Recently, a British military expert published a signed article on the website of Army Fire, titled "Do we need to simplify the rank structure of the British armed forces?" With more than 8,000 words, it comprehensively analyzes the formation, history, and shortcomings of the current rank system of the British army, and gives relevant suggestions: that is, to follow the management mechanism of modern enterprises and reduce the current rank level by 50%, which can greatly improve the command efficiency of the British Army.
British Army tier
The author's idea is clearer: "If the British armed forces are to reflect the country they serve, then they must be integrated into the way contemporary society is developed." In recent years, one of the most important changes we have seen in industry and commerce is the reduction in the number of corporate hierarchies. Nowadays, an employee's technical competence has become just as important as absolute seniority or the managerial positions held. ”
British Army
The authors note that the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force have 16, 18 and 23 different ranks, respectively. This is a considerable hierarchy compared to other organizations, including commercial and government entities, especially when you consider the rank of five-level general. Those who defend the existing rank structure argue that the manpower-intensive functioning of the armed forces requires the establishment of a hierarchical structure for effective command and control at all levels of the various services. You need to know who is responsible and to whom the responsibility will be transferred in the event of a wounded, dead or captured commander. In addition, the current system of military ranks has been in use for more than a century, having been confirmed in two major conflicts, as well as in numerous skirmishes. This means that even the most compelling case for change will be met with strong resistance.
1st Division of the British Army
The author also knows in his heart that it is the senior military officers who are most reluctant to accept reform, and the first argument put forward is what are the shortcomings of the current command hierarchy.
20th Panzer Brigade Challenger 2 main battle tank
The total number of police officers in the UK is 123142, but there are only 9 different levels of the police force in total. Britain's largest service, the Army, has only 77,000 soldiers, but the reduction in the size of the British armed forces has not been accompanied by a reduction in the number of senior officers, with 207 generals and only 213 tanks, and similarly, the Royal Navy has 121 admirals but only 49 active warships.
L118 towed howitzer
After analysing five arguments: the small size of the British armed forces, the evolution of the nature of leadership, the promotion of teamwork and interdependence by flat structures, the technical ability to operate different weapon systems is as important as managing the troops, and the fact that British society has become more classless, the author concludes that it may be too impulsive to change from the existing 18-level military rank system to 9 grades, and to change it to 12 at a compromise, with 6 officer ranks and 6 soldier ranks, taking the Army as an example, with the lowest rank being private and the highest rank being general. While the number of officers with the same rank increases, role appointments allow you to define the hierarchy required for effective command, such as company commander, ship commander, or squadron commander.
Challenger 3 main battle tank
After analyzing more than 3,000 words, the author Balabala found that it did not end well, and wrote: "It may be too much to reduce the number of military ranks of the three branches of the military from the current number to 12 at once. If so, it would be better to change the number of military ranks to a temporary 14, of which 8 are officers and 6 are soldiers. "The rank of soldier will be reduced to 6, as already mentioned, and the rank of officer will be reduced from 6 to 8. In this case, new ranks between lieutenant and captain will be added, while the third general rank will be retained. The rank of lieutenant is intended to correspond to the rank of major in the Navy.
HMS Queen Elizabeth
Anyone who is called an expert may be at a similar level, and as soon as this article was issued, British netizens left sarcastic messages one after another.
Mark Foster: I would say that during my 21 years of service in the infantry, I heard a lot of complaints about almost everything, with one notable exception – and that was the rank structure, and I don't know what the point of you writing this article is.
Josh Cunningham: What rank is the U.S. military? What are the ranks of the Chinese military? What rank is the Russian military rank? Which of these three countries is not militarily stronger than the United Kingdom, why don't they change the rank structure, and the United Kingdom needs to change?
Wayne S. C. Perelman: It's not about rank, it's about 207 generals with only 213 main battle tanks.