TOPIC: ARMED FORCES ORGANIZATION

I. READING
The Armed Forces are the military forces of a state. They exist to achieve foreign
political objectives. Advanced countries contribute greatly to the development of
the powerful Armed Forces. Below you will find the texts about the Russian, US
and UK Armed Forces organization.
I.1. Read the text and translate it into Russian.
The Armed Forces of Russia
The Armed Forces of Russia consist of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force,
the Air Defence Forces, and the Strategic Rocket Forces1. They are charged with
the protection of the country on land, at sea and in the air. Russia maintains
defence facilities and contributes its troops to the joint forces of the Concord of
Independent States (CIS)2. Each fighting service is comprised by various arms,
special troops and services.
About half the troops are conscripts3. Military service lasts 24 months in the
Army or 36 months in the Navy. It is compulsory for men over 18 years of age.
Under the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the President is
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He is assisted by several military
agencies. The two most important of them are the Department of Defence and the
General Staff. The President is advised by them on all military matters.
Foreign and domestic intelligence operations are managed, respectively4, by
the Foreign Intelligence Service5 and the Federal Counterintelligence Service6.
Russia has one of the worlds largest armed forces establishments that
include a vast nuclear arsenal.
Notes
Strategic Rocket Forces1

the Concord of Independent States (CIS)2

conscript3
respectively4-

the Foreign Intelligence Service5

the Federal Counterintelligence Service6

I.2. a) Read the text The UK Armed Forces Organization to fill in the chart.
fighting service

mission
The UK Armed Forces Organization
The UK Armed Forces include the

Military Strength of the United Kingdom

Army

British Army, the Royal Navy and the

Main Battle Tanks

594 Challenger 2

Royal Air Force. They are responsible for

Personnel

114,800

the protection of the United Kingdom

Royal Navy

and its overseas territories, the promotion

Submarines

11

Ballistic Submarines

Aircraft carriers

the support of international peacekeeping

Destroyers

11

efforts with the prime minister and the

Frigates

21

Cabinet. The secretary of state for

Patrol Boats

20

Personnel

42,400
Royal Air Force

of Britains wider security interests, and

defence formulates defence policy. His

ministry, created in 1970 by combining

Aircraft

468

of the three original service ministries

Personnel

53,300

(Admiralty, War, and Air), charges with

the armed forces. The secretary of state is advised by the chief of the defence staff
aided by the three armed service chiefs.
The British Army with a reported strength of 114,000 in 2001, including
7,600 women is the land fighting forces element of the United Kingdom. In
contrast to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, the British Army does not
include royal in its title, because of its roots1 as a collection of disparate2 units. The
British Army is widely regarded as one of the best trained and best led in the
world, and has a long record of achieving excellent results.
Military of the United Kingdom
Military manpower
Availability

males age 15-49:

14,877,666 (2003 est.)

Fit for military

service

males age 15-49:

12,353,942 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure

$36.884 billion (FY97/98)

Percent of GDP

2.32% (2002)

The Royal Navy with a strength of

42,000 is the navy of the United
Kingdom. It operates a number of
aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates,
fifteen nuclear submarines, and various
other ships. The Royal Navy has

historically played an extremely important role in the defence and warfare of

England, and later Great Britain, including Royal Marines. The Royal Marines are
the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core3 component of their Rapid
Reaction Force. They are lightly equipped, able to operate independently in all
terrains, and highly trained as a commando force.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) with a strength of 53,000 is the air force of
the United Kingdom. The Royal Flying Corps was formed by Royal Warrant on
May 13, 1912 superseding4 the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. The Royal
Naval Air Service was formed shortly after the outbreak of World War I. Both
services saw heavy actions during the war. The two services were amalgamated on
April 1, 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. The RAF was under the supervision of
the Air Department and was the worlds second independent air force, after the
German Luftwaffe, though because of the Luftwaffe was disbanded after the end of
World War II, the RAF is technically the current5 oldest.
The British Armed Forces are active and regular participants in NATO and
other coalition operations.
Notes
root1 , ,
disparate2 ,
core3 , ,

to supersede4 , ,
current5 ,

b) Read the text again and divide it into four parts. Give titles to these parts.
c) Find in the text passages about the Royal Air Force. Read them aloud and
translate into Russian (orally).
d) Try to find in the text some sentences with the Participles II. Define the
functions of the Participles II in them.
e) Find in the text and put down 10-12 words or word combinations, which can be
used to speak about the UK Armed Forces Organization.
I.3. a) Skim the text The US Armed Forces Organization to understand what it is
about. Time your reading. It is good if you can read it for 7 minutes (70 words per
minute).
The US Armed Forces Organization
The Armed Forces of the USA consist of the Army (Land Forces), Navy, Air

Force (AF), Marine Corps (MC) and Coast Guard (CG) including their Regular
and Reserve components.
The US Army charges with the preservation of
peace and security and the defense of the USA on land.
The Air Force is a fighting service with primary
responsibility for air warfare, air defense, and the
development of military space research. The Air Force also provides air services in
coordination with the other fighting services. The US Navy is responsible for the
defense of the country at sea, the seaborne support of the other US fighting
services, and the maintenance of security on the seas wherever the interests of the
United States extend. US Marine Corps, a separate military service within the US
Department of the Navy, charges with the provision of marine troops for seizure1
and defense of advanced bases and with conducting operations on land and in the
air incident to naval campaigns. It is also responsible for providing detachments
for service aboard certain types of naval vessels and security forces for naval
shore2 installations and US diplomatic missions in foreign countries. US Coast
Guard charges with the enforcement3 of maritime laws.
Under the Constitution of the United States the President is Commander-inChief (CINC) of the Armed Forces. He is assisted by several agencies, some
described below.
At the top of the US Armed Forces Organization is the National Security
Council (NSC). Its function is to advise the President on all matters of domestic,
foreign and military policies relating to national security. The Council is composed
of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of
Defense (SECDEF).
Under the direction of the NSC is the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),
which coordinates the intelligence activities of the government departments and
agencies.
The Armed Forces of the USA are organized to serve within and under
control of the Department of Defense (DOD). The Department of Defense is

headed by the civilian Secretary of Defense. It consists of the Department of the

