US Army: strength. Comparison of the US Army and the Russian Army

A state that does not have a potential enemy near its borders was able to build powerful armed forces with the most modern weapons. Number personnel America's military consists of just over a million military personnel (whose training is considered a modern model for most armies on the planet), as well as almost seven hundred thousand civilian employees. 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 US Army

The US Army was founded in June 1775 by an act of Congress, it was intended to defend the young independent state. Modern American armed forces include independent types of armed forces:

• Ground troops;
• Air Force;
• Navy;
• Marine Corps (MCC);
• Coast Guard.

Moreover, everyone, except the coast guard, is directly subordinate to the Minister of Defense, the latter in Peaceful time subordinate to the National Security Agency, but during martial law it is also resubordinated 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, controls the national Armed Forces in peacetime, directing civil minister Defense, subordinate to which are the heads of the sub-services of the Armed Forces. The heads of ministries deal with issues of recruiting, equipping, organizing and supplying the army, and also control combat training personnel. The highest military command of the branches of the Armed Forces are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chairman of this committee resolves issues of coordinating the activities of everything related to the military administration of the state.

The operational subordination of the US Armed Forces is currently reduced to nine unified commands, five of which are formed based on the geographical principle.

Five unified 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 unified commands. The remaining four joint commands do not have their own areas of responsibility.

The Unified Commands include:

• Strategic Command. Deals with issues strategic planning, controls strategic nuclear weapons;
• Special Operations Training Command;
• Strategic Airlift Command;
• Unified Forces Command. Engaged in combat training in all branches of the Armed Forces.

Recruiting the American Army

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

The age limit for active military service is determined for each branch of the US Army. So, for example, the age limit could be:

• Air Force and Coast Guard - 27 years;
• Marine Corps - 28 years;
• Navy - 34 years;
• Ground forces - 42 years.

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

National and racial composition

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

Thus, according to information from open sources, the following serve in the American Armed Forces:

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

It should be noted that the last group includes those who do not have American citizenship, however, has the right to permanent residence in USA. Most of them join the military because it makes it much easier to obtain American citizenship.

Gender

American military personnel are divided by gender:

• Men – 86%;
• Women - 14%.

For many years, it was generally accepted that only officers could be professional soldiers in the American army. However, after the Vietnam War, during the period of army reform in the early seventies, non-commissioned officers and warrant officers received the status of professional military personnel.

Mobilization resources

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

Every year, more than four million Americans and American women reach military age. 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 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 civil specialty. Every year, the National Guard accepts approximately sixty thousand American citizens into its ranks. All of them are required to undergo combat training in groups and individually. There are forty-eight programs of four hours each, running on weekends throughout the year.

In addition, National Guardsmen are sent to camp for two weeks to participate in command post and military exercises together with Army units. All employers are officially warned that if they try to prevent National Guard soldiers from carrying out the service and combat tasks assigned by the state, they may even face criminal liability.

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

• Increase to pay for accommodation;
• Increase to pay for 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 in pension;
• Other.

Features of US military doctrine

Recently, the American military leadership has proposed concentrating its resources in five important areas:

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

At the same time, American military doctrine pays attention to preparations for military clashes during unconventional 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 guns - 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

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

Chevrons and stripes of the US Army are distinctive signs that are attached to clothing and reflect affiliation with certain structures, official position, type of troops, as well as service in a specific unit. In addition, chevrons with stripes may indicate length of service, terms of study at a military educational institution, military or special ranks in the US Army. They can complement shoulder straps and buttonholes or even replace them. It could also be qualification mark, or "US Army Badge".

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1. Military legislation. Operating in the USA Anglo-Saxon system law, one of the main features of which is the absence of a unified codification system legal norms, determines the presence of a fairly wide range of sources of legislation, including military.

Military legislation includes: the US Constitution and its amendments; legislative acts USA (Code of Federal Laws, including section 32 “National Defense” and section 10 “Armed Forces”, Uniform Code military justice, which came into force in 1951 as amended in 1983, laws “On the salary of military personnel” in 1948, “On officers” in 1947, “On the reform of pensions for military personnel” in 1986, etc.); by-laws, directives, statutes and manuals.

The fundamental law in the United States, which has the highest legal force, is the US Constitution of 1787. The national interests of the United States are most general view stated in the preamble to the Constitution: “to create a more perfect union of the States, to insure tranquility within the country, to promote the formation of a united system of defense, to promote the general welfare and secure liberty to the citizens of the country and their descendants.”

Based on Sec. 8 tbsp. I of the US Constitution, the right to declare war, issue laws on the construction of the army and navy, their financing and maintenance, and issue “rules for the management and organization of land and naval forces” belongs to supreme body US legislative branch - Congress269. None of the states has the right, without the consent of Congress, to maintain troops or warships in peacetime, or to undertake wars except as a result of an enemy invasion or in case of imminent danger that does not allow delay (section 10 of article I)270.

