Military stuff for the Curious

Started by Coyote, January 04, 2010, 12:14:46 PM

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Coyote

You don't have to know this stuff for the RP, but if you're curious and want to add a bit of realistic background, it is provided for you here-- free of charge!  ;)

Army and Air Force go to "Basic Training"
Navy and Marines go to "Boot Camp"

Organization: This is mostly for Army & Marine organization.
Fire team: 2-3 people.
Squad: 4-10 people.
Section: 2 squads, or about 8-20 people.
Platoon: a combination of either 2 sections, or 3-4 squads. Generally from 20-60 people.
Company: a combination of Platoons, usually 3 Platoons devoted to a mission, and 1 devoted to support.
A Company will usually be made up of about 100-200 people.

Battalion: a combination of Companies, usually 3-6 Companies. Some Battalions have over a thousand people in them, some can have as few as 500.

Brigade or Regiment: Slightly different in detail, but no need to go into too much complexity. About 2000 to 3000 people.

Division: three or more Brigades will make up a Division, around 15,000 to 20,000 people. In the US Army, it is at Division level when people get their identification patches on the left shoulders of their uniforms.

Corps: 2 or more Divisions (usually more than 4) becomes a Corps. Not to be confused with the Marine Corps, which uses the same word to refer to their entire organization. The Marine Corps, however, is not as large as the Army, so it is about a "Corps" in strength by comparison.



NAVY organization:
The Navy organizes very differently than the other services. There are DEPARTMENTS, or "areas of responsibility" such as Engineering, Communications, Gunnery, Operations, Flight Deck (for Carriers) and so on. They are further divided into "watches", so you have one watch is on duty while the other watch sleeps.

In times of attack, everyone is awake. If you're the guy who is "off-watch" when an attack happens, you go to a secondary battle station instead of crowding out the guy who is already "on watch". Secondary battle stations are usually some sort of damage-control station so you can help patch a hole or put out a fire. Sometimes you may be used to repel boarders, but usually the Marines handle that, not the Navy guys.

On a ship, your Petty Officers organize sailors into their Departments and Watch duties. Officers handle the "big picture" stuff running the whole ship. The don't like to be bothered with the problems among the crew, and let the Petty Officers handle things as much as possible.  


AT SEA:
Ships organize into "Divisions" of two or three ships that are typically the same type.
Two or three Divisions together forms a Squadron.
Once you organize a variety of different Divisions and Squadrons (Destroyer Divisions or Squadrons mixed with Cruiser Divisions or Squadrons, for example) you have a Fleet.

Typically, only Cruisers deploy alone. In peacetime, a ship is assigned to a Division but they may not travel together if there is no enemy. During wartime, though, you group with your Division and stay with them for safety.  

==============================================

Enlisted Ranks in order from lowest to highest:
Army: PVT: Private.
USMC: same
USAF: AB: Airman Basic.
Navy: SR: Seaman Recruit  

Army: PV2: Private 2nd class. This is pretty much automatic after a few months as a Private.
USMC: PFC, Private First Class.
USAF: Amn: Airman. Fresh out of Basic Training.
Navy: SA: Seaman Apprentice  

Army: PFC: Private First Class. Again, pretty much automatic.
USMC: Lance Corporal.
USAF: A1C: Airman First Class.
Navy: SN: Seaman

Army: SPC: Specialist. It used to mean you specialized in some field of endeavor, but they got rid of that and now everyone gets to be a "specialist" at some point. You usually become a Specialist within your fist 2-3 years unless you are a total screw-up.
USMC: This doesn't exist in the USMC.
USAF: This doesn't exist in the Air Force.
Navy: This doesn't exist in the Navy.

