Military ranks of the armies of the world. How to distinguish between military ranks of the us army. Features of the US military doctrine

The state, which does not have a potential enemy near its borders, was able to build powerful armed forces with the most modern weapons. The number of the personnel of the American army is just over a million military personnel (the training of which is considered a modern model for most armies on the planet), as well as almost seven hundred thousand civil servants. Up to five hundred thousand people serve in the ground forces, up to two hundred thousand in the reserve army and almost four hundred and fifty thousand in the National Guard.

The American army occupies a leading position on the planet in terms of the level of funds spent on it. Thus, the 2016 military budget provided for spending more than $ 607 billion on the needs of the army, which amounted to more than 34% of global military spending. According to independent sources, this is three times more than China's defense spending and seven times more than Russia's.

General structure of the U.S. Army

The US Army was founded in June 1775 by a decision of the Congress, it was intended to defend the young independent state. The modern armed forces of America include independent types of the armed forces:

Ground troops;
Air Force;
Naval forces;
Marine Corps (KMP);
Coast Guard.

Moreover, everyone, except the coast guard, is directly subordinate to the minister of defense, the latter in peacetime is subordinate to the national security agency, but during the period of martial law it is also subordinate to the minister of defense.

The US Constitution provides for the appointment of the President of the State by the Commander-in-Chief of the American Army. He, in turn, in peacetime controls the national Armed Forces, directing the civilian minister of defense, in whose subordination are the heads of the Armed Forces. The heads of the ministries deal with the issues of recruiting, equipping, organizing and supplying the army, and also control the combat training of personnel. The supreme military command of the branches of the Armed Forces are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chairman of this committee decides the issues of coordinating the activities of everything related to the state's military command and control bodies.

The operational subordination of the American Armed Forces has now been reduced to nine joint commands, five of which are formed on the basis of a geographic principle.

Five Joint Commands:

North American;
South and Central American;
European;
Middle Eastern and Asian;
Pacific.

All branches of the US Armed Forces located in their areas of responsibility are subordinate to the commanders of these joint commands. The other four joint commands do not have their own areas of responsibility.

The Joint Commands include:

Strategic command. Deals with strategic planning issues, controls strategic nuclear weapons;
Special Operations Training Command;
Strategic Airlift Preparation Command;
Unified Forces Command. He is engaged in combat training in all types of the Armed Forces.

Manning the American Army

The American army is recruited on a voluntary basis and is based on a contract basis. American citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America who have a residence permit and have at least secondary education are accepted into the service. The minimum candidate age for military service is 18 years. However, if you get parental approval, then you can go to serve at the age of seventeen.

The age limit for active military service is determined for each type of wax in the US Army. So, for example, the age limit can be:

Air Force and Coast Guard - 27 years;
Marine Corps - 28;
Naval Forces - 34 years;
Ground Forces - 42 years old.

Each contractor signs a contract for service for a period of four to eight years.

National racial composition

The United States of America is a multinational state. The national composition of the country is represented, in addition to Europeans, by African Americans, Asians and Hispanics. The same picture is reflected in the formation of the American army.

So, according to information from open sources, they serve in the Armed Forces of America:

European Americans - 63%;
African Americans - 15%;
Hispanics - 10%;
Asians - 4%;
Indians and Alaska Natives - 2%;
Other from mixed marriages different - 2%;
4% were undecided about their race or nationality.

It should be noted that the latter group includes those who do not have American citizenship, but are eligible for permanent residence in the United States. Most of them go to serve in the army, as this greatly simplifies obtaining American citizenship.

Gender

By gender, the American military is divided into:

Men - 86%;
Women - 14%.

For many years, it was generally accepted that only officers could be professional soldiers in the American army. Nevertheless, after the Vietnam War, during the reform of the army in the early seventies, the status of professional military personnel received the sergeants and vorent officers.

Mobilization resources

The total American population is over 325 million. This provides the army with extremely large mobilization resources. According to some estimates, mobilization resources may be more than one hundred and ten million American citizens.

More than four million Americans and American women reach draft age each year. In addition, the state has at its disposal approximately eight hundred and fifty thousand so-called "reservists" of all branches of the military. A separate branch of the military is the American National Guard formed by reserve groups created by the army and Air Force... The total number of National Guardsmen in the United States is approximately three hundred and fifty thousand military personnel.

Features of service in the US National Guard

A feature of service in the American National Guard is the combination of service and work in a civilian specialty. Each year, the National Guard recruits approximately sixty thousand American citizens. All of them are prescribed to undergo combat training in groups and individually. There are a total of forty-eight programs of four hours each, performed on weekends throughout the year.

