Interservice rivalry is a military term referring to rivalries that can arise between different branches of a country's armed forces, such as between a nation's land forces (army) and naval forces.

Such rivalries are often seen as negative influences on the effectiveness of a country's armed forces. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense was originally created to provide overall coordination for the various branches of the U.S. armed services, whose infighting was seen as detrimental to military effectiveness during World War II.

In some ways, however, interservice rivalries can encourage positive outcomes, such as improving the esprit de corps of a given branch of the military.

See also

• Army-Navy Game
• National Security Act of 1947
• Goldwater-Nichols Act
• Revolt of the Admirals
• Contrast with joint warfare

Military organization | Military terminology | Rivalry