It is seldom that the specialised and somewhat esoteric topics of military ranks and uniforms become mainstream news. A hierarchy of military ranks and their accompanying insignia is a uniquely functional system which reflects the structure and function of armed forces. Yet, at the same time rank insignia remains a semiotic system (i.e. a system that employes signs to convey meaning). In this regard, rank insignia acquires a symbolic dimension, which is reinforced by the military proclivity for tradition, pride, esprit de corps and camaraderie. Thus, when such ‘loaded’ symbols are subject to alteration and change it is often the case that there may be resistance from people who associate closely with those symbols, thereby making such changes controversial (and therefore newsworthy). In this regard, an interesting example is the reconfiguration of rank insignia in the Canadian Armed Forces, