The US Army is considered one of the most powerful and organized in the whole 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 on their list.
The military ranks of the US armed forces are quite different from the Russian, and indeed the armies of other countries. For example, usually a sergeant in the army is a soldier, endowed with a little more power than an ordinary, and the captain belongs to the middle ranks of officer ranks.
And the same ranks in the US Army look completely different: the sergeant is a rather large and powerful figure, and the captain, on the contrary, is something far, almost transcendental.
General structure of the US Army
The U.S. Army was officially founded in June 1775 by an appropriate decision of Congress. Its tasks included, above all, the defense of the young state, which had just gained its independence.
Since then, much has changed and today the US army is more focused on solving international problems with military conflicts in other countries. This has largely affected the change in the composition of the modern US armed forces, which includes many independent types of armed forces:
- ground troops;
- Marine Corps (ILC);
- air Force;
- naval forces;
- Coast security.
In addition to the coast guard, all military units are directly subordinate to the US Secretary of Defense. The Ministry of Defense itself is subordinated to the National Security Agency in peacetime, however, during the declaration of martial law in the country, it is again subordinated to the Minister of Defense.
The US Army has adopted a contact system for recruiting military personnel, and staffing is voluntary. Citizens with American citizenship or residing in the country on a permanent basis, or with a residence permit and having an education not lower than secondary are accepted for military service.
The minimum age for admission to military service in the US Army is set at 18 years. However, with parental consent, you can enter the service at the age of 17.
A feature of the US Army is the unusual officer status of military personnel for some ranks. For two hundred years, only officers could be professional military personnel in the American army.
However, the participation of the US Army in the Vietnam War revealed many shortcomings in this system. Taking into account the reasons for their defeat, the country's leadership in the early seventies of the last century carried out a reform of all 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.
US Army NCOs and Warrant Officers
The ranks of officers in the US Army are not very different from those accepted in the Russian Army, sergeant ranks are a completely different matter. First of all, they amaze with their quantity. The reason for this is that after the reform, the US Army began to pay close attention to sergeants as potential officers.
Sergeant military ranks in the US Army have a fairly large composition:
- sergeant major of the US Army;
- sergeant major
- sergeant major;
- 1st sergeant;
- master sergeant;
- sergeant of the 1st class;
- Staff Sergeant
- sergeant.
Warrant officers in the US Army can be of 5 ranks: from 1st junior to grade 5.
US Army Officer Rankings: General
Army General - the highest military rank in the armed forces of America. Higher in rank than the army general, corresponds to the Russian rank of generalissimo.
Army General - This is the highest military rank in the United States. Analogs in other countries are Marshal and Field Marshal. As a rule, the title is awarded during the war for military merit.
General - the highest military rank of the highest officers in the armed forces in peacetime. Corresponds to the rank of admiral in the US Navy.
Lieutenant General - the general rank of senior officer (three stars), higher than major general and lower rank general, is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the Navy and US Coast Guard.
Major General - the general rank of senior officers (two stars), above the rank of brigadier general and below the lieutenant general. The rank of major general is equivalent to the rank 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.
The brigadier general is the lowest general rank, occupies a position between the colonel and the major general, in rare cases it is similar to the major general. The equivalent naval rank is Commodore.