Army: CPL: Corporal. Junior leaders in training, basically. If you are good at your job and have some leadership qualities worth nurturing, they make you a Corporal. It's the same pay scale as Specialist, but you actually have some authority (in other words, you can get blamed if something goes wrong).
USMC: CPL, same.
USAF: see below, the "Sergeant".
Navy: PO3: Petty Officer 3rd Class

Army: SGT: Sergeant, as in "buck sergeant". Typically in charge of 2-6 guys, depending on the unit type and mission.
USMC: same.
USAF: SrA: Senior Airman or Sergeant. This is sort of a combination of "corporal + sergeant" level of responsibility.
Navy: PO2: Petty Officer 2nd Class

Army: SSG: Staff Sergeant. Squad leader, in charge of anywhere from 5-10 guys, depending on unit type and mission.
USMC: same.
USAF: SSgt: Staff Sergeant. Same.
Navy: PO1: Petty Officer 1st Class

Army: SFC: Sergeant First Class. Platoon sergeant, usually in charge of about 20-40 guys, depending. Shares command with a Lieutenant, who handles mission type things, while the SFC takes care of managing the soldiers and junior Sergeants, etc.
USMC: Called  GySGT: "Gunnery Sergeant". Same principles, though.
USAF: TSgt: Technical Sergeant.
Navy: CPO: Chief Petty Officer

Army: MSG: Master Sergeant. Usually in charge of a specialized area of responsibility within a Company, like the radios, or Supply, or special weapons.
USMC: Same.
USAF: MSgt: Master Sergeant.
Navy: SCPO: Senior Chief Petty Officer

Army: 1SG: First Sergeant. Company-level management of troops. Shares command with a Captain.
USMC: Same.
USAF: SMSgt: Senior Master Sergeant.
Navy: MCPO: Master Chief Petty Officer

Army: SGM: Sergeant Major. Battalion level management of troops, part of a command team with a Major and a Lieutenant-Colonel.
USMC: called MGySGT: Master Gunnery Sergeant. Same principles.
USAF: CMSgt: Chief Master Sergeant
Navy: MCPOC: Command Master Chief Petty Officer

Army: CSM: Command Sergeant Major. Like a Sergeant Major (above) but with more seniority, and more often at the Brigade level where he'll be found with Colonels and Generals.
USMC: Called SgtMaj.: Sergeant Major.
USAF: CCM: Command Chief Master Sergeant.
Navy: The Navy has two ranks at about this level:
FLTCM: Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer and FORCM: Force Master Chief Petty Officer.


Army: SMA: Sergeant Major of the Army. There is only one of these; he's the guy in charge of the whole Sergeant Major professional development program for the Army. At upper levels, the Sergeants Major at the ones who make sure everything is being done correctly, that corners are not being cut, the professionalism is adhered to, etc.
USMC: called SgtMajMarCor Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, same principles.
USAF: CMSAF: Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Navy: MCPON: Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy



Officer Ranks: these are the same for Army, USMC, and USAF:
2LT: Second Lieutenant. The bottom of the officer ranks. 2LTs share command of Platoons with Sergeants First Class (see above).
Navy: ENS: Ensign

1LT First Lieutenant. Like above, but with more experience; may also be used as Executive Officer for the Company when the Captain is out of the office.
Navy: LTJG Lieutenant, Junior Grade

CPT: Captain. Commands a Company of soldiers.
Navy: LT Lieutenant

MAJ: Major. Serves as an Executive Officer for the Battalion commander. Not a direct leadership position, more administrative, but learning to be an effective Battalion-level leader. Frequently put in charge of portions of Battalion operations, such as Communications, Medical, etc.
Navy: LCDR Lieutenant Commander

LTC: Lieutenant Colonel. Leads a Battalion of soldiers.
Navy: CDR Commander

COL: Colonel. Leads a Brigade or Regiment.
Navy: CAPT Captain

BG: Brigadier General. Can be found leading Brigades or Regiments (rare) but usually part of Division leadership. Sometimes a BG can be found running a Division, but not often. Usually a BG is in charge of making sure an area of responsibility within a Division is running smoothly: all Armored Brigades, or all Aviation Brigades, that sort of thing.
Navy: RDML Rear Admiral (lower half)

