The Natural Military Hierarchy

In every modern military system -- at least in every military I know -- there are a multitude of different formal ranks. This not only serves to sow division among the common soldier, but also among the officer, and especially between the both of them. The problem with having so many ranks is that it divides the soldiers loyalties into too great a number of small cliques.

There are those in the lower ranks who are often considered useless and stupid -- true to some extent -- mostly because they are generally young, and don't have much experience with soldiering or life in general. Then you've got the middle ranks who are experienced, but harbor a dislike for the FNGs and, more often, a dislike of the officers and other higher ups. Last is the aforementioned upper ranks. These are the officers -- the lower tier of which usually have just as little experience at soldiering as the lower ranks -- and other higher ups who have been in for some time, an exclusive group to say the least.

Modern military's are most concerned with brown nosing, formal education, and status -- politics, to put it bluntly. The biggest problem is the divide between the officers and the enlisted. The former like the posh aristocrat, and the latter like the impoverished peasant. Now, mind you, there are good intelligent people in both the enlisted and officer sides of the military. However, the best rank structure would undoubtedly be, what I call, the natural military hierarchy (or, natural rank structure).

The natural hierarchy would consist from top to bottom of: The King/President/Leader, Generals, and Captains. That's it. In the natural military hierarchy the King/President/Leader would appoint his most experienced Generals, who would in turn appoint their most experienced Captains, who would in turn lead the common soldier. The common soldier would share an equal bond among his fellows, and revere his Captain. There would be no more privates, sergeants, or other officer ranks. All military ranks would be gained through merit, hard work, and direct military experience, or military related schools and training -- not outside degrees.

Furthermore, no large standing military should be kept -- The Founders desired NO standing military. However, not having a standing military in the modern era is a tactical impossibility due to the advancement of military technology requiring constant practice to operate efficiently. The defense of one's homeland and the conquest of foreign nations -- no excuse for conquest in this age -- should be left to those whom have the greatest stake in it. A mixture of local militias and small standing armies would serve to eliminate the very real -- and way out of hand -- military industrial complex. The small standing army would work within the more technologically advanced fields, such as aircraft, ships, drones, submarines, etc. The roles of infantry, engineers, medics, supply, and all other ground forces could easily be performed by that of the private militia upon the call, or needs of the nation -- and no that does not mean deploying; defense of the nation ONLY. The militias would be supplied through either private, state, or federal means -- or through a combination of any number of ways.

I've developed the natural military hierarchy based on the militaries of the Bible-era and other ancient times. They too consisted of a Leader, Generals, and Captains. The rest of the military were simple men who were willing to serve God, and defend what was theirs. Among the peers of the simple soldier, would be those who, through their natural actions, would stand out. They would be the ones who were looked up to, and listened to; they would also go on to become the Captains, and Generals. Of course, as the world has advanced, so too has the military. But, that does not nullify the natural military hierarchy, in fact, it necessitates it.

The point of the small standing military is to eliminate the military industrial complex, and reduce -- or prevent -- those who would only join the military for a paycheck. Those with true passions would be the only one's who worked with advanced equipment. The militias would need no pay, as those who serve in them would be those who's passion is to simply defend their nation, family, and liberty. They would live a normal life and work a normal job until the time that their service is needed. Each militia would consist of voluntary service, and would set its own training regimen and schedule -- working closely with other militias around the country.

The nation at large would change to suit the needs of the natural military hierarchy. Those going out to train would have paid leave from their jobs, the nation's people would again band together in unison to support a common goal -- defense of the nation --  and the overall level of nationalism and patriotism would rise.

I leave you with this.

The formal rank structure signals an empire's fall, as a formal rank structure is required for an empire to exist.