All legislative acts of the US Congress are combined into the Code of Laws of the United States, which is supplemented and reissued every six years. In particular, US laws relating to issues of national security and defense of the country, the development of the armed forces, are part of the following sections of the Code of Laws: “Armed Forces” - section. 10; “Coast Guard” - Sec. 14; "National Guard" - section. 32; “Financial allowances and cash allowances for military personnel” - section. 37; “Benefits for military veterans” - section. 38; "War and national defense" - Sec. 50271. The most significant in terms of scope and number of legislative acts included in it is Sec. 10, which contains four chapters and an appendix. In ch. I included laws relating to the Department of Defense and the US armed forces as a whole in ch. II, III and IV are laws that apply to each branch of the US military (Army, Air Force and Navy).

2. Legal support military security. In accordance with section. 2 tbsp. II of the US Constitution The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States272. The possibility of his using the armed forces to eliminate “illegal obstacles to the functioning of state power and execution of the laws" are not provided for by the US Constitution, but special norm, enshrined in Sect. 10 USC273. The President of the United States has the right to declare a state of emergency in the country, give orders to conduct military operations, and declare partial mobilization. However, in 1973, despite the veto of President R. Nixon re-voting The War Powers Resolution was passed, requiring the President to consult with Congress before committing US forces to foreign war zones.

The President, in all cases where, in the absence of a declaration of war, he sends troops abroad, is obliged to submit to Congress within the next 48 hours an appropriate report on his actions274. This report must contain the circumstances that necessitated the introduction of US armed forces into zones of foreign military operations, the constitutional and other grounds for their introduction, and an assessment of the scale and expected duration of hostilities.

According to the law, Congress must consider the president's report and make a decision on it. Unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of armed forces by special legislation, does not extend legislative order 60-day period or will be unable to assemble as a result of an armed attack on the United States, then upon the expiration of 60 calendar days from the date of submission of the report, the President must cease the use of US military forces. This 60-day period may be extended by no more than 30 days275.

The system of legislative support for US national security operates on the basis of the National Security Act of the United States of America dated July 26, 1947 No. 257. However, the Law does not contain an unambiguous definition of the concept of “national security”. Some experts limit themselves to this definition of national security: the absence of a military threat to destroy or attack a nation. The most widespread definition is: “national security is the long-term maintenance of values ​​or a system and the absence of a threat to them.”

According to official American documents, “national security” of a state means its “ability to preserve its territory intact, to maintain on acceptable terms economic relations with other countries, to defend their institutions and method of government from external and internal threats.” To ensure this, the American leadership considers it necessary: ​​a) military superiority over any foreign state or group of states; b) strong foreign policy positions; c) a military organization capable of successfully resisting military and subversive actions from outside or from within, in open or hidden form276.

In accordance with the National Security Act, a national military department was created, which in 1949 was renamed the Department of Defense, including three ministries of the armed forces, the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Subsequently, Congress repeatedly adopted amendments to this Law and developed new legislative acts in the field of army construction, military powers of the President and Congress. So, for example, in 1953, 1958. laws were passed on the reorganization of the Ministry of Defense, in 1973 the Law on Military Powers and the Voluntary Principle of Recruiting the Armed Forces was adopted, in 1976 - the Law on state of emergency. The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 on the reorganization of the Ministry of Defense was intended to help overcome departmental contradictions between the branches of the armed forces, provide greater independence to the ministries of the branches of the armed forces in resolving issues of administrative management, and ensure effective political control of the leadership of the army. The adoption of this Law made it possible to differentiate the functions of the ministries of the armed forces and joint commands, to more accurately define the powers of the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and his joint staff, to reorient the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense from resolving issues of spending funds and distributing personnel to planning specific military policy and implementation of programs to ensure the combat use of armed forces. But the main innovation of this Law was the strengthening of civilian control over the Ministry of Defense, strengthening the position of its leadership in the decision-making process, granting independence to the branches of the armed forces, as well as real powers to the commanders-in-chief of joint commands to control troops (forces).

There is a body under the President of the United States - the National Security Council, which advises him on issues of national security, coordinating the policies of the departments responsible for ensuring it, and outlining strategic guidelines for their activities. The National Security Council includes the president, vice president, secretary of state, minister of defense, and head of the mobilization department. In addition, permanent advisers are usually present at Council meetings - the director of the CIA and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the presidential adviser on national security issues, as well as the ministers of finance, justice, energy, etc.

The concept of US national security after World War II went through four stages in its development. The first stage - from 1945 to the beginning of the 60s. XX century The second stage includes the 60-70s. The third stage is the 80s. The fourth stage began with the end of " cold war", in the 90s. XX century

The concept of US national security in the period from 1945 to 1991. was determined by the following principles:

In developing national security policy and strategy, the focus was on countering military threats to the United States and its allies;

The intimidation of the enemy was based on the development of the most lethal types of weapons and their use if it was considered militarily expedient;

When implementing national security policy and strategy, preference was given to the use of tough military measures rather than the use of political, economic, diplomatic, and humanitarian actions;

National security policy and strategy have prioritized the protection of American interests, even to the detriment of US allies;

Ensuring the national security of the United States was associated, first of all, with the protection of its foreign policy positions.