MG: Major General. Like above, but with more seniority. More common in command of Divisions.
Navy: RADM Rear Admiral (upper half)

LTG: Lieutenant General. LTGs are typically in your Division commands and higher. They may serve on staffs at high offices and oversee whole aspects of something in the Army, such as making sure all Artillery are performing training properly, etc.
Navy: VADM Vice Admiral    

GEN: General. The Big Dogs. 4-star guys in charge of... pretty much whatever they want to be in charge of. They lead high-profile Divisions that are likely to be called out for duty or (more usually) on Pentagon staffs.
Navy: ADM Admiral Chief of Naval Operations

GA: General of the Army. This is only used in wartime when one General is chosen to oversee an entire theater of combat. For example, Dwight Eisenhower was made General of the Army for everything happening in Europe during WW2.
Navy: FADM Fleet Admiral


Warrant Officers: these are kinda special ranks:
WO1: Warrant Officer. Warrant Officers are officers that are specifically skilled in one area of expertise. Helicopter pilots are usually Warrant Officers because they devote their entire career to mastering helicopters. Any highly technical field will likely have Warrant Officers in them-- medical, communications, etc. You treat a Warrant Officer like a Lieutenant.
CW2: Chief Warrant Officer 2 --same as above, except with seniority. Treat like a Captain.
CW3: Chief Warrant Officer 3 --same as above, except with seniority. Treat like a Major.
CW4: Chief Warrant Officer 4 --same as above, except with seniority. Treat like a Lieutenant Colonel.
CW5: Chief Warrant Officer 5 --same as above, except with seniority. Treat like a Colonel.



[EDITED for some spelling errors]
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Mako

You forgot the Spec. Ops. I'm offended.

Coyote

Quote from: Sänumeyu on January 04, 2010, 12:32:16 PM
You forgot the Spec. Ops. I'm offended.

In what manner? The ranks are the same.

Besides... I'm still working on it!  ;)
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Mako

My RP character is ex. Spec. Ops. That's why I'm offended :P

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Fun little side fact for the kiddos that don't live in Marine territory.

Marines are VERY possesive of their ranks and of the fact that they are marines. 13 weeks in hell, and the longest training time of all of our nations armys, the Marines consider (rightly so) that they are the best of the best of the best. (Meaning, you don't f*** with a marine, or a marine will f*** you up.)

However, Marines also use quite a few diffrent 'nicknames' to their respective ranks. The only two that are commenly used however is for Gunnery Sargents and Master Gunnery Sargents. You don't just say 'Gunnery Sargent', you say 'Gunny', or 'Master Gunny.'



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Coyote

#5
Well, then, let's not keep the SF guys waiting!  ;)


Special Operations Forces is a generic term for special operations forces worldwide. In the US military,  the term "special forces" is used specifically to refer to the US Army Special Forces, or more commonly called the "Green Berets". Green Beret is a slang term, however, and not used much (if at all) by actual, honest-to-Eywa Special Forces guys.

In the US system, you have the following Special Operations Forces:

ARMY:
Airborne: the Paratrooper infantry. Not always regarded as a "special operations" type force.
Air Assault: helicopter assault forces that rappel out of helos. See Blackhawk Down for a sample.
Rangers: Long-term special deployment forces for deep scouting in enemy terrain and training friendly nations about guerrilla warfare ops.
Special Forces: The guys with the green hats.  ;)
Delta Force: Elite of the Elite, less oriented towards large-scale warfare and more oriented towards anti-guerrilla and counter-terrorism actions.

MARINES:
Marine Force Recon. About the level of Army Special Forces, although if you ask a Recon Marine, they will say it is the other way around.  ;)

NAVY:
SEALs, which stand for SEa, Air and Land. Very hard-core guys.

