Which army is the most famous in the whole world? Most likely American. Yankees have bases around the globe, on all continents, excluding Antarctica. In general, the American army in recent years has grown with such an incredible amount of rumors and speculation that isolating something more or less real from there becomes difficult. However, we will try.
Background
When the American rebels defeated the British along with the French Expeditionary Force, a new state appeared on the world map. That was the USA. The "New Americans" kindly thanked the French: when they were busy in Europe (it was 1803, after all), they, under the threat of armed capture, bought a penny for Louisiana. After 1812, Napoleon was no longer up to them, so the trick was a success. But when in 1814 they decided to do the same trick with Canada, everything ended badly: the British beat the inept army, reached Washington and burned down the White House.
Even then, it became clear that the American army of those years did not meet the requirements for the armed forces of the countries of the Old World. In addition, the offended British and French could well have tried to take revenge. Do not forget that the Northern states have long been staring at the wealth of the South. The Civil War was outlined, for which it was necessary to prepare accordingly.
Civil and World War I
The Civil War of 1861-1865 began. During this time, about a million people died. The lesson went for the future: American engineers developed new models of small arms and artillery weapons. It seems that by the beginning of World War I the United States should have come fully armed. Alas, even their rare insight (as in the Second World War), when real American troops began to arrive on the war fronts in 1918, did not save the army from bashing.
Contemporaries testify that the Yankees lacked normal field artillery and did not even have the normal unification of infantry small arms. Former enemies, the French and the British, helped a lot of future "policemen of the world." In particular, it was the French artillery calibres, 105 and 155 mm, that are still the most common in the American army. However, all this helped them a little.
Judge for yourself. From August to November 1918, dashing warriors managed to lose more than 200 thousand people killed. And this at a time when the Battle of Verdun, which lasted almost the entire 1916 year, claimed 300 thousand lives (in total) from the French and Germans.
Given the 600 thousand wounded, we can say that in a couple of months the American army ceased to exist. The results were horrific. However, not everything is so bad: at that time, the Americans got rich by supplying food and raw materials to Europe torn by war, in fact, having enslaved many world governments with loans. It should be noted that during the years of intervention of Vladivostok, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk they (in the company of other powers) exported a lot of material values and gold.
A huge number of scientists and engineers emigrated to America, and many officers of the former imperial army got there. Since that time, the American army began to receive the best examples of weapons and equipment, which immediately affected its combat effectiveness.
General figures
It is well known that the United States has an unrealistic military budget, which also does not take into account the costs of the "partners" in NATO, who annually buy a considerable amount of equipment from the Americans. According to official figures, in 2014, more than $ 610 million was allocated to the army.
What is the size of the American army? According to official data, about one and a half million people served in the ranks of American troops last year. This is not taking into account 14 thousand people of civilian service personnel. The reserve numbers 843.75 thousand troops. If we discuss American private armies, we can only guess about their strength.
Few people know, but after Vietnam, the Americans did not cancel the call at all: it exists, but remains “zero”. Simply put, in the event of a large-scale war, they can put from 50 to 80 million people under arms. Of course, this is unrealistic, but the Americans will be able to collect the 30 million conscripts for sure. In any case, the armament of the American army (more precisely, its volume) is such that this whole horde can be fully equipped.
By the way, we have the total number of military personnel also more than a million, but the mobilization reserve is much smaller. Affected by the “funny” 90s, and emigration should not be discounted.
The legal age for admission to active service is 18 years. But if the decision of the young man was approved by parents, relatives or other categories of guardians, he can go to serve from the age of 17. The maximum possible age of admission is different. In the linear units - 35 years, in the Marine Corps - 26 years. Thus, the American army is a fairly liberal “organization” in terms of age.