At the turn of the 90s. last century, the approaches of the American leadership in developing national security policy and strategy changed. It has become obvious that destructive weapons are falling into the hands of political leaders of an increasing number of countries, and states are losing their ability to use military force against their neighbors. By the beginning of the 90s. Views on the possibilities of using nuclear weapons have fundamentally changed. The leaders of the USA and USSR, and then Russia, officially recognized the impossibility of achieving victory in a nuclear war. In this regard, the US national security strategy began to be based on the following: threats to national security are multilateral and multidimensional in nature; the main efforts need to be focused on preventing and resolving the conflict before the outbreak of large-scale military operations; national security policy should not be provocative; when using armed forces, preference is given to collective actions under the auspices of the UN or a regional bloc; measures to ensure national security must be supported by the majority of the population277.

The US military-political leadership formulated the main threats to US national security as follows:

Threats associated with nuclear hazards. They stem from the presence of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons in hostile countries mass destruction posing a threat to American groups abroad, regimes friendly to the United States, and, in the future, to the United States itself. To parry it, the ability to retaliate with “assured destruction” is retained;

Regional threats (instability on the Korean Peninsula, Civil War in Yugoslavia, possible political instability in Central and Eastern Europe, state terrorism, production and transportation of drugs);

Threats to democracy and prospects for democratic reforms;

Threats to US economic interests, which included: ineffective redistribution of military potential resources, inept conversion defense industry, underestimation of “dual-use” technologies, refusal to use long-term military-political relations with allies as a tool for establishing economic cooperation, refusal to assist foreign countries in the transition from a centralized economy to a market one.

Based on the formulated threats to US national security, in 1996 President B. Clinton formulated the main national security goals:

Convincingly maintain security through combat-ready armed forces;

Revival of the US economy; promoting the development of democracy abroad.

When introducing the National Security Strategy to Congress in 1996, Clinton emphasized: “On the one hand, we must revive the economy if we are to maintain a high level of military readiness, implement our foreign policy initiatives and expand U.S. influence in the world, and on the other, we need to be active abroad if we want to open up foreign markets and create new jobs for Americans.” American strategy national security continues to focus on force, and primarily military force. It is no coincidence that the most important section in the document “US National Security Strategy” is called “Security through Force”.

The US President's State of the Union Address to Congress notes that the main national goals The US has remained constant over the years. Today, the United States has three primary goals: “strengthening security through more effective diplomacy and a military that is ready to fight and win; increasing US economic prosperity; promoting the spread of democracy abroad”278.

Some goals have remained the same since the country's founding: to protect the lives and personal safety of Americans at home and abroad; preserve the sovereignty, political freedoms and independence of the United States with its values, institutions and territory; ensure the well-being and prosperity of the country and its people279.

The first of the above national security goals is expected to be achieved primarily by maintaining the military's capabilities for strategic nuclear deterrence and effective response to crisis situations in any region of the world where there is an immediate threat to US interests.

Maintaining global and regional stability requires a set of political and economic measures aimed at ensuring effective US influence in regions that are “vitally important” to them, reducing regional instability, and limiting the spread of advanced technologies and weapons of mass destruction.

Europe traditionally occupies a priority place in the US national security strategy. This is explained by the presence of vital US interests in Europe in all spheres: military, political and economic. Wherein key point The US military-political course in Europe is the policy pursued towards Russia and the CIS. The US military-political leadership believes that domestic political development and foreign policy Russia and other CIS countries are such that they cannot be considered as opponents in the near future. However, in the future, the US leadership considers it necessary to take into account the possibility of strengthening Russia’s positions and, taking into account its nuclear and conventional potentials, aims to prevent the possibility of its dominance in Eurasia.

When problems arise and are resolved in the world as a whole and in Europe, the United States continues to rely on the North Atlantic Alliance, seeking to secure NATO's leading role in Europe after the end of the Cold War.

The US military-political course towards the states of Central and Eastern Europe is aimed at facilitating the process of further withdrawal of these states from Russia, encouraging the inclusion of these countries in the sphere of Western European integration while simultaneously “tying” them through military-economic and financial assistance to a strategy for ensuring American interests. One of the main elements of this policy is the NATO Partnership for Peace program initiated by the United States, which was joined by the vast majority of Central and Eastern European countries, as well as new states on the territory of the former USSR. In accordance with the plan, their participation in this program is intended to contribute to closer coordination of the military-political efforts of these states with the countries of the NATO bloc, and for some of those who have joined this program it should become intermediate stage to authorized membership in the bloc.

In addition, the US military-political leadership began to highlight economic threats as the main threats to national security, which indicates an expansion of the traditional interpretation of security. The US Secretary of Defense, in a report to Congress back in January 1994, stated: “Only at first glance, our national security depends on a strong armed forces. But in reality it depends on a strong economy.”280 A new approach to security means that the US Department of Defense must implement specific activities aimed at ensuring the economic interests of the country.

In the field of foreign economic policy, the United States is directing its efforts to ensuring access of American companies to the huge market of Russia and the CIS countries. The veiled goals in relation to Russia, despite the officially declared US support for market reforms, are to limit access Russian goods to the markets of the USA and other Western countries, preventing Russia from returning to international markets weapons and purchases for relatively low prices advanced Russian technologies, amid ongoing opposition to Russia's access to advanced technologies.

Thus, the American administration in modern conditions focuses its main attention in ensuring national security on achieving specific goals in the political, economic and military fields.

