My niece a very talented flutist tried out for one of the military bands and didn’t make the cut. It must be tough competition because she played a solo with the first chair flutist in the Pitssburg symphony in high school.
If she hasn’t already found a position, tell her to try out again. You never know when you’re going to have the audition of your life, so she should keep trying if that’s what she wants.
It is competitive and most, but not all, members of the military bands based in DC are graduates of music conservatories with master’s degrees.
There are military field bands all over the world, but they require more soldiering than the elite ones do.
Some of the elite bands (President’s Own Marine Band, Navy Band at Annapolis, Pershing’s Own, e.g.) are music only, but I believe all but the President’s Own still require some military training-not sure which ones. The President’s Own requires no military training, but there are strict health and weight requirements.
Even the military bands have suffered severe funding cutbacks. Tours have been cut in half from what they were a few years ago and personnel have been cut (at this point, retirements have sufficed for this). So the opportunities in this area are much less than they used to be, hence more competitive.