Form and other "little things"
The “calling card” of any army is the uniform of its soldiers. Americans are no exception. In general, the uniform of the American army is respected by the fact that it is purely practical. There are no ridiculous requirements for elements of appearance (within reasonable limits, of course) that are so familiar to everyone who served in the SA or in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Clothing - for all occasions, for all climatic zones. Designers drew attention to the convenience of movement, to the protection of all important parts of the body of soldiers. The American military uniform is really comfortable: the soldier sweats less in it, it even has soft “backpacks” for water, which our soldiers can only dream of.
And this is far from being a "luxury for a pampered Yankee", since at an ambient temperature of +40 degrees Celsius in the shade such a "luxury" can save many lives. In a word, the soldiers of the American army really serve in very comfortable conditions.
Statutory shoes are especially convenient: berets are designed exactly for a year of operation. They reliably protect the soldier's ankle. Even in the highlands of Afghanistan, there are very few cases of twisted ankles. How can one not recall the heavy and uncomfortable shoes in our troops. In addition, Americans have had normal rucksacks (with ergonomic unloading) for a very long time. Again, this is not a luxury at all: in such a backpack a soldier can carry 15-20% more ammunition. And they, as you know, are life itself in military conditions.
We will not recall our duffel bags, which our soldiers inherited from their grandfathers, who liberated all of Europe … Fortunately, now the troops are successfully liberating from this terrible anachronism.
Thus, the uniform of the American army is very convenient and practical. It is hoped that over time our troops will provide normal clothing and equipment.
A little bit about the ranks
Here, the Americans are all confused. However, we still try to consider the main ranks in the American army. Of course, the ordinary remains the same in Africa, but then everything is much more complicated. After him comes the private of the first class, then the corporal, after him - the sergeant. The sergeant class includes six titles at once. After them - a warrant officer, and so on until the fourth-grade warrant officer.
Then they go: the second and first lieutenants, captain, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel (all, as we have). After this, the ranks in the American army again run counter to ours. Brigadier General, Major General / Lieutenant, General. All this is crowned by the army general. It should be noted that the sergeant ranks of the Americans are very "prestigious", in many cases it is the sergeants who perform officer functions "in the field."
Land parts
Their total number is about 600 thousand people. Another 528.5 thousand reserve personnel were assigned to them. Simply put, the ground forces in the US Army are the largest unit, due to specific goals and objectives. A couple of helicopter brigades, as well as logistic, artillery, medical, and some others, are responsible for the auxiliary functions.
The National Guard has at least 20 thousand troops. But there are at least 330 thousand reservists there. It should not be considered that the National Guard is worse armed: it even includes tank brigades, not to mention transport helicopters and other “trifles”.
Technical equipment
The American army is rightfully considered the most equipped in technical terms. M1 Abrams alone as of last year, there are 2338 tanks. About 3.5 thousand are on conservation. There are about a thousand cars on the Stryker platform and the same number on the basis of similar platforms. As for the infantry, at their disposal is about 4.6 thousand infantry fighting vehicles M2 and M3 Bradley. Two thousand more are under conservation. And this, apart from the “oldies” of the M60 and similar “museum exhibits”.
Armored personnel carriers in the US troops are truly enormous: about 26 thousand vehicles. Despite all the talk about the need to write them off, the M113 of all modifications is still the most widespread. There are about 13 thousand of them, and five thousand are in the troops. Armored cars are being actively built: in recent years, the troops have about 17, 417 vehicles of the MRAP class, including about 5.7 thousand of the latest modifications of the M-ATV.
If we compare the American and Russian army in this vein, then the Americans are clearly ahead: for example, as of 2012, the Russian Armed Forces have about nine thousand armored personnel carriers (along with canned goods) of all modifications, including the very outdated BTR-70. There is still no exact information on the presence of BTR-90 in the troops of our country (they are, but the quantity is unknown).
Armament of infantrymen
And what about the infantry? What is the armament of the American army in this regard? Everything is relatively standard here: M16 rifles, M14 carbines. There are a number of German NK 416, but there are few of them. Pistols - the Beretta is most often found, there are Glock, sometimes the old Colts 1911 slip through.