In the political field:

Establishment of a new world order;

Strengthening relations with allies, expanding NATO membership;

Promoting the search for a political settlement of regional conflicts;

Development of the arms control negotiation process to advance US interests.

In the economic field:

Solving internal economic problems;

Ensuring free access to the world market, oceans and space;

Solving environmental, demographic and other problems with the participation of the international community;

Gain economic dependence post-communist countries from the USA.

In the military field:

Preventing attack, wherever it may come, on the United States, its citizens and allies by deterring potential aggressors and, if attacked, defeating the aggressor;

Strengthening and expanding interstate defense agreements to ensure effective collective action to prevent or repel possible aggression that poses an immediate threat to US interests;

Preventing the dominance of any power hostile to the United States in regions that have vital important for American interests;

Reducing sources of regional instability that threaten U.S. national interests by combating terrorism, facilitating peacekeeping operations, providing humanitarian, economic, and military assistance, limiting the spread of military-related technologies, and encouraging reductions in military spending.

3. Military organization of the state. According to the US Constitution, Congress has the power to take action to common defense, recruit and maintain armies, equip and maintain a fleet, make rules for the organization of land and naval forces, make laws necessary for the enjoyment of the above rights (section 8 of article I). None of the states has the right, without the consent of Congress, to maintain troops or warships in peacetime, or to undertake wars except as a result of an enemy invasion or in case of imminent danger that does not allow delay (Section 10, Art. I).

The state determines the structure of the military organization based on military security objectives. In the United States, the military organization consists of the armed forces (ground forces, air force and navy), National Guard and reserve.

In the United States, the supreme commander is the president.

The US Constitution mentions, in relation to the powers of the US President, the existence of an army and a navy, which together form its armed forces (Section 2, Article II). The possibility of using the armed forces to eliminate “unlawful obstacles to the functioning of government power and the execution of laws” is not provided for by the US Constitution, but by a special norm enshrined in Section. 10 US Code.

The US Constitution determines the legal status of the states and the legal regulation of their relations with the central government, basic principles electoral system, constitutional foundations judiciary. Found enshrined in other US constitutional acts individual issues recruitment of the armed forces. Thus, the “Articles of Confederation” regulate the recruitment of the army and navy, including for the defense of the state from external and internal dangers. Congress has the right to determine the size of the land army and its financing.

In the United States, which is a presidential republic, in full accordance with the principle of separation of powers, the president makes appointments of the Secretary of Defense and officials of his apparatus, senior military officials only “at the proposal and with the consent of the Senate” (Section 2 of Article II of the US Constitution). The powers to appoint other military officials are regulated by US law on defense matters, collected in the tenth volume of the US Code, which also provides for the institution of delegation by the US President of his powers in this area to the Secretary of Defense.

The power of the US President to use armed force to eliminate unlawful obstacles to the functioning of government power and the execution of laws, as noted earlier, is not provided for by the US Constitution, but by a special norm enshrined in Section. 10 US Code. The grounds for the use of armed forces by the president and their conduct of hostilities are regulated in Art. 2 of the War Powers of the President Act of 1973, located in the tenth volume of the United States Code. These include, firstly, a declaration of war; secondly, a special legislative decision; thirdly, the critical situation of the state as a result of an attack by the United States, its territories or armed forces. For all these reasons, Art. Section 3 of this Act requires the President of the United States to conduct formal consultations with Congress before the use of armed forces in hostilities or in situations where such use is likely under the circumstances. Such consultations should continue until the troops cease hostilities or dangerous situation will not be brought under control. In addition, the War Powers Act of 1973 states that a decision on the use of armed forces must be made by Congress within no more than 60 days. If during this time Congress has not declared war or has not issued special legislative authorization for the use of armed forces, or is physically unable to assemble due to armed aggression against the United States, the President limits or terminates the actions of the armed forces.

The President of the United States formalizes defense decisions by executive orders, which have the force of law and are not subject to repeal by the US Congress. These acts can only be annulled by the US Supreme Court if they are inconsistent with the US Constitution.

4. Recruitment of the armed forces. Both US citizens and foreigners who have received official permission to reside in this country can enlist in the US armed forces.

In the United States, according to the Military Service Act of 1948, the conscription age was determined from 18.5 to 26 years. After the abolition of conscription in 1980, male and female citizens aged 17 to 35 years were accepted for military service, and depending on the type of armed forces and type of troops there was a gradation: ground forces - from 17 to 34 years, air force forces - from 17 to 27 years, naval forces - from 17 to 35 years, marines - from 17 to 28 years. Persons under the age of 18 enter military service with the written permission of their parents or guardians.

In the US Army, all candidates are subjected to medical examination, based on the results of which they are divided into three categories. Category “A” includes candidates who are fit for military service without restrictions, category “B” - with minor restrictions, category “C” - limitedly suitable. In peacetime, only persons belonging to categories “A” and “B” are accepted as volunteers for military service. Persons of category “C” for military service can only be called up during the period of mobilization.