Army (DA), the Department of the Navy (DN) and the Department of the Air
Force (DAF).
The military heads of the Departments are their Chiefs of Staff. They form
the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The Joint Chiefs of Staff is responsible for strategic
planning, the joint employment and training of the Armed Forces. The JCS consist
of a Chairman, the Chief of Staff, United States Army (CSUSA), the Chief of
Naval Operation (CNO), and the Chief of Staff, United States Air Force
(CSUSAF).
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is assisted by the Joint Staff (JS). The Joint
Staff is responsible for strategic, intelligence and logistics planning. It consists of
not more than 400 officers, selected in approximately equal numbers from the
Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
All these departments and agencies are housed in Pentagon, Arlington, D.C.
Pentagon is a five-sided building (from Greek penta + gon meaning five-cornered).
The form of the building - five concentric rings with a yard 4 inside - has become
the emblem of the US Armed Forces.
Notes
seizure1
shore2 ()

enforcement3 ,
yard4

b) Read the text again. Choose the statements, which correspond to the content of
the text.
1.

The Armed Forces of the USA consist of the Army, Navy

and Air Force.

2.

The US Army is responsible for the protection of the

country from enemy attacks on land.

3.

The US Navy is responsible for the protection of the

country from enemy attacks at sea.

4.

The US Air Force is responsible for the protection of the

country from enemy attacks in the air.

5.

Under the Constitution of the United States the Secretary

of Defence is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

6.

The function of the National Security Council is to

coordinate the intelligence activities of the government departments and
agencies.

7.

The National Security Council is composed of the

President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Defence.

8.

The Department of Defence is headed by the military

Secretary of Defence.

9.

The Department of Defence consists of the Department of

the Army (DA), Department of the Navy (DN) and Department of the Air Force
(DAF).

10.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff JCS consist of the Chief of Staff,

United States Army (CSUSA), the Chief of Naval Operation (CNO), and the
Chief of Staff, United States Air Force (CSUSAF).

11.

The Joint Staff (JS) is assisted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff

(JCS).

12.

All military departments and agencies are housed in

Pentagon.

c) Find in the text the passage about the responsibilities of the US fighting services
and translate it into Russian in a written form.
d) Answer the questions.
1. What do the Armed Forces of the USA consist of?
2. What is the Army (Navy, Air Force) responsible for?
3. Who is the Commander-in- Chief of the US Armed Forces?
4. What is the function of the National Security Council?
5. What is the composition of the National Security Council?
6. What is the function of the Central Intelligence Agency?
7. What is the composition of the Department of Defence?
8. What is The Joint Chiefs of Staff responsible for?
9. What is the composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

10.What is The Joint Staff responsible for?

e) Draw the diagram of the US Armed Forces Organization and retell the text
using it.
I.4. The mankind was shaken by the events happened in the USA on September 11,
2001. The Pentagon building, a headquarters of the US Armed Forces, was one of
the targets of the terror attack. Read the article from the newspaper The
Washington Post, study the diagram below it and write the timeline of those
dramatic events.
The Chronicle of Pentagon events
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
An American Airlines jet plane carrying 58 passengers crashed into the
Pentagon that morning at 9.45 a.m. less than an hour after two planes crashed into
the World Trade Center.
The aircraft, Flight 77 from Dulles to Los Angeles, was a Boeing 757 that
eyewitnesses1 said flew low and fast in the direction of Pentagon west side.
Metro shut down the Pentagon station just after the explosion.
At 10.00 a.m. eyewitnesses reported secondary explosions, portion of
Pentagon collapses2 and plumes of smoke3 that could be seen miles away. Fairfax
County's Urban Search and Rescue Team4 sent two squads into the Pentagon to
search for survivors and to assess the damage 5. When the team arrived at the
Pentagon its rescuers were prevented from reaching the site of the most damage
because of fires that continued to burn.
At 10.30 a.m. all streets were clogged6 with cars, sidewalks were crowded7
with people on cell phones trying to get in touch8 with family and friends.
The attack destroyed at least three of the five "rings" that spiral around the
massive office building and killed 125 Pentagon employees. In his keynote
address9, President Bush said: The wound to this building will not be forgotten.

Notes
eyewitnesses1
collapse2 ,
plumes of smoke3
Urban Search and Rescue Team4
-
to assess the damage5

to clog6 (), ()
crowded7 ()
to get in touch8
keynote address9 ,

II. SPEAKING
II.1.The conference devoted to the problems of world military security will be held
in a month. You need to make a report on the Russian Armed Forces organization.
Try to convince the participants that the Russian Armed Forces organization is one
of the most efficient in the world. In your report present information on:
a) the basic fighting services of the Russian Armed Forces;
b) the responsibilities of the Russian fighting services;
c) the manpower of the Russian Armed Forces;
d) the primary military departments and agencies;
e) why you suppose that the Russian Armed Forces organization is one of the best
in the world.