yep!!! thats the first choice. You will be very glad you did.

Objectively, I gathered you want to join the military to subsidize your flying career. The ATP tuition loan is a big nut to crack. You're young enough to have a long career which will make it a distant memory. There are no guarantees in the military. Mission needs are always first. Right now time is your friend. The wrong path for the wrong reason can change that.

Jimf15e really gave the best picture.

Thank you thank you thank you for posting this. As a 16 year veteran who just took early retirement (TERA) and spent 3.5 years of those 16 years living in either Iraq or Afghanistan, it annoys the heck out of me when joining the military to get your ratings is thrown out there as just another "option" on these boards. Joining the military is a huge life changing decision that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Like you, I don't want someone in my military that is there just to get their ratings and punch out.

The military needs people who want to fly airplanes and "punch out" and people want to go all the way and make a career out of it. Not everyone is going to be a lifer. Not everyone is going to want to live with 20 years of **** sandwiches and having to check all the boxes to pin on O-6+. People have choices.

I don't fault anyone for wanting to serve their minimum commitment and decide to move on to "bigger and better" things after the military paid for a bunch of their training as long as they give it 110% while they're beside me.

As others have said, being in the military involves a lot more than just flying. I know aircrew who got tasked to man homeless shelters for 1-2 weeks on end during "Super-Storm Sandy" a few years ago cleaning up ****, ****, puke... you name it. "For State and Country". There will definitely be some things you end up doing in the military that you never thought you'd be doing when you swore in, but that's the job.

One of these things is nothing like the other. That alone should make it an obvious choice. If you qualify and can get a guard/reserve pilot slot(not easy to do btw), why in the world would go to ATP and "Pay" , when you can GET paid for going to USAF flight school and come back HOME 12 months later with an FAA commercial ticket automatically. Then get paid to go train on an advance aircraft.

100% agree. I think ANG slots or AF Reserves might be hard to come by because most career airline oriented people want to go that route as well.

Would getting all my certifications and add ons (private, instrument, mulit, and commercial) through the civilian world first increase my chances of getting a pilot slot through the military? Also would I be able to skip through any flight training through the military considering I would have some licenses already?

...........Yes.
........No.

You will skip IFS if you have your PPL.