The US Army prefers to recruit people who mainly have a secondary education, and increased demands are placed on non-commissioned officers and officers. Thus, when assessing the quality of recruits, two criteria are used: the proportion of those with secondary education and the proportion of those who, based on their intellectual level, fell into the first three groups (five in total) when conducting a special qualification test. All candidates are subject to verification: persons from the 4th group are accepted on a limited basis and only for certain positions; those from the 5th group are not accepted into the armed forces. When entering military service, candidates pass qualification tests in order to identify their general educational level, inclinations and abilities, the possibility and expediency of use in their chosen specialty.

Based on the results of qualifying tests (using a 100-point system), candidates are divided into five categories. The 1st category includes candidates who scored 100-93 points, the 2nd - those who scored 92-65 points, the 3rd - 64-31 points, the 4th - 30-10 points, the 5th - 9 -0 points. To enter military service, a candidate must score the minimum allowable number of points established for each military specialty. A volunteer who has not scored the required number of points in his chosen specialty, but has passed the qualification tests with a positive result, may be offered another specialty. The level of education of recruits is of great importance, since losses during the first term of service of recruits with secondary education are 2 times lower than in other groups. In this regard, Congress passed a law requiring at least 65% of male recruits to have a high school diploma.

The US armed forces are recruited on a voluntary basis, i.e. the basis for the emergence of military-service relations is the voluntary agreement of the parties. However, the formalization of the emergence of military-service relations depends on the composition of the military personnel to which the person entering military service will be assigned. Promotion to officers is carried out by decree of the President of the United States. The document confirming the entry of a citizen into the US armed forces as an officer is a certificate of promotion to the first rank of officer, which indicates the emergence of the officer's military-service relationship. The initial emergence of a military service relationship is associated with the admission of these persons to a military educational institution. An agreement on voluntary enlistment in military service is not formalized by the parties signing a written document, since it is assumed that these persons will serve in accordance with their calling and be guided in their activities by the requirements of the oath, laws and command orders. The state, for its part, will provide them with guaranteed by laws conditions for performing assigned tasks.

The recruitment of privates and non-commissioned officers in the US Armed Forces is carried out on a voluntary basis of recruitment and the conclusion of individual contracts for military service for a period of at least three years for service in the regular forces and six years in the reserve components. At the expense of volunteers serving under long-term contracts and persons repeatedly renewing contracts, in accordance with special acts, issued in each branch of the armed forces in development of the laws of Congress, the ranks of the armed forces are replenished with sergeants and warrant officers. A person wishing to enlist in military service as a private or sergeant submits an application that specifies the terms and conditions of military service, contract option, conditions put forward by both parties, as well as other issues related to military service. A set is attached to the contract and application related documents, clarifying and expanding the interpretation of their provisions. These include the DD-1966 questionnaire, “Memorandum of Understanding”, “Requirements for the selected military specialty”, etc. These documents determine: the amount of the volunteer’s guaranteed salary, obligations regarding his implementation of programs to combat alcoholism and drug addiction in the armed forces forces; rights and obligations of the contracting parties regarding religious practices; additional obligations of a volunteer in a military specialty in such branches of the military as special forces units. These documents list sanctions in the event of a violation of the volunteer's obligations (for example, disqualification for unsatisfactory training and transfer to another military service). accounting specialty). Thus, the contract for military service by the specified composition of military personnel is a written document formalizing the agreement on voluntary enrollment in military service and the conditions for its execution.

5. Military service. The promotion system for officers of the US armed forces is built on cultivating a spirit of competition according to the principle: the higher the military rank and position, the more stringent the selection criteria should be. Military personnel, twice recognized by commissions in accordance with the personnel program “top or out” (top or out) in certifications not worthy of promotion, are subject to dismissal. Similar measures can be applied to persons who have not passed the standards for physical training more than 2 times. Certification of officers is carried out annually. The command of the US Armed Forces requires commanders and superiors to take an informal approach to writing evaluations and to carefully and objectively assess the officer’s business and human qualities. For these purposes, specially prepared lists of words and phrases that can be used in certification, for example: general impression - good manners, energetic, polite, rude, shy, balanced, attractive, trustworthy, does not stand out, eccentric, etc.; character - brave, firm, (un)selfish, tolerant, superstitious, envious, stubborn, cowardly, timid, simple, impatient, etc.; mindset - rich imagination, analytical mind, sensitive, quick (slow) grasper, witty, (in)flexible, etc.

A change in military service relations involves a change in the official position of a serviceman (appointment to a position, dismissal and removal from position), assignment, deprivation and restoration of a military rank. The expiration of the period of service in a military rank is universal condition assignment of the next military rank in the armed forces of almost all states.

To receive the next military rank, officers of the US Armed Forces must have the following length of service: first lieutenant - 1.5-2 years; captain - 3.5-4 years; major - 10 years; lieutenant colonel - 16 years; Colonel - at least 22 years old. The ranks of generals are awarded by special decision.

The rank of "warrant officer 1st class" is awarded to sergeants after 10 years of service in the armed forces or more and successful completion of the appropriate course of study in schools of the military branches and services. Warrant officers are assigned the next rank upon reaching next dates length of service in the previous rank: warrant officer 1st class - 3 years; Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class - 6 years; Chief Warrant Officer 3rd Class - 6 years; Chief Warrant Officer Class 4 - after 15 years of service as a Chief Warrant Officer.

