Why is there such a pronounced difference in how the military treats officers vs enlisted people? This even extends to how they are treated when a POW, as seen in Bridge Over River Kwai.

Question

I *completely* understand that there needs to be a hierarchy, but there seems to be a big discontinuity between these different classifications. When I was in the Navy, I noticed this extended to eating accommodations, and even how ships were built (different hallways for enlisted and officers to walk down). This may have made sense “back in the day”, but why does this separation continue to exist today?

In: 222

Answer 1

The modern justification (rightly or wrongly) is to maintain and reinforce the chain of command.

It’s not just officers vs. enlisted. Even among officers there’s separation, e.g., between commanding officers and staff officers.

And among enlisted staff, there’s separation between e.g., sergeants and, say, PFCs or other enlisted.

Basically sailors / soldiers / airmen from different ranks are highly discouraged from mingling and socializing with each other.

The theory is, maintaining separation prevents favoritism and other issues under the stress of war. A commander might be hesitant to send a favorite officer or enlisted to dangerous situations. A sergeant might single out an enlisted buddy he often drink beers with over others.

Even a *perception* of favoritism can lead to dangerous situations in times of conflict.