Rank systems affect how navies organize their forces and provide background to the way their leaders exercise authority. The comparison covers the Royal Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, and the navies of the Netherlands, France, Russia, and Spain. Their different traditions help explain why equivalent levels of responsibility can carry quite different titles. These systems also provide background for concepts adopted during the US Navy's development.
Chapter · 0:01-2:46
Why naval ranks reveal force structure
Six naval rank systems provide a way to compare leadership traditions and the organization of naval forces.