In addition, the National Guards are sent to camp for two weeks to participate in command post and military exercises in conjunction with army formations. All employers are officially warned that if they try to prevent the National Guard servicemen from fulfilling the official and combat tasks set by the state, they may even face criminal liability.

In addition to patriotic feelings, Americans are motivated by various benefits that are provided to those serving in the US National Guard:

Increase for payment of accommodation;
Increase for payment of treatment;
Preferential sale of goods and products in military stores;
Refueling at military gas stations (at a price 50% cheaper than the market price);
Increase to pension;
Others.

Features of the US military doctrine

V Lately the American military leadership assumes the concentration of its resources in five critical areas:

Elimination of terrorism and the expansion of weapons of mass destruction;
Intelligence service;
Preparation for information wars, including the protection of their systems of informatization and communications, as well as the elimination of similar enemy systems;
The struggle for military superiority in the airspace with an emphasis on the development of unmanned aircraft;
Development of military space technologies.

At the same time, American military doctrine draws attention to preparation for military clashes in the course of non-traditional and hybrid conflicts.

Armament of the US Army, Air Force and Navy

Infantry weapons:

Tanks - over eight thousand;
Armored combat vehicles - almost twenty six thousand;
Self-propelled artillery pieces - almost two thousand;
Towed artillery - almost one thousand eight hundred;
Missile systems - more than one thousand three hundred.

Aircraft - more than thirteen and a half thousand;
Fighters - more than two thousand two hundred and twenty;
Fixed-wing combat aircraft - more than two thousand six hundred;
Military transport aircraft - more than five thousand two hundred;
Training aircraft - more than two and a half thousand;
Helicopters - more than six thousand;
Combat helicopters - more than nine hundred.

Military units and formations

Squad - nine to ten military personnel, these are US Army soldiers commanded by a sergeant. The smallest structural element in the American army;
Platoon (platoon) - sixteen to forty-four military personnel led by a lieutenant. The platoon includes two to four squads;
Rota (company) - sixty-two to one hundred and ninety military personnel. It consists of three to five platoons, the company is commanded by the captain;
Battalion of the US Army (battalion) - three hundred thousand soldiers. Consists of four or six companies, the battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel;
Brigade (brigade) - three to five thousand troops. It consists of three to five battalions headed by a colonel;
Division (division) - ten to fifteen thousand troops. Its usual composition is three brigades, the division is led by a major general;
Corps (corps) - two to forty-five thousand troops. It consists of two to five divisions, the corps is controlled by a lieutenant general;

The chevron and patches of the US Army are distinctive signs that are attached to clothing and reflect belonging to a particular structure, official position, type of troops, as well as service in a particular unit. In addition, chevrons with stripes may indicate seniority, study time in military educational institution, military or special ranks in the US Army. They can complement shoulder straps and buttonholes, or even replace them. It can also be a qualification badge, or the "US Army badge."

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In the American army, the gradation of ranks differs from the Soviet / Russian system and instead of the usual sergeants and foremen, junior and senior officers with generals, there is the following:

Comissioned Officers, certified superiors. Actually the officers in the Russian analogy. They, in turn, are divided into:

General Officers, Chief Executives. In the USSR / RF this is the generals
- Field Grade Officers, the head of the field category. In the USSR / RF, these are senior officers
- Company Grade Officers, chiefs of the company category. In the USSR / RF these are junior officers

Warrant Officers. The translation is quite tricky - order management. In the USSR / RF these are ensigns. The USAF does not have this category at all.

Non-Commissioned Officers In the USSR / RF these are sergeants and foremen.

Enlisted, conscript, service in general. In the USSR / RF these are privates.

From left to right.

1 row

Major General - Brigadier General *
Lieutenant General - Major General
Colonel General - Lieutenant General
General - General
Marshal of the Russian Federation - General of the Army **

* Of course, this is a purely conditional comparison, since there is no brigadier general in the RF Armed Forces. A brigade within a division is commanded by a colonel, and a separate brigade is commanded by a major general.
** Marshal of the Russian Federation - honorary title, General of the Army - reserved.

2nd row

Major - Major
Lieutenant Colonel - Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel - Colonel

3rd row

ml. lieutenant - no analogue
Lieutenant - Second Lieutenant *
Art. Lieutenant - First Lieutenant
captain - Capitain

* In general, the word Lieutenant and the Russian lieutenant derived from it, is translated as deputy, assistant. So the lieutenant is much more Russian.

Art. Ensign - Chief Warrant Officer 5
Ensign - Chief Warrant Officer 2
Stashina - first sergeant
Art. sergeant - sergeant first class
Sergeant - sergeant
Ml. sergeant - corporal *
Lance corporal - private first class
Private - private **

* in the US army, this rank does not apply to NCOs, but to Enlisted
** In the US Army there is also the concept of "recruit". This is the same private, but passing, speaking Russian, KMB. It has no insignia, so you will not find it outside the United States.

