The US Army is considered one of the most powerful and organized in the entire world. The military personnel of this country regularly participate in complex military operations in various places on the planet. American military ranks have an unusual history and it is easy to get confused in their list.
The military ranks of the US armed forces are quite different from those of Russia and the armies of other countries. For example, usually a sergeant in an army is a soldier with slightly more power than a private, and a captain is a middle-ranking officer.
And the same ranks in the US Army look completely different: the sergeant is a rather large and domineering figure, and the captain, on the contrary, is something distant, almost transcendental.
General structure of the U. S. Army
The US Army was officially founded in June 1775 by a corresponding decision of the Congress. Its tasks included, first of all, the defense of the young state, which had just gained its independence.
Much has changed since then, and today the US army is more focused on solving international problems with the conduct of military conflicts on the territory of other countries. This is largely reflected in the change in the composition of the modern US armed forces, which include many independent types of armed forces:
- ground troops;
- Marine Corps (KMP);
- air Force;
- naval forces;
- Coast security.
Apart from the Coast Guard, all military units report directly to the US Secretary of Defense. The Ministry of Defense itself is subordinate to the National Security Agency during peacetime, but during the declaration of martial law in the country it is again subordinate to the Minister of Defense.
The US Army has adopted a contact system for recruiting servicemen, recruiting is voluntary. The military service accepts citizens who have American citizenship, either residing in the country on a permanent basis, or having a residence permit and having at least secondary education.
The minimum age for enlistment in the US Army is 18 years. However, with parental consent, you can enter the service at 17 years old.
A feature of the US Army is the unusual officer status of the military for some ranks. For two hundred years, only officers could be professional soldiers in the American army.
However, the participation of the US Army in the Vietnam War revealed many flaws in this system. Taking into account the reasons for its defeat, the country's leadership in the early seventies of the last century carried out a reform of all the armed forces. As a result, the entire sergeant and warrant officers received the status of professional military personnel.
The rank and file of the US Army is as follows:
- corporal;
- specialist;
- private 1st class;
- private;
- private recruit.
U. S. Army NCOs and Warrant Officers
The ranks of officers in the US Army do not differ much from those adopted in the Russian army, sergeant ranks are quite another matter. First of all, they are striking in their number. The reason for this is that the US Army, after the reform, began to pay close attention to NCOs as potential officers.
NCO ranks in the US Army are quite large:
- Sergeant Major of the US Army;
- command sergeant major;
- sergeant major;
- 1st Sergeant;
- master sergeant;
- sergeant 1st class;
- staff sergeant;
- sergeant.
Warrant officers in the US Army can be of 5 ranks: from 1 junior to 5 grade.
American army officer ranks: generals
General of the Armies is the highest military rank in the American military. Higher in rank than a general of the army, corresponds to the Russian rank of generalissimo.
General of the Army is the highest military rank in the United States. The analogue in other countries is the marshal and field marshal. As a rule, the title is awarded during the war for military merit.
General is the highest military rank of the highest officer in the military in peacetime. Corresponds to the rank of admiral in the US Navy.
Lieutenant General is a senior officer's general rank (three stars), above major general and below the rank of general, equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the US Navy and Coast Guard.
Major General - the rank of general of senior officers (two stars), above the rank of brigadier general and below the rank of lieutenant general. The rank of major general is equivalent to that of rear admiral and is the highest permanent rank in the United States. A senior officer with this rank may hold the position of division commander.
Brigadier General - the lowest rank of general, occupies a position between a colonel and a major general, in rare cases is similar to a major general. Equivalent naval rank is Commodore.
American army officer ranks: officer corps
Colonel (Coloner in the American Army) - position, military rank of the commanding officer of the country's armed forces. The insignia of the American colonel is a silver eagle looking to the right. In addition, the eagle holds arrows in its right paw, and a branch in its left.
Lieutenant Colonel - in the US Army this rank corresponds to the rank of "lieutenant colonel", he stands between the ranks of major and colonel. The title originated during the Revolutionary War and was borrowed from the British military. American lieutenant colonels are more likely to become commanders of battalion combat units with the number of military personnel from 300 to 1,000 people. Silver oak leaf is used as the insignia.
Major is the first military rank of senior officers in the American army. On the shoulder straps of an officer of this rank, you can see two golden eight-pointed stars on a blue background.
Captain - In the American army, this rank is higher in seniority than first lieutenant, but below major. The captain is appointed to command company-scale units, numbering from 75 to 200 servicemen, often the captain becomes an officer of the battalion headquarters. The title was borrowed during the War of Independence from the military rank system of the British Army. As the insignia of the captain, a symbol was chosen: two parallel silver rectangles connected by a pair of lines.
First Lieutenant is the second rank of junior officer in the US military, equivalent to a Russian senior lieutenant. Chin is used by the Marine Corps, Ground Forces, and the United States Air Force. The military rank is between the second lieutenant and the captain, the differences between the two lieutenant ranks are primarily in the experience of the junior officer.
The second lieutenant is the most junior officer in the US military. A second lieutenant is usually promoted to first lieutenant after 18 months of service as an officer in the ground forces, and after 24 months in the air force and in the marines.
