Armed Forces: History, Structure, Branches and Symbols

What are armed forces and where did they come from?

Armed forces are the trained, organised force a country keeps to defend its people and land. They are not a crowd with weapons: they work under law, orders and discipline. In Russia the story has steps. Early Rus had princely squads (small groups around a prince) and a levy of ordinary men called up in danger. In the early 1700s a regular army and navy was built, with fixed pay, training and ranks. In 1918 a new army was formed after the revolution. In 1992 the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were created as the state's forces today. Every year on 23 February Russia marks Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Many countries show the same path: small groups loyal to a leader, then a permanent, paid, trained army.

Structure: one chain of command

A chain of command is the line along which orders go down and reports go up. In Russia the President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The Ministry of Defence runs the forces day to day (money, supply, training). The General Staff is the planning body: it studies threats and prepares plans. Below them are the branches, and then districts, units and soldiers. Having one chain stops confusion and keeps the army under civilian, elected leadership.

In the 3D, boxes light up from the top. Each level only gets orders from the one above.

Branches and arms

A branch (in Russian, a "type" of forces) works in one main place. The Ground Forces work on land with infantry, tanks and artillery. The Aerospace Forces work in the air and space: planes, air defence, satellites. The Navy works at sea with ships and submarines. An arm is a separate force with a special job. The Strategic Missile Forces keep long-range missiles as a deterrent, which means their job is to stop an attack by being ready. The Airborne Forces are troops who can land by parachute or air transport fast.

Branches train together so land, air and sea help one another.

• Land: Ground Forces
• Sky and space: Aerospace Forces
• Sea: Navy
• Special arms: Strategic Missile Forces, Airborne Forces

Military symbols and ranks

Symbols give an army a shared identity. The state flag and coat of arms stand for the country. Armed forces also have their own emblem. A unit banner is the flag of one unit. Units keep it with great care, because it stands for their honour and history. New soldiers take a military oath, a public promise to serve and obey the law. Ranks show who is higher in the chain. Badges on shoulder boards, such as stripes and stars, show the rank. More or bigger stars usually means a higher rank.

Try it

In the 3D: in the last step, tap each branch and read its job. Then slide the stars from 1 to 4. At home: draw your school as a chain of command. Who gives orders to whom? Then draw three branches of any country's forces and write one sentence on where each works. Predict first, then check in the 3D.

Key formulas and definitions

• Chain of command: Head of state → Ministry → General Staff → Branches → Units
• Branches by home: Land = Ground Forces, Sky and space = Aerospace Forces, Sea = Navy
• Separate arms: Strategic Missile Forces, Airborne Forces
• Symbols: flag, emblem, unit banner, oath, rank badges

Worked examples

Common mistakes

• Thinking the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence are the same body. The Ministry runs the forces; the General Staff plans.
• Calling every force an "army". The Ground Forces are only one branch; there are also Aerospace Forces and a Navy.
• Mixing up a branch and an arm. Branches work on land, in the air and at sea; arms like missile or airborne forces do special jobs.
• Believing a unit banner is just decoration. It stands for the honour of the unit.