Each branch of the military is unique in many different ways. Finding the branch of the military that best fits a servicemember's career goals is as important as choosing a job within that branch. Many times, servicemembers will start out in one branch and, while serving, notice more fitting aspects in a different branch. However, once under active contract, switching from one branch of the military to another can sometimes be difficult.

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The easiest transfer among the military is to move from the Air Force or Navy into the Army, a process called "Operation Blue to Green." According to the GoArmy.com website, Operation Blue to Green "facilitates the transfer of qualified Air Force and Navy individuals to active duty in the Army, depending on your service's willingness to release you from your current active service obligation."

One of the benefits of switching from the Navy or Air Force is that those in ranks E-1 through E-5 get to maintain their rank; officers get to keep their grade and date of rank as well. Some of the requirements for servicemembers in the Blue to Green program are: meet height and weight requirements, sign a contract of at least three years, and have an approved DD Form 368 (Request for Conditional Release) on file.

For Marines and members of the Coast Guard, completion of the current term is required in order to transfer branches. Those interested should speak with a recruiter near their Expiration of Term of Service (ETS) date.  

Soldiers who wish to go into the Navy or Air Force are encouraged to write a letter explaining their intention to transfer and fill out the required DD 368, and then meet with their immediate supervisor within their chain of command.

Most of the time, if a Soldier wishes to switch branches, he or she should complete the term of service contract with the Army and upon ETS find a Navy or Air Force recruiter. The Soldier will then enlist into that branch as a, "prior service recruit." Soldiers who wish to transfer to the Marine Corps should speak with a Marine recruiter for details.

Trying to transfer branches while serving within a unit that has received deployment orders is often impossible. The military highly recommends that members of the armed forces wait to start the procedure until returning home from a deployment, if deployment orders have indeed been cut, before starting the process.

Servicemembers can apply for an early discharge from one branch of the military if accepted into the Officer Candidate School/Officer Training School of another service. In addition, under an inter-service agreement, members of other branches can request an early discharge to apply for the Army Warrant Officer Program. However, in many cases fulfillment of the active contract is required before transfers are approved.

It is important to note that if the goal is to transfer from one branch to the military to another upon ETS, a servicemember should start speaking to a recruiter from that branch before his or her ETS date. Because there are branch-specific quotas for prior service enlistment, and some branches require completion of its basic training program and/or retraining within the specific job field, it may not be possible for all prior enlisted to transfer, even upon successful completion of their active military contract.