As for the submachine guns, the MP5 NK is very common. There are smoothbore weapons: Mossbergs and Benelli. There is only one easel machine gun, in fact. This is the "Browning M2NV" model already in 1919! Perhaps, in this regard, the American army is stronger than the Russian: our soldiers do not have such a choice of small arms.
Artillery, anti-tank weapons
In recent years, Americans have not paid much artillery to artillery, but so far there are about six thousand such systems in the troops. These include 969 self-propelled guns M109A6 (and another half thousand for conservation), about 1242 guns of 105 and 155 mm caliber (remember what we wrote about at the beginning of the article?), As well as 1205 MLRS. In service is approximately 2.5 thousand mortars, including self-propelled.
But our army has a legitimate reason for pride: the total number of domestic self-propelled guns and artillery systems exceeds 14 thousand, and the Russian Armed Forces also have such monsters as Tulip, which the USA has no analogues.
Especially for the fight against tanks, there are approximately one and a half thousand anti-tank self-propelled systems, including those on the Stryker platform. Javelin man-portable anti-tank systems are issued to infantrymen, and the current Ukrainian government has been negotiating with the US government for the last year.
U.S. Ground Operations Units
The ground units also have their own aviation. Its number includes about 60 reconnaissance aircraft, as well as hundreds of transport vehicles.
But the backbone of "ground aviation" is made up of helicopters. So, there are at least 740 Apaches, 356 KiowaWarrior multipurpose (multi-purpose machines), as well as universal HH-60. Approximately three thousand heavy helicopters, including about 500 famous Chinuk, serve for the delivery of goods.
Naval forces
About 320 thousand sailors serve here. Reserves are another 100 thousand. As for the technical means, the US Navy has at least 70 submarines and more than a hundred warships.
The basis of the US submarine fleet are boats of the Ohio project, armed with tactical nuclear missiles. However, at least four of these ships in the recent past underwent repair and modernization, as a result of which they were equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, 154 each. Until now, the U.S. Navy retains a certain number of atomic torpedo bombers, which (if necessary) can fire with special missiles, which are also fired through the hatches of torpedo tubes.
Aircraft carriers
At the moment, the U.S. Navy has 10 active Nimiz class ships. Currently, work is underway to replace the aviation group with F-16 aircraft. In the attacks on Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, these ships played a prominent role, since in many cases it was their planes that completely suppressed the main points of resistance.
In general, naval aviation plays an extremely important role in the navy. As part of this structure, nearly one hundred thousand personnel are serving. Aircraft are very different: there are anti-submarine squadrons, reconnaissance units and strike detachments.
In total, there are more than a thousand aircraft in the US naval aviation. But most of all deck bombers - almost 830 pieces.
Air force
About 350 thousand people serve in the air forces of the country. Another 150 thousand are reservists. In total, there are about three thousand aircraft of various types and modifications in the Air Force (excluding canned equipment). As part of long-range aviation, there are approximately 160 bombers, most of which are the legendary B2.
But the basis of the Air Force are fighters, attack aircraft and bombers. Most are F16 / F35 aircraft. In addition, there are 159 pieces of the F-22A Raptor. The US military had high hopes for them, but the aircraft was extremely expensive, and also was unable to perform long-term combat missions in a humid climate.
If we compare the American and Russian army, then things are a little worse, but, fortunately, in recent years the situation began to improve almost at the Soviet pace. So, as of 2015, our long-suffering Air Force began to receive several hundred new planes and helicopters per year, while over the previous years - often not a single unit.
It should be noted that the total number of the Air Force of the Russian Federation is highly sensitive information. According to only some data, it can be assumed that we have about 2.3 thousand aircraft. Which, however, is also very, very much. Most of all I am pleased that the finally begun modernization of long-range aviation (TU-95 "Bear" and TU-160 "White Swan").