AIR FORCE:
Para-Rescue Operations is the premier USAF spec-ops unit, but there are other special operations units such as the 352nd Special Operations Wing that specialize in things like preparing landing zones for air assault landings and the like.


A few surprising notes about Special Operations forces: most of the time, in the "high-level" special operations strata, operators are expected to be silent, swift, and unseen. Most Spec-Ops missions are actually reconnaissance, which means not being seen and not being heard. They are to go in, find juicy targets, and then relay information about those targets back to other units higher up the food chain, and then those units are the ones that do the actual fighting.

Special Operations Forces frequently do not engage in firefights with the enemy, and in fact they are supposed to evade the enemy and avoid contact. It is worth noting that 9 times out of 10, if Special Operations Forces gets into a gun battle, they have failed their mission. They were supposed to get in, look around, and get out without anyone knowing. Once the enemy is alerted to their presence, they tighten security and make it harder to attack the desired targets!

Usually, for demolition missions or assaults on key points (bridges, towers, etc) a force of direct-combat guys will be sent: Air Assault, Rangers, someone like that. Or better yet, the Air Force will just bomb it or a Navy Tomahawk will be sent. Nowadays, more often than not, a drone will take it out. Not very sexy, perhaps, but that's reality.

There are exceptions, of course, and Spec-Ops do, sometimes, do targeted hits and sniper missions, but usually it's "look & see" type stuff. Some are supposed to go into guerrilla territory and engage in psychological operations to confuse the enemy, demoralize them, or make them look bad. The Rhodesian Selous Scouts did that, actually terrorizing innocent people at times while acting as terrorists, so that the terrorists would be discredited in the eyes of the people. There was also the US military's "Phoenix Program" during Vietnam: part of the program was to find enemy ammo dumps, open the ammo crates and fiddle with the bullets using plastic explosive, then putting everything back the way it was and letting the now-boobytrapped supplies go to the enemy.

However, it is also worth noting that most Spec-Ops programs nowadays are actually centered on helping villagers grow their own food, digging wells, providing medical and veterinary care, and other "soft" things like that. It makes the people happy to see Spec-Ops guys, and when guerrillas come to recruit for their fight against the "evil imperialists, etc" they don't get as much favorable response. Most Spec-Ops work these days centers around things other than fighting.

Here is a good Wiki List for the curious of ALL the world's (known!) Spec-Ops forces.

Hope this has been helpful.
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Quote from: Coyote on January 04, 2010, 01:48:28 PM
Well, then, let's not keep the SF guys waiting!  ;)
MARINES:
Marine Force Recon. The best of the best of the best. You don't want to be anything else, you don't need to know anything else. Only true badasses come here.

Thats the condensed verson of that ;)



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Coyote

Quote from: Lehrrap Uniltìranyu on January 04, 2010, 01:51:43 PM
Quote from: Coyote on January 04, 2010, 01:48:28 PM
MARINES:
Marine Force Recon. The best of the best of the best. You don't want to be anything else, you don't need to know anything else. Only true badasses come here.

Thats the condensed verson of that ;)

Very condensed. The curious can look at the Wiki link and go into much greater detail if they wish, but most Marine special ops units are a variation of the Force Recon structure and mission. There's a lot of detail missing (for example) on the Air Force side of things too, they have a lot of hard-core SOF stuff going on I never knew of.

I mean, you know, besides the Stargate.  ;D
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Mako


Étienne

#9
Quote from: Lehrrap Uniltìranyu on January 04, 2010, 01:45:09 PM
Fun little side fact for the kiddos that don't live in Marine territory.

Marines are VERY possesive of their ranks and of the fact that they are marines. 13 weeks in hell, and the longest training time of all of our nations armys, the Marines consider (rightly so) that they are the best of the best of the best. (Meaning, you don't f*** with a marine, or a marine will f*** you up.)