In addition, there are three more NCO ranks in the US Army over 1st Sergeant: Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major, and Sergeant Major of the United States Army. But, these are more positions than titles.

Sergeant Major is considered the head of the entire non-commissioned officer corps of one specific unit: a separate battalion or regiment, as well as a brigade or division. In fact, he is the foreman of a battalion or regiment most often.
Command Sergeant Major performs similar duties but at the Command level, which can be roughly equated to our military district.
Well, Sergeant Major of the United States Army performs the same duties at the level of all ground forces. There is only one person in this rank in the ground forces.

The uniform and items of equipment of the US Army may vary depending on the rank and the event taking place. The easiest way to determine rank is to look at the decals that each member of the army has on the uniform. Each rank will have its own unique insignia, and the symbols of the captain or officer will clearly differ from the rank and file. Check out these differences to learn how to quickly identify the ranks of members of the army.

Steps

Definition of enlisted and non-commissioned officers

You must know where to look for insignia. The enlisted and non-commissioned uniform includes the field uniform (ACU), which is usually made of camouflage-colored fabric, and the “green” uniform, which usually consists of a tunic and trousers or a skirt made of rough cloth. Decals are located in different places, depending on the type of form:

Look at the field uniform cap. For privates and sergeants, insignia are located in the center of the cap.
Badges with insignia will be located in the chest area of the field uniform.
On the "green" uniform of privates and sergeants, stripes with insignia are located on the upper part of the sleeves.
Privates and sergeants do not display their insignia on berets. Instead, their division is indicated on the front of the beret.

Find out the decals of the rank and file recruits. The lowest rank (E-1) for recruits in basic combat training does not have any insignia. For E-2 recruits, rank is identified by a single yellow square (chevron) patch. For privates first class (PFC, E-3), the chevron symbol is rounded at the bottom, framing a green field.

E-4 rank soldier insignia. Specialists (SPCs) wear a green triangular insignia with a rounded top and a golden eagle in the middle. Corporals (CPL), however, carry the insignia consisting of two chevrons.

Definition of insignia of sergeants. There are several types of sergeants in the US Army, both enlisted and not in the ranks. You can tell them apart by paying close attention to the insignia.
- The sergeant's insignia (SGT, E-5) is very similar to the corporal's, but instead of two chevrons, there are three.
- For the Staff Sergeant (SSG, E-6), the insignia consists of three connected chevrons with a rounded end that frames the green field.
- Sergeant First Class (SFC, E-7) has the same insignia as Staff Sergeants, but with two roundings on the bottom.
- The Master Sergeant (MSG, E-8) has the same insignia as the First Class Sergeant, but with three roundings on the bottom.
- The First Sergeant (1-SG, E-8) has the same insignia as the Master Sergeant, but with the addition of a small yellow diamond in the middle.
- The Chief Sergeant (SGM, E-9) has the insignia of the First Sergeant, but instead of a diamond in the middle there is a star.
- The Chief Sergeant of Command (CSM, E-9) has the insignia of the First Sergeant, but instead of a diamond, there is a star in the center surrounded by two ears of wheat.
- The sergeant major (E-9) has the insignia of the first sergeant, but instead of a robe in the middle there is a golden eagle and two stars.
Determination of insignia of lieutenant and captain. Second Lieutenant (2LT, O-1), First Lieutenant (1LT, O-2) and Captain (CPT, O-3) have rectangular insignia. The Second Lieutenant has one golden rectangle, and the First Lieutenant has one silver rectangle. The Captain's Insignia (CPT, O-3) is two silver rectangles.

Determination of the insignia of a major and a lieutenant colonel. Both of these titles bear leaf insignia. However, the Major (MAJ, O-4) has a gold leaf, while the Lieutenant Colonel (LTC, O-5) has a silver one.

Studying the insignia of the colonel. Colonel (COL, O-6) - The last rank before general. His insignia is a silver eagle with outstretched wings.
Determination of the insignia of generals. There are 5 ranks of general in the US Army. Each rank has a distinctive silver star, but note the difference.
- The Brigadier General (BG, O-7) has one silver star.
- The Major General (MG, O-8) has an insignia - two silver stars located in the same row.
- The Lieutenant General (LTG, O-9) has the insignia of three silver stars located in one row.
- General (GEN, O-10) has an insignia consisting of 4 silver stars located in one row.
- For a General of the Army (GOA, O-11), the insignia consists of 5 stars forming a pentagon. This title is used only during certain periods of the war.