Joining a foreign military?

I intend to apply for USMMA and then try and get a flight slot with the USN, when I leave high school but I'm living in Ireland right now and I was thinking of joining the Irish Army reserves.. would I still be allowed to become a U.S naval officer if I previously served in a foreign force?
The Irish army is neutral so no risk of of danger to our country.

Expect a lot of questions about it when you apply for a security clearance. Not necessarily a show stopper for joining, though.

Thanks, I'm already an officer in the Irish (civilian) Coastguard, and want weapons training (military is the only way to do it with gun restrictions)..
I'm curious though, is a 3.78 GPA competitive enough to get into a service academy?

Jacks, 3.78 GPA very competitive for a Service Academy. As a non-citizen...in a tough economic environment, getting an appointment very problematical.

MilAcad + FltTrng + Service Commitment = ~12 yrs. Lengthy, strange, long-shot route for some "weapons training". Is that your main goal?

BzB, descendent of Antrim Cty Clan Magee

Busybee, sorry I meant I was joining the Irish army reserve for some weapons training (no service obligation).
It is my ultimate goal to become a U.S naval aviator.
I am a U.S citizen also so I can apply as a U.S citizen.

Wouldn't that make me ineligable for the U.S navy reserve commission?

Put it this way: you're a US citizen, so if you want to get into an Academy, minimize the number of things that can hold up the process. Joining a foreign military will not preclude you from admission, but it will raise eyebrows and hold things up while people ask questions.

If you're thinking you need weapons training to make you compeititve for admission, you don't. Doing something like the Irish coast guard is a great spirit-of-volunteerism thing and will make your application stand out. Doing it just to shoot guns seems kind of excessive.

Sorry I wasn't very clear about the reasons for joining the Irish military reserve. I just saw getting weapons training as a benefit. Military service is something I want to do my family has a history of it, 2 of my uncles were NCO's in the Irish army, my cousin is a reserve corporal, another cousin just retired as commander in chief of the Irish Defence forces, My primary goal is to become a U.S naval officer though.

Good luck on your quest. BTW, if you make it as a SNA and especially as a Naval Aviator, you'll get beaucoup "weapons training"...(but not for skeet, trap, or recreation...heh heh!).
BzB

Fascinating discourse. Thanks for letting me take a peek. My only "sorta similar" exposure was this situation kinda in reverse. When I was XO of VF-51 in the mid-80s (Yes, to answer your question...we did ALL of the TOMCAT flying for the making of the movie "TOP GUN" (less the US Navy stock footage)...our squadron "head nod" for that was the script plot line that Maverick's dad, Duke Mitchell, was a Naval Aviator with VF-51 aboard the USS Oriskany (CV-34) during the Vietnam War, and that he died on November 5, 1965 when his McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was shot down...even though Oriskany never operated Phantoms), one of our more stellar pilot JOs (he flew in the movie...his name is in the credits...) was ending his obligated service, and "felt driven" by family background to join the Israeli Air Force afterwards. He went, and did, and because, I suppose, of a perhaps "special relationship" we may have had or continue to have, there was no issue about his US citizenship. Not really germane to your situation, I understand, but I've never yet had the opportunity before to give this great American a "shout out" for ALL of his service. Thanks for letting me do so here.

Absolutely shameless. But it isn't braggin' if you've done it!

Interesting aside, Renegade!

I made a W'pac on TICO, and a 'R'd the Horn' on CONNIE w/ VF-51 as one of our Fighter Sqds. They were flying F-8 'Saders back then. Put on awesome Airshows at port calls in Trinidad, So. America, Panama & Mexico! Fun cruise.
BzB

I can't find anything so far in the OFFCRUITMAN about this, which means it would probably be a NRC waiver, and who knows what they would do, I believe other contries are more forgiving of a person joining their service after serving in ours than the other way around.

Huh... serving my country is a crime? :/

Crime? If it requires a waiver, that doesn't make it a crime. Many medical or legal issues may require a waiver. That doesn't make them a crime. If it requires a waiver & it's not granted then you choose to enlist...then you may lose your citizenship, but I doubt that would be considered a crime.
BzB

Isn't an NRC waiver specifically for criminal matters though?

no

Important question- does Irish law define the Coast Guard as military/"armed forces" or does it define it as police?

More important question- how will the people handling your application to the U.S. Navy/USNA interpret the above question? "Armed forces" is the key phrase here...

(I don't know the answer to either.)

The RAAF used to poach the occasional USN P-3 pilot/NFO, usually as they completed their PEP tours. There were never citizenship problems with them. I personally knew two of these guys and for a time after my first shore tour they were trying to convince me to jump ship to the RAAF too.