To obtain the next rank, private and non-commissioned personnel of the US Army must have the following minimum length of service in the previous rank and total length of service (in parentheses for the Air Force): private - 6 months; private 1st class - 4 months and 1 year, respectively (6 months and 6 months); corporal - 6 months and 2 years (8 months and 1 year); sergeant - 8 months and 3 years (6 months and 3 years); staff sergeant - 10 months and 7 years (18 months and 5 years). Wherein minimum terms assignments of regular military ranks to privates and senior officers in the US armed forces are different for the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and depend on length of service, length of service, characteristics of the serviceman, results various tests, awards, availability of vacancies and the decision of the selection committee.

In the US armed forces, the issue of assigning military ranks to officers and senior non-commissioned personnel is decided by special ranking commissions, which are formed anew every year from officers whose ranks are higher than the ranks of the candidates under discussion. The task of the commissions is to select and evaluate candidates based on their certifications, characteristics and impressions of a personal meeting with an officer, his answers to questions from members of the commission in his specialty, from the field of military and general training. Up to and including the rank of “captain,” military ranks are assigned to almost everyone who is certified with the conclusion “fully ready for promotion.” When assigning higher ranks, the principle of “best prepared” is applied. The possibility of implementing this principle is created by the excess of the number of candidates over the number of vacancies. It is characteristic that the system of selecting candidates for receiving the next military rank or filling vacancies is maintained when senior military leaders are appointed (2-4 or more candidates are considered, discussed among senior officers, articles about this are published in the American military press). Promotion in the ranks of junior and middle sergeants is based on the competitive-verification principle.

The procedural rules of US military law governing issues of promotion in military rank guarantee:

The right of military officers and senior sergeants to do written statements by providing facts to refute negative characteristics;

The opportunity for military officers and senior non-commissioned officers to submit written statements to the “rank commission” that is considering the issue of their promotion;

The presence of only official characteristics in the record reviewed by the “ranking commission” (records of inappropriate behavior are not included in service list, unless inappropriate behavior is established at a judicial or out-of-court hearing);

Conducting meetings of the “ranking commission” at behind closed doors(remarks made when making a decision are not made public);

The principle of correspondence of military rank to the position held military position most consistently implemented in a number of armed forces foreign countries, which provide for a system of temporary ranks. Thus, in the United States, the system for assigning military ranks requires mandatory compliance with the positions held. Therefore, the ranks of officers and generals are divided into temporary and permanent. Permanent ranks are awarded in accordance with performance appraisals, length of service and if there is a vacancy. Temporary ranks are assigned upon appointment to positions that, according to the staff, are subject to replacement by officers of more than high rank. In my own way legal status those with temporary ranks are equal to officers, generals and admirals who have the corresponding permanent ranks, and wear the same uniforms and insignia.

Discharge from the US military is a voluntary act, subject to very few procedural rules. Involuntary dismissals require compliance with procedural norms of a higher level, depending on the reason and circumstances of dismissal, position and rank of the serviceman. The Administrative Dismissal Commission has the right to hear the serviceman, but this right is not unconditional and depends on the length of service and the type of dismissal in question. The age limit for US military personnel is determined depending on the length of military service. Dismissal from the armed forces based on length of service is carried out when a serviceman has served in the army for the period established by law. Formally, the upper limit of military service, after reaching which a serviceman is subject to dismissal mandatory, is considered 30 years, but for individual categories exceptions are allowed for generals and senior officers. The age limit for officers is set at 62 years. Officers occupying leadership positions V central office, as well as representatives of higher military educational institutions by decision of Congress in individually service can be extended up to 64 years. The maximum period of military service for a brigadier general and colonel is 30 years, for a lieutenant colonel - 28 years, for a major - 21 years. But these terms are in some cases can be extended for 5 years. Consequently, the difference in the age limits of US military personnel does not exceed 10 years.

6. Military status. The first ten amendments to the US Constitution constitute the Bill of Rights and contain guarantees constitutional rights and freedoms, including the guarantee of freedom of conscience, speech and press, assembly, the right to complain, the right to protection of person, home, papers and property from unreasonable searches and arrests, the right private property etc. No one can be held responsible for criminal offense otherwise than on an indictment by a jury, except in cases arising in the army or navy while on active service on occasion of war or public danger(Amendment V to the US Constitution), i.e. the Constitution allows for the possibility of departing from the main principle of criminal proceedings and the basic guarantee of the rights of American citizens - trial by jury, but only during military operations or other emergency circumstances.

Issues of the legal status of American military personnel are enshrined in Art. 53 “Rights and Responsibilities” (3rd volume of the US Code of Laws, part II, subsection “A”), which contains rules relating to guarantees of the voting rights of military personnel, their participation in political activity, freedom of conscience, filing complaints, guarantees of personal integrity. At the same time, in American legal publications (for example, the US Officer's Handbook edited by L.P. Crocker) there is a provision on the special status of military personnel. “There are serious reasons to believe that military personnel have special rights, duties and privileges. First, the primary duty of U.S. citizens serving in the Army, Air Force, Marines, or Navy is to protect and defend the Constitution, including all civil rights and liberties, and second, in the event of war, citizens in the service of the Federal governments, regardless of where they are sent, do not have the right to refuse to proceed to their destination, and, therefore, they are limited in the right of free movement, which always remains with civilians.”281

