Military

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Members of the British armed forces from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines

The military is the group or groups of people that are given power to defend a country against attacks. The military protects its country by defending it from the armed forces of enemies, if there is a war. The military can also be ordered by the government of the country to attack another country. The word "military" comes from Latin miles, warrior.

There are many jobs to do in a military. Some jobs are for fighting and some are for other work to support the military. Some things people do in the military are use weapons, drive vehicles, and repair weapons. Other people in the military learn how to fly aircraft, pilot ships, or repair engines. People in the military usually wear clothes called a uniform. In some places, especially where there may be combat, a uniform often comes in a camouflage pattern which is designed to make the person hard to see in the forest or desert.

There are two ways to join the military. In many countries, people join the military as volunteers (because they want to). In other countries, there are laws that some people have to be in the military, even if they do not want to be. This is called the draft or conscription. It usually depends on age and physical fitness. People who have been in the military but have left or retired are called “veterans”.

The military of a country is usually divided into different branches organizations that do different kinds of work. These branches usually are:

Army (land) – A military force of soldiers mainly on land or driving in land vehicles. They also use helicopters.
Navy (sea) – A military force that uses ships and boats. They also sometimes have planes. People in a navy are called sailors unless they are officers or pilots.
Air force (air) – A military force that uses mainly airplanes.

Sometimes the military has more branches that do more specialized work. For example, in the United States and United Kingdom there are:

Marines – Military forces that serve on ships, but are also trained to fight on land when needed. Their main job is to attack by landing on enemy beaches. They work closely with a navy, but are not sailors. They may also have their own boats, planes, and helicopters.

[change] Joining up and training

In most countries of the world, young men and (in a few countries) women between 17 and 18 and of good health may be forced by the government of their country to join the military and have military training. This is called "conscription". The countries that do not have conscription include Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. In some countries, such as Argentina, conscription is legal, but is not used, at the present time.

When a person wants to join the military as a volunteer, they "enlist". (This means simply that they put their name on a list.) They have to be above a certain age, 17 or 18 in most countries. They have to pass physical fitness tests to show that they are well enough to do the jobs that they will have to do. They must also have good enough hearing, to hear instructions and good enough sight to use a rifle.

New people in the military are often called “recruits”. They have training at a special camp, sometimes called “boot camp”. During this training, the recruits usually have very little free time. They learn to understand the "orders" or "commands" that are given by the officers to the "troops". (The troops are the military people in a group.) They learn the right ways to obey the orders. They do a lot of exercise to improve their fitness and strength. They learn about weapons, first aid, and their uniforms and "kit". (Their kit is their equipment.) Recruits also learn how to march. (This is the way to walk together, keeping "in step".) Learning to march is sometimes called “drill”. By the time soldiers finish "boot camp", they should know enough to be a helpful person in their group. The camp usually finishes with a parade in which the newly trained recruits show off their marching and other skills they have learned in front of important visitors. Once the recruits are fully trained, they are ready to defend (protect) their country from attack, or to go to war, if necessary.

Studying
Students at the US Army Preparatory School
Training
An Australian soldier training for a special task
Equipment
United States soldiers on a vehicle crossing a lake
Marching
Italian paratroopers in a parade

[change] Groups

See also: Ranks in the United States military

Each part of the armed forces, the army, the navy and the airforce, is organized into groups. People in each of the armed forces are part of a group, that is part of a larger group.

Here are some of the usual groups in the army:

Squad – has 10 or more soldiers, led by a Staff Sergeant. A squad can usually fit into one army truck.
Platoon – has 4 squads, and has about 40 soldiers. It is led by a 2nd Lieutenant with a Sergeant First Class as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Assistant.
Company – has 4 Platoons, and has about 160 soldiers. It is led by a Captain with a First Sergeant as a NCO Assistant.
Battalion – it is made up of between 4 to 8 companies. It is led by a Lieutenant Colonel with a Sergeant Major as a NCO Assistant.
Regiment or Brigade – generally has 3 Battalions. It is led by a Colonel with a Command Sergeant Major (or Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM)) as the senior Non-commissioned officer.
Division – is a group of regiments, led by a Major General(O-8)^[1] with a Command Sergeant Major (or RSM) as the advisor.
Corps – an army corps (pronounced "core") is led by a Lieutenant General (O-9)^[2].

Russian troops
A sergeant drilling US Marines
Air Chief Marshal Rapra-Pan of the Royal Thai Air Force
British Major-General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter KCVO OBE(RLH)

[change] Military in action

An aircraft carrier (front), a frigate and a submarine
US, UK and Australian planes
HMAS Anzac patrolling the Persian Gulf
Strike Eagle over Afghanistan
British Land Rover patrol vehicles in Iraq
Paratroopers in an aircraft
Loading missiles, Iraq
US soldiers in Iraq
US Marines having lunch in Iraq
A US soldier carrying a wounded child
A US sniper team
This US officer has three artificial legs, one for walking, one for running and one with an army boot.
The four soldiers on this wrecked US helicopter escaped alive.
US soldiers carrying the body of a soldier
US soldiers in Iraq at a ceremony to honor military persons who have been killed