What is characteristic of any military team? This issue is considered by many disciplines. In particular, such a topic is being held at school as part of the subject "Fundamentals of Life Safety". This article will be of great help in preparing your homework for these lessons. Also, this material can be used by teachers as a teaching tool.
Key Points
It is known that it is human nature to enter into various communities. For all groups there is a common name - group. This word can be called any set of people, united by the same goals, forms of existence, characteristics of communication within the team and so on.
There are also large and small groups. The former are commonly regarded as social classes, nations, peoples, and so on.
Small groups include public entities such as a school class, a factory floor, a group of friends, and others. Military units are also included in this category.
Therefore, to the question "What is typical for any military team?" One answer is the following statement: each of them can be called a social group.
Not just a band
It is worth mentioning that military units are not just public groups, but collectives with varying degrees of development. What is the difference between these two concepts?
If you look into the textbook of psychology, you can find the following definition. A collective is a group of people united by a common goal and performing socially useful actions. That is, the difference lies precisely in the presence of socially important activities. Therefore, in answer to the question “What is characteristic of any military team?”, It should be mentioned that any such unit performs socially important tasks, the main of which is the defense of the homeland.
Different degrees of development
A military team, like any other, is not a static phenomenon, but a constantly developing one. Therefore, it goes through gradually different stages of development. At the lowest stage of organization is a military unit just staffed with recruits. As a rule, it takes up to 5 days for them to get to know each other. Friendships are more quickly established between fellow countrymen and young people who have common interests (for example, football fans). Such small groups are commonly called associations. They may have their own informal leader. These groups are said to have a fairly stable structure.
In addition, their participants have a common goal. However, such groups do not have sufficient cohesion. In the future, such a group usually becomes more disciplined. In this case, it can already be called cooperation. Despite the apparent unity, this community cannot be called a highly developed collective, since the pursuit of common goals, as a rule, is not dictated by high moral and ethical considerations, but by the personal benefit of each of the participants.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the constantly evolving relationship between the military is also a feature characteristic of all units.
Next level
Under normal conditions, after two weeks of service, several cooperatives usually form in the military unit.
In the future, they move to a higher level of development and become autonomous groups. Here, relations between military personnel are more organized and receive a socially useful orientation. Each member of this group understands the need to obey junior commanders. Informal leaders also exist in such groups. As a rule, they do not have conflicts with commanders, but rather, their activity helps to strengthen the power of the latter.
I must say that the overall combat effectiveness of the unit depends on the level of development of relations between the military personnel.
One for all and all for one
This motto of the musketeers can be adopted by any small group that has reached the level of autonomy. Military experts say that both cooperatives and associations are extremely unreliable phenomena, if we consider their activities in emergency conditions, and even more so, in real hostilities.
Practice shows that under extreme conditions, underdeveloped social groups, as a rule, very quickly cease to exist. Therefore, one of the most important tasks facing commanders is to rally the team, and to facilitate its transition to a higher level.
Battle hardening
Here it is worth returning to the topic of this article "What is typical for any military team?" So, the commanders of each unit strive to develop normal relations within it. The reason for this is simple. In a team that has reached a level of autonomy, any troubles and trials do not cause disintegration, but rather, unite the group that overcomes them even more.
But such a community of people becomes a collective in the full sense of the word (has a socially useful orientation), if its goals are not limited to the selfish interests of the participants. Otherwise, a highly developed social structure can be called a corporation. Most often in such cases, the community acts only to satisfy the interests of informal leaders. Under such circumstances, various kinds of hazing arise . If in a military collective there are small groups built on the principle of a corporation, then, as a rule, commanders have to take disciplinary measures against employees.
In addition to the above signs of a military collective, there are also others. They will be given below.
Formation of a military team
Prior to this, it was mainly about the constituent elements of the unit, such as various small groups existing within it. Now the time has come to focus on the characteristics of the collective as an integral phenomenon. It also goes through similar stages of development. There are three in total:
- Social community.
- Partnership.
- Military brotherhood.