The legal status of American military personnel covers 3 areas: general civil rights and freedoms of military personnel; military service rights, as well as their organization, military service duties and associated legal liability. American legislation establishes both the role and place of the armed forces in society and social and legal status certain categories of military personnel. US law guarantees American military personnel the enjoyment of the following rights and freedoms, in some cases with some restrictions: suffrage; participation in political parties, public organizations and mass movements; participation in rallies, marches and demonstrations; freedom of speech and press; the right to rest (vacation no more than 60 days, on account of future service - up to 45 days); the right to housing (single military personnel are accommodated in barracks or free hotel-type dormitories; privates and sergeants receive free space on the territory of the unit); right to education; the right to medical care and health protection ( constant control for health status); the right to compensation for damage caused to the person of a military personnel or personal property in the performance of official duties; right to pension provision(service in the regular armed forces for at least 20 years, as well as disability); right to file complaints (a military member has the right to file a complaint on any issue with the inspector general); right to burial (military personnel can be buried in either a national military or private cemetery).

Military service rights include: the right to military rank; the right to wear military uniform ( military uniform not worn during civil work); the right to career transfers (military personnel have the right to transfer (promotion) in service in accordance with the level of education and combat training); the right to material support; right to dismissal from active military service ( mandatory dismissal persons who have reached 62 years of age are subject to; officers also have the right to resign at their own request). It is prohibited for military personnel to engage in private entrepreneurial activity for official purposes and during official time.

Common responsibilities of U.S. military personnel include: the willingness to give one's life in defense of one's country; unquestioning obedience to the orders of the President of the United States and his commanders and superiors; quick and accurate solution of assigned tasks; achieving and maintaining the required level of military professional training; strict adherence to discipline and moral and ethical standards in accordance with the existing “Code of Conduct” in the US Armed Forces; compliance with security requirements when using documentation, as well as “closed” weapon systems and military equipment(if it is transferred to another person who does not have the right to it, a court may appoint criminal penalty: imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of not more than 10 thousand dollars); execution job responsibilities military personnel. Commanders and superiors have the right to command subordinates and demand that they execute orders.

Military laws adopted by Congress contain only general provisions on military issues of military development, which are then detailed by acts of the president and military authorities. The President issues instructions, regulations, executive orders, directives that have the same binding force as acts of Congress. In the American Army, intra-army relations are regulated in the most detail by charters, manuals, regulations and other acts. For example, the Regulations on Service for Regular Army Officers AR 601-100 regulates the specifics of service for US Army officers. The participation of military personnel in demonstrations is regulated by manual AR 600-100, features literary activity are regulated by manual AR 600-50. In general, the entire complex of the above acts, along with general principles and the principles determine the social and legal status of the personnel of the US armed forces.

Based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Part II), a manual on the problems of equal opportunity AR 600-21 was developed, i.e. in the US Army all military personnel have equal opportunities, the command in its activities follows principles that exclude racial discrimination and assume equal treatment of all military personnel regardless of their race, color, religion or national origin. The right to equal opportunity applies to both the official and personal time of military personnel. The officer has the right to express a formal protest or complaint regarding the infringement of his constitutional rights, freedoms or insult to personal dignity up to the Supreme Court of the United States. His subordinates also enjoy this right, and if an officer takes any action that offends personal dignity (or this is so regarded by his subordinates), then he can participate in the process not as a plaintiff, but as a defendant.

While serving in the military, US military personnel also have the opportunity to participate in political activities, but with certain restrictions. In most cases, US military personnel are prohibited from becoming a candidate for elective position or directly participate in the election campaign of one candidate.

Members of the United States Armed Forces are prohibited from participating in organizations that are openly discriminatory on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, or national origin. However, membership in such groups without active participation in their activities cannot be prohibited. Military personnel on leave should not participate in a demonstration or community group meeting while wearing uniform, as this may lead civilians to believe that the armed forces are officially supporting any one group.

US military personnel are prohibited from joining trade unions aiming at advancement and satisfaction different requirements through negotiations with the command, since, according to American legislators who adopted the corresponding law in 1979, when certain conditions loyalty to the oath may be violated.

US officers are prohibited from: engaging in business activities; take a job in commercial organization and receive remuneration if this requires leaving the place of duty or creates other interference in the service; be a consultant to private firms on any issues affecting the interests of the state; accept remuneration and gifts for work done outside of work hours in any government agency, as well as monetary reward from individuals and firms having or interested in doing business with the Department of Defense. In other cases, an officer can engage in business, but this is not encouraged by the command. According to the American press, 10% of officers work part-time in their free time and their additional income amounts to up to 50 thousand US dollars. Private and non-commissioned officers of the US Armed Forces may work off-duty, including in commercial settings, as long as this does not interfere with their service.

US military personnel, like other citizens, have the right to self-expression. At the same time, the right to speak freely does not provide them with unconditional immunity from subsequent punishment if the speech violates the criminal code and other norms providing for the liability of military personnel. Responsibility for military personnel occurs if they allow:

1) disrespectful expressions addressed to seniors in rank or position;

2) using expressions or gestures that could provoke a fight;

3) disclosure of secret data;

4) discussing official matters outside of work without appropriate permission.

