Army

Army
Name	Army
Caption	Infantry troops on parade
Country	Various
Branch label	Primary land force
Type	Service branch
Garrison	Headquarters
Motto	Duty, Honor, Country

Army

An army is a principal land-based service branch responsible for conducting ground operations through organized formations such as infantry divisions, armored brigades, and artillery regiments. Armies have played decisive roles in conflicts from the Battle of Cannae and the Siege of Alesia to the Battle of Waterloo, the Eastern Front (World War II), and the Gulf War, shaping state boundaries, international treaties, and military theory. Modern armies integrate combined arms concepts developed from lessons in the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Vietnam War to operate alongside air and naval forces in joint campaigns.

History

Armies trace institutional lineage to ancient formations such as the Roman legions, the Macedonian phalanx under Philip II of Macedon, and the Han dynasty field armies that implemented logistics and conscription systems. Medieval armies featured feudal levies, knights in campaigns like the Third Crusade, and mercenary companies exemplified by the Condottieri. The early modern period saw professionalization in the Thirty Years' War and innovations by commanders such as Süleyman the Magnificent and Napoleon Bonaparte, whose campaigns influenced the Military Revolution and reforms in conscription seen during the French Revolutionary Wars. Industrialization and technological advances in the American Civil War and World War I transformed firepower, trench warfare, and mobilization, setting precedents for the mechanized formations of the World War II era and Cold War doctrines like the NATO strategy and the Warsaw Pact posture.

Organization and Structure

Armies are typically organized into hierarchical echelons: squads, platoons, companies, battalions, brigades, divisions, corps, and field armies, with staff functions influenced by the Prussian General Staff model. Command and control systems evolved through practices codified by figures such as Helmuth von Moltke the Elder and implemented in institutions like the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and the Russian Ground Forces general staff. Support branches include logistics, intelligence, engineering, signals, medical services, and military police, coordinated with national defense ministries such as Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), United States Department of Defense, and ministries in other states. Multinational formations arise under frameworks like United Nations peacekeeping missions and NATO corps headquarters.

Roles and Operations

Primary roles encompass offense, defense, occupation, security, and deterrence, with operations ranging from high-intensity combat in theaters like the Korean War to stability operations exemplified by deployments to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq War (2003–2011). Armies conduct combined arms maneuvers integrating armored warfare, artillery bombardment, close air support coordination, and special operations in missions such as counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and counterterrorism actions against groups like Al-Qaeda. Humanitarian assistance, disaster relief after events like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and civil support in crises are routine. Doctrine for maneuver, logistics, and force protection draws on case studies including the Battle of Kursk and the Tet Offensive.

Training and Doctrine

Doctrine is shaped by doctrine centers and manuals produced by entities such as the United States Army War College, the British Army Staff College, and the French Army doctrine branches, reflecting lessons from operations like Operation Desert Storm. Training pipelines move recruits through basic training, advanced individual training, and professional military education with courses at academies like the United States Military Academy, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. Wargaming, simulations, and exercises—including multinational maneuvers like DEFENDER-Europe and Cobra Gold—test readiness, while doctrinal concepts such as maneuver warfare and attrition warfare derive from theorists like Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and J.F.C. Fuller.

Equipment and Technology

Armies employ small arms (e.g., designs by John Browning), crewed systems like main battle tanks exemplified by the M1 Abrams and T-72, artillery systems such as the M777 howitzer, armored personnel carriers like the Stryker, and engineering vehicles. Aviation assets include attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache and transport helicopters like the CH-47 Chinook, while unmanned systems including MQ-1 Predator variants and remote sensors enhance reconnaissance and strike. Communications and battlefield management systems integrate satellite services from platforms like GPS and secure networks developed in programs akin to Network-Centric Warfare. Logistics, force protection, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense equipment reflect interoperability standards used by alliances such as NATO.

Personnel and Recruitment

Recruitment models include volunteer professional forces seen in the British Army and conscription systems used historically by states like Soviet Union and today by countries such as Israel. Career progression and retention are managed through promotion systems and professional education tied to institutions like the National Defense University. Veteran affairs, rehabilitation, and pensions are administered via agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (United States) and national ministries, with issues like post-traumatic stress disorder addressed by medical research at centers including the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and veteran advocacy groups like Disabled American Veterans.

International and Civil Relations

Armies operate within legal and political frameworks defined by international law instruments like the Geneva Conventions and under civil oversight from bodies such as national parliaments and cabinets, including the United Kingdom Parliament and the United States Congress. Peacekeeping and coalition operations occur under mandates from organizations such as the United Nations and coalitions led by states including United States and United Kingdom. Relations with civil society, media, and nongovernmental organizations are crucial during deployments in regions including Syria and Somalia, while arms control agreements like the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and export regimes influence procurement and transparency.

Category:Military units and formations