Army, military, for thousands of years there was little if any difference between the two
words, but with the rise of naval powers and then the adoption of flight into warfighting,
a clear distinction was established between the two words.
But when you get down to brass tacks, just what's the difference between the two really?
Hello and welcome to another episode of The Infographics Show- today we're taking a look
at army vs military- what's the difference?
As mentioned, for thousands of years there wasn't much difference between the two words,
and if english had existed back then, you could've probably used the two words interchangeably.
That's because for most of human history a nation's military force consisted mostly of
what we'd today call light infantry, or combatants on foot equipped with hand to hand weapons.
Then as human technology progressed, we began to add new tools to our militaries, at first
we added light weight spears and slings as we recognized the value of being able to harm
your opponent before they could harm you.
Then the bow came along and made it not just feasible to reach out and hurt someone, but
an absolute necessity to do so.
Yet bowmen were only truly effective in large numbers, and so while the infantry protected
the front, bowmen at the rear would rain arrows down on the enemy.
After the bow, mankind began to tinker with different mechanical devices, eventually adding
siege units such as arbalests, catapults, and other heavy weapons of war to their forces.
These new inventions could often deliver massive damage to an enemy formation, or outright
demolish fortifications.
They trumped the power of bowmen, but weren't as flexible, so a modern military needed a
mix of all three tools in order to be successful- infantry up front to protect, bowmen to deliver
fire support at the front, and siege weapons to smash long-range enemy formations or destroy
their fortifications.
As the idea of different soldiers doing different jobs grew and militaries became more diverse,
a need to differentiate between the different jobs became apparent.
A local ruler and his generals couldn't simply round up random people, give them a sword,
and send them off to war.
Rather exact quotas and numbers of different, specialized types of soldiers were needed
if that ruler didn't want his forces utterly defeated.
An ancient army may for instance have required ten thousand infantry, four thousand bowmen,
and a thousand siege engineers- and while they all made up the overall army, it was
clear that the individual specializations needed language to separate one job from the
other.
The first major change in the way we use language to describe fighting forces came with the
adoption of naval forces to battle.
For a long time transport ships were simply attached to an army on the move, but as naval
technology improved and we began to weaponize those ships, it became clear that we needed
to start differentiating between naval and ground forces.
Thus most militaries split up their armies into ground forces- which would still be colloquially
called 'the army'- and seaborne forces or a navy.
If you traveled back to ancient greece and congratulated the Athenians on their vast
navy by telling them they had a powerful army, you would certainly have gotten some very
funny looks.
No different than if today you call a Marine a soldier- although in that case you'll get
a funny look and a half hour lecture about how Marines aren't soldiers.
It wasn't until mechanized warfare though that further distinctions began to be necessary
between fighting forces of a nation's military.
Mechanization brought all kinds of technological revolutions to the way we fight wars, and
suddenly you didn't only have infantry and artillery, but you had mechanized infantry,
mechanized cavalry, airborne cavalry, aerial fighters and aerial bombers.
We needed to start separating out the different responsibilities of each group of war fighters
from the rest so as to better prioritize resources and manpower, and thus it became more important
than ever to establish clear language that grouped together similar warfighting capabilities.
With the invention of flight, many militaries immediately created independent air forces
within their militaries, while others, such as America, instead established air corps
within their army command.
Even before the airplane though, separations between warfighting jobs were already establishing
entirely new military commands, such as when American established the Marine Corps shortly
after the Revolutionary War.
While on their face the difference between the Army and the Marine Corps is minimal,
they are after all both primarily infantry forces with other combat commands that directly
support the infantry, the fact is that the specific job of the US Army and Marine Corps
is quite different.
The Marine Corps is specifically trained and equipped to be America's amphibious force,
responsible for attacking and establishing beachheads on hostile territory.
The US Army however is the force responsible for exploiting that beachhead and bringing
the fight directly into the heart of the enemy's forces.
Basically the Marines kick the door in, and the Army blitzes through the open door.
The Navy is responsible for getting the Marines and the Army to their destination, and the
Air Force meanwhile kicks their feet up in air conditioned trailers fighting the war
via remote control.
Just kidding, the Air Force aggressively attacks the enemy's electronic assets, jamming radar,
corrupting computer networks, and feeding misinformation digitally to the enemy, while
its airplanes bring the pain from the skies above the battlefield.
Yet while all the branches have dedicated electronic warfare specialists and even air
assets, it's the Air Force who is king of the information war- and blowing stuff up.
Yet again why we need specific language to separate the Air Force's job from the other
commands, and vice-versa.
Army however doesn't only refer to what nations typically name their ground combat command,
but often also refers to a specifically sized unit deployed to a battlefield.
That's right, if you are still confused by the word army vs military, then hold on to
your butt because in today's world you can be in an army that is itself part of the US
Army.
Let us explain.
Most competent militaries around the world split up their personnel into more manageable
sizes that can be easily referred to and give a distinct impression of just how strong in
manpower that unit is.
The units of measure begin at a Squad, which consists of 6-10 soldiers and in the US is
commanded by a Sergeant.
Then there is a Platoon, made up of three to four squads and can be from 18 to 50 soldiers
and is commanded by an uppity know-it-all college student- sorry, we mean second lieutenant.
Next is a Company, or Battery, or Troop which is made up of three to four platoons and can
be between 60 and 200 soldiers and is commanded by a Captain, First Lieutenant, or a Major.
Next is a Battalion made up of three to five companies and can be between 100 and 1000
soldiers, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel.
A brigade comes next, made up of three to five battalions and is between 2000-3000 soldiers
and is commanded by a Brigadier General or a Colonel.
Then you have a Division, made up of three brigades and can be between 10 or 15 thousand
soldiers and is commanded by a Major General.
Then there's a Corps, made up of two or more divisions and makes up about 20 to 45 thousand
soldiers and is commanded by a Lieutenant General.
Lastly we have a Field Army, made up of fifty thousand or more soldiers, and is commanded
by a General.
So not only can you be in an Army while you're serving in the Army, but you can actually
be in the Corps but not be a Marine because you're serving in the Army.
Confusing enough yet?
Good, we did our job then.
Should we just lump all our forces together into one service for convenience?
What's the longest a Marine has ever taken to explain to you the reasons why you don't
call a marine a soldier?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video Wartime Paranormal Sightings that Shocked
Soldiers.
Thanks for watching, and as always, don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.
See you next time.