Establishment direct ban for military personnel to publish their works, including those related to military issues, would be contrary to the interests of both the military organization itself and society as a whole, since the first is part of the second and they cannot be isolated from each other. Restrictions established in freedom of the press should exclude the possibility of disseminating information constituting state secret. As a rule, this restriction can be implemented by conducting preliminary censorship of published works. An indirect restriction on freedom of the press may consist in censorship subsequent to publication, i.e. the requirement that military officials must provide works published by military personnel, which took place in German law at the beginning of the 20th century The personal possession of printed materials (other than those containing classified information) by a U.S. military member does not adversely affect military discipline or combat readiness. However, their public display or distribution is prohibited if the interests of the command in maintaining morality, good order and discipline prevail over the employee’s interest in self-expression, i.e., US law establishes discretionary powers of the military command in the field of exercise of press freedom by military personnel.

7. Insurance for military personnel282. The main regulatory document is the Guide to Insurance for Military Personnel283.

All insurance for US military personnel is implemented within the framework of specific insurance programs that were adopted by the US Congress. In this regard, we can say that this type of insurance, as in Russia, is carried out by force of law. From 1919 to the present, there have been 8 insurance programs in the United States.

The US government began to participate in the implementation of personal insurance for military personnel in conjunction with the private insurance system. The purpose of such coinsurance is to offer lower-cost coverage when purchasing an insurance policy from a commercial insurance company. Under this policy, the US government pays additional premiums to the insurance company for risks associated with military service. All other risks are covered by insurance premiums deducted from military personnel's salaries.

Personal insurance for US military personnel is most likely classic. A soldier can insure his life for a certain amount by purchasing an insurance policy from one of the private insurance companies (conclude an insurance contract). In this case, the serviceman himself appoints beneficiaries and pays for this insurance policy. A fairly common amount of maximum insurance coverage in the event of the death of a military member is from 10 thousand to 50 thousand dollars.

In insurance practice, a monthly insurance premium has been established, which is transferred from the soldier’s salary to the account of the insurance company. Monthly amount insurance premium depends on what maximum insurance protection the insurance policy is designed for and under what insurance program it is valid. So, for example, when maximum amount insurance protection of 50 thousand dollars, the monthly insurance premium of a military personnel under a program with the participation of the US government is 4 dollars. Currently, insurance programs in the United States cover more than 5 million military personnel and military veterans.

8. State and law of Western Europe, USA and Japan in the 19th century.

At the end of 2018, the army of the United States of America was recognized as the strongest in the world. There is a popular belief among people that service in the US Army is very prestigious and well paid.

1,430,000 - this is how many military personnel there are in the US Army.

Let us immediately note that if in Russia they are “driven into the army with sticks”, then service in America is voluntary. Those who wish to serve enter into a contract with the state. Duration - 2-6 years.

The US army is divided into 5 types. Those wishing to serve can choose one of the following varieties:

1. United States Army is a classic army. These are mainly infantry troops.
2. US Navy - naval forces.
3. United States Air Force - air forces.
4. US Marine Corps - Marine Corps.
5. United States Coast Guard - coast guard.

Who can serve?

A person who is a resident or citizen of the United States is eligible to enlist in the American military. Many people believe that military service in itself is the basis on which one can obtain US citizenship, which in reality is not at all the case. To serve, you need to be at least a resident (for example, for Russians the simplest basis for obtaining this status is to have).

Admission process

The recruiter plays a key role in recruiting recruits. This is the person who provides military service counseling, tests your suitability, and actually manages the examination and enlistment process. To find it, you need to go to the army’s website (each type of army has its own website) and select the one closest to you.

After consulting with the recruiter and discussing all important issues you will need to collect a package of documents. Main documents:

1. A US citizen passport or proof of resident status.
2. Bank account statement.
3. Original.
4. Certificates of marriage, divorce, birth of children, if available (copies are possible).
5. Driver ID or Non-driver ID (the document is different, but contains an ID number, which is necessary).

Driver ID example.

The next step is passing a test to test the recruit's knowledge. This an important part enlistment in the army, because if the applicant fails the test, he will not be enlisted. True, many note that it is quite easy to get a passing score.

So, the recruit needs to pass the Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT). It will contain questions on:

• knowledge of spoken English;
• mathematics awareness;
• ability to understand written English;
• checking the applicant's vocabulary.

The next test - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) - will be slightly larger in volume. There will also be questions from electronics and mechanics.

After passing, you will need to undergo a medical examination. Next, you choose a specialization. It is important to say here that US residents, unlike citizens, do not have access to all types of specializations. There are about 150 such species in total.

Finally, the recruit reads the specific terms of the contract and signs it.

Start of service

Service in the US Army begins with taking an oath. After this, you are sent to a training course for military service. As a rule, it lasts about two to three months (but in some departments longer). Many people pay attention to the harsh conditions of this training: to harden future military personnel, an exhausting training plan is provided, and only 2-4 hours are allocated for sleep.

Once the training is successfully completed, you will be sent to a military base, where the main service will take place.

Conditions for passing

In the United States, the Soldiers' Equipment Research Center deals with nutritional issues for military personnel. Privates and officers have the same menu.