-stop as they are always out in the field or going on hikes with all their equipment and weapons (If your a saw gunner you have to carry your saw).

Ok now with the rangers

The easiest comparison would be to USMC recon because they are not considered SF (that would be the Green Berets). The rangers are usually the cream of the crop of the army (and many Green Berets are the best of the best in Ranger Battalions, usually) They go through army basic which I believe is 9 weeks long but it is much easier than USMC bootcamp. From there the go to AIT but I'm not 100% positive on that and after that if they have signed a ranger contract prior to shipping to basic (basically if they were physically fit with a 1st class pft and not a mental case) they go to ranger school which would be equivalent to USMC ITB but is slightly more in depth and emphasizes alot of team building and small team leadership (which is a main stay in the USMC as a whole). Also if you flunk out of ranger school you get recycled into regular army infantry. If you flunk out of ITB you get sent to some other MOS not infantry related (comm, cook, etc.).

Now if you were asking who was better trained I would say a Ranger is about equal to USMC Infantry. Its harder to compare the two because they are trained for two very different missions but either one would be a very formidable opponent when someone in the army completes basic training with a ranger contract they then go to airborne school and after that are brought to RASP, not ranger school. ranger school is to earn a ranger tab, which someone from any unit (or branch) can try to achieve. RASP is to get selected into the 75th Ranger Regiment. which is a special operations group of the U.S. Army. while i will agree that marine boot camp is probably harder then army basic training, it is just that, basic training. the army itself is too large to train everyone to an elite standard, therefore theres groups like SF and rangers to draw out the toughest in mind and body from the regular ranks. unlike basic training and boot camp, RASP can be quit at anytime for any reason, and people are dropped frequently for lacking the substance to be a ranger. anyone can complete training that they are not allowed to quit, but doing something that just downright sucks and sucking up your pain and mental abuse, lack of sleep, blood soaked feet, and still performing to the standards even tho 80% of the class quits in the first few weeks, that takes strength.

I am a former Army Ranger and my father was a Force Recon Marine. I will try to balance my answer as he seemed to be more familiar with the Marine side of things.

When you go into the Army with a Ranger contract, as an 11B Infantryman, an airborne contract or an MOS that the 75th Ranger Regiment accepts or needs, you have an opportunity to become an Army Ranger. While anybody (who meets the pre-qualifications) in the Army can go to Ranger school, being an Army Ranger is a separate and distinct path that leads you into the Army's Special Operations Community.

Without arguing who is tougher or who has the most training between Marines and Rangers, I will attempt to illustrate what training an Army Ranger does to get to where he is going and once he arrives at the unit. First; boot-camp, then AIT or a combination of them known as OSUT. Next, comes airborne school and RASP (formerly known as RIP), both located at Ft Benning, home of the infantry and the 75th Ranger Regiment. Upon arrival at one of the 3 geographically separated Ranger Battalions, you have just got your foot in the door, so to speak. You are recognized as a Ranger and your training as a Ranger essentially begins then. Based on unit availability, your "drive and motivation" and personal accomplishments/experience,etc., you are sent to Ranger school as soon as possible. Upon completion of Ranger school, you return to your unit and resume your training with your unit. Starting in RASP, you can "opt-out" or quit at anytime and you will go to a conventional Army unit based on the Army's needs. The Regiment can also return you to the regular Army based on your performance; or lack of. You are held to a higher standard in Regiment than you would be in most units. This includes physically, mentally and morally. The Ranger Creed is your guideline for this. All Rangers are required to memorize this (among other things)and live it daily. There is a large amount of emphasis on this in your early days as they develop you into a Ranger and leader. After Ranger school, you will most likely assume a leadership position if you haven't already. The role of a quiet professional is emphasized in all Special Ops units and a great amount of responsibility is put on young men early in their careers. The Regiment can do this due to their stringent entry requirements. Higher security clearances are required due to the nature of the Regiment's work.

The missions your unit are primarily responsible for and command you're unit is under play a big role in what, how, when you will deploy into a combat situation. The Rangers in the Regiment are 4-time volunteers; in that they volunteer to come into the Army, to go to Airborne school, to attend RASP and attend/complete Ranger school. They are essentially an elite light infantry unit, although the term light infantry can be argued for modern-day Rangers due to the current conflicts.

Because they are Special Operations, they have a unique set of skills/missions that they train for and are better at than other units. For example; you won't regularly see Army units storming the beaches doing a beachhead assault as that is the bread and butter of Marines and Navy units. An airfield seizure is an example of a "specialty" or primary mission of a Ranger battalion. Both Marines and Rangers train hard at what they do and IMO, are the best in the world at it. The Marines are unique in that they are, as stated previously, part of the Navy and serve as their Naval Infantry personnel. The Rangers are basically highly trained infantrymen who are part of a special operations unit that undertakes high-priority missions for the U.S.

Understanding the differences in conventional and special operations units is key to understanding the differences in the Marines and Rangers. One isn't necessarily better, but they are different. There is no end-all, be-all force within any competent military, but as a team, the US Military has a diversified combination to answer any threat to national security. Comparing those two is still more like apples and Oranges. Most people ignorant (no offense meant) of the military and especially of front-line units want to know who is the toughest. That to me is a naive question and is also subjective to what their idea of tough is.

Answer 2

Marines has to deal with the sea, because marine means the sea.

The Marines are a sea to land combat force and branched off the navy (so did the coast guard. The army is more of a Land or a Air to land combat force. (Air Force branched off the army in the mid 50's. Prior to that it was known as the Army Air Corps.)

Marines are trained more so in a (for lack of a better term) Born to kill mind state. The Army is trained similar to that but not quiet as intense. The way I have personally seen it is the Marines are more like the destroyers and the Army are maintainers.