US Army reviews

The major down side and in some occasions and upside is the little influence on where on the planet you will be station or for even how long. Another downside that has recently been spot lighted is the deployemnts and extended time away from your families, yet it need to be taken as part of the whole package. It is the reason we are Soldiers.

From a Ph.D-level research perspective, it's a bit frustrating because the pace of research is so slow. Upper management (all military) is too tied up with rules, regulations, making sure everyone has had their training, wasting time in countless meetings per week, and generally NOT being involved in the science that one wonder's why they're even there. Research-level GS positions are very hard to obtain unless the position is created for you with the intention of hiring you regardless of who else applies. If you're one of many, many contractors, you are adminstratively considered an "outsider" and do not receive any of the government fringe benefits despite that it's the contractors who do most of the work.