The armed services are the military forces of a country or nation Highly skilled and well-trained men and women defend their country using machines such as tanks ships and aircraft Fighting Forces (cid:55)he ar(cid:80)ed ser(cid:89)ices o(cid:83)erate on land at sea and in the air and can be sent any(cid:90)here around the (cid:90)orld (cid:55)hey fight in (cid:90)ars but they can also kee(cid:83) the (cid:83)eace in other countries by sto(cid:83)(cid:83)ing ri(cid:89)al grou(cid:83)s (cid:73)ro(cid:80) attacking one another 4 A job in the armed services is exciting but can also be very dangerous People can learn new skills and push themselves to the limit In the year 2008 there were 20 6 million full-time troops worldwide These U S soldiers from 4th Infantry Regiment are on patrol in Afghanistan FACTS AF
5 (cid:44)n the (cid:83)ast ar(cid:80)ies relied on ha(cid:89)ing (cid:80)illions o(cid:73) soldiers to (cid:90)in battles (cid:55)oday (cid:80)ost ar(cid:80)ed ser(cid:89)ices are (cid:80)uch s(cid:80)aller but the troo(cid:83)s are (cid:80)ore highly trained and better e(cid:84)ui(cid:83)(cid:83)ed (cid:55)he (cid:54)(cid:90)edish (cid:49)a(cid:89)y (cid:73)or exa(cid:80)(cid:83)le uses (cid:80)odern technical syste(cid:80)s on its stealth shi(cid:83) (cid:43)M(cid:54) Helsingborg that allo(cid:90) it to share in(cid:73)or(cid:80)ation easily (cid:90)ith the (cid:54)(cid:90)edish (cid:36)r(cid:80)y and (cid:36)ir (cid:41)orce HMS Helsingborg is a Visby class corvette Its unusual shape makes it hard for enemies to detect it using radar Fighter aircraft are an important part of any armed service China has the largest armed services in the world with more than 2 25 million troops The U S Army has the most equipment with over 7,500 tanks and more than 3,500 aircraft ACTION STATS
6 The Three Services Most countries have three armed services the army navy and air force Some nations also have a separate coastguard or military police force (cid:44)n the (cid:83)ast the ar(cid:80)y (cid:73)ought on land the na(cid:89)y (cid:90)ent to sea in shi(cid:83)s and the air (cid:73)orce (cid:193)e(cid:90) aircra(cid:73)t (cid:55)oday the three ar(cid:80)ed ser(cid:89)ices (cid:90)ork together and are (cid:80)ore o(cid:73) a (cid:80)ix Many ar(cid:80)ies ha(cid:89)e their o(cid:90)n helico(cid:83)ter units to (cid:80)o(cid:89)e soldiers (cid:84)uickly Marines are ground troo(cid:83)s (cid:90)ho use na(cid:89)y boats to attack (cid:73)ro(cid:80) the sea The U S 101st Airborne is one of the most famous divisions in the world They take part in air assaults above The division is nicknamed the Screaming Eagles FACTS AF
7 Ground units such as those in the army or marines wear uniforms to match the surroundings For example they are green or brown to blend in with forests This makes it more difficult for the enemy to see them A special uniform known as dress uniform is worn for important occasions These Indian soldiers are wearing dress uniform on parade (cid:43)o(cid:90) can you tell the ser(cid:89)ices a(cid:83)art(cid:34) (cid:40)ach country has a di(cid:73)(cid:73)erent style o(cid:73) uni(cid:73)or(cid:80) and each ser(cid:89)ice has its o(cid:90)n insignia and uni(cid:73)or(cid:80) design The roundel a circular aircraft insignia of the U S Air Force Navy uniforms are usually blue like the color of the sea flight suit insignia visor helmet boots log book inflatable collar for use if a plane crashes at sea Air force pilots such as this French fighter pilot wear special gear when in the air