However, Marines also use quite a few diffrent 'nicknames' to their respective ranks. The only two that are commenly used however is for Gunnery Sargents and Master Gunnery Sargents. You don't just say 'Gunnery Sargent', you say 'Gunny', or 'Master Gunny.'
Man I hated boot camp. "Mattresses on the line!" fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
I also got knife handed into my rack. Had to go to see the doc after that one.
Also you missed Lance criminal.

Txur’Itan

私は太った男だ。




Coyote

The 24-hour Clock

In the Military, the 24 hour clock is used to denote time. During wartime, or even just during exercises, things are happening at all hours. If you tell someone "start marching your troops at 8 o'clock" that could mean 8 o'clock in the morning, or 8 o'clock at night. To avoid confusion, the military uses the 24-hour clock.

Some businesses and many countries use the 24-hour clock as well, but in America it is rare. So to help out, I'll provide the 24-hour clock. The principle is simple: for every hour after 12-noon, just add +12 hours.

24 hour = standard clock
0100 = 1:00 am
0200 = 2:00 am
0300 = 3:00 am
0400 = 4:00 am
0500 = 5:00 am
0600 = 6:00 am
0700 = 7:00 am
0800 = 8:00 am
0900 = 9:00 am
1000 = 10:00 am
1100 = 11:00 am
1200 = 12:00 am "Noon"
1300 = 1:00 pm
1400 = 2:00 pm
1500 = 3:00 pm
1600 = 4:00 pm
1700 = 5:00 pm
1800 = 6:00 pm
1900 = 7:00 pm
2000 = 8:00 pm
2100 = 9:00 pm
2200 = 10:00 pm
2300 = 11:00 pm
2400 = 12:00 pm "Midnight"
0001 = 00:01 am Jokingly called "oh-dark-thirty" in the military.  ;)

Quarter hours, half hours, etc, are the same:
0130 is 1:30 am
0815 is 8:15 am
0920 is 9:20 am
1045 is 10:45 am
1330 is 1:30 pm (remember after noon you're "adding +12")
1534 is 3:34 pm
2107 is 9:07 pm

...and so on.

Feel free to ask any questions in OOC or by PM.  :)






In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan

Wow, so right out of Army ROTC I get charge of a platoon?

Seems like a huge responsibility when I think of it.
old gallery link?id=1831[/img]

LearnNavi Forums:
"It's not an addiction...I just need it everyday."

Coyote

Quote from: Tukruyä Tsamsiyu on February 09, 2010, 06:17:35 PM
Wow, so right out of Army ROTC I get charge of a platoon?

Seems like a huge responsibility when I think of it.

First thing you'll do is get introduced to someone wearing one of these:



He or she is there to take you under his wing and help you know the ropes. Do as he says, have a sense of humor at the inevitable ribbing that will come with being a new lieutenant, and you'll be off to a good start!  :D

And good choice on ROTC. If I had my life to do over again, I'd consider going that route. Now I am too ingrained in the NCO way of thinking.  ;)
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Ka'il

Naval Academy for me! =D Marines though. Not Navy. >.>
If the colors that bind,
Were to unwind,
Would I still be safe,
Within my mind?

Ikranä mokri

im just in the process of leaving my 6th form at school to go to an army collage until Uni





Tirea Tskoyä has a new look see it[url=http://forum.learnnavi.org/fiction-

Coyote

Quote from: Apxa Ioang on February 10, 2010, 01:31:17 PM
Naval Academy for me! =D Marines though. Not Navy. >.>

Ahhh, Marines, then. So you want to find THIS person and have them show you the ropes:



The other one I showed was for Army. Those are MY homeboys.

In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan

Yea, everybody I talked to says Listen to your sergeant. Being a Scout at the moment, I know the value of listening to someone with more experience. Lets hope I don't let the ego get in the way.

I plan on doing combat infantry until I either get Captain or Major and then retiring and going on with civy life.
old gallery link?id=1831[/img]

LearnNavi Forums:
"It's not an addiction...I just need it everyday."