- Mature society.
Social community
This is the very first stage of development of the military collective. It is characterized by the awareness by all fighters of the need to strive to fulfill a common task - to protect their home country. Moreover, the unit is already a collective, that is, a highly developed small public group.
Military partnership
At this stage of development, all participants have already studied each other well enough.
The main feature of such a military team is strong friendships.
Also, this stage implies the presence in the military formation of stable traditions and customs, as well as certain habits.
Brotherhood
A military team at this stage of development is often called socially mature. In it, the relationship between all members of the team reached such a high level that the following phenomena became possible: mutual assistance, friendly support, conflict-freeness and the like.
General psychological conditions
Specialists say that for the normal development and existence of the unit special conditions are needed. Among them there are three main ones.
All fighters should have the same positions in relation to the most important issues of military service. They will be sufficiently stable if they are based on moral convictions, life principles and the worldview of each of the soldiers.
Communication skills
In addition, the personnel should have developed communication skills with each other, which in turn implies a developed system of relations in the military team, with a clear distribution of responsibilities. This applies to both service and domestic issues. In addition, it is necessary to instill in the soldiers possession of ways to regulate relationships. For example, a clear position should be developed on the desire to resolve all issues, avoiding prolonged conflicts.
The third mandatory point is to establish friendships. That is, the performance of official duties should be not only formal, rational, but also emotionally-colored in nature. If the military unit has a healthy friendly climate, hardships and deprivations of service are much easier to bear.
Service
Another common feature of all units is that they are designed to perform military duties. This is another name used to refer to a service. Compulsory military service exists in many countries of the world, including in modern Russia. The age at which it comes, in different states may differ from each other. Currently, in the Russian Federation, the age of draft age is considered 18 years. And when males reach the age of seventeen, they are registered with the draft board.
In addition, in some cases women may be liable for military service. In addition to serving, it is also assumed to participate in armed conflicts in wartime, subject to general or partial mobilization. This is evidenced by the law on military service. Its violation entails civil or criminal liability. So, military duty is service in the army.
Banner
Another common feature of all defense collectives is the presence of the banner of a military unit. This distinctive sign first of all indicates that the unit belongs to the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Historians say that the ancient prototype of the banner was stone or metal figures (for example, an eagle, a lion and others), which were mounted on top of a special wooden pole, called a pole.
Banners in their modern form appeared in Russia by the 9th century AD. During the battle, they helped its participants to have an idea about the presence of military units on the battlefield. The symbolic meaning of this attribute is enormous.
The banner represents the honor of a military unit, its history. We can say that it reflects the connection of the glorious past of the armed forces of the Russian Federation with the present and future.
Therefore, every person who is in military service is obliged to protect the banner even in the most difficult conditions. There are cases when soldiers sacrificed their lives to save him.
The removal of the combat banner in front of the entire military unit occurs only in the most solemn occasions.
For example, this happens when recruits take the oath or when they receive new military equipment and weapons.
The most important thing
Many manuals on military affairs indicate that the basis of good relations in a military team is a variety of spiritual connections between soldiers and each other. The quality of service of each particular soldier and the unit as a whole depends on the degree of their development.
Universal term
In special military and legal literature, all groups that exist in the defense sphere, as well as various institutions, including educational ones, are united under the general name - military organizations.
This term is another common feature of all units.
Rulebook
The charter of a military collective is another indispensable attribute of it.
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, charters operate on a par with other laws of the state. They list the basic duties of military personnel, such as following orders, the ability to handle weapons and equipment, and knowledge of ranks.
All this is spelled out in the charter of internal service.
There is also another document. It is called the charter of the garrison and guard duty. It provides the rights and obligations of officials, the rules according to which barracks and other premises should be equipped. Such charters list the main military activities, and the procedure for their conduct.
Conclusion
This article lists the main features of military collectives. The material contains definitions of a military banner, charter, and other important points. It should be remembered that the basis of a military collective is friendly relations between its members. Many of this information may be useful in preparing for the Basic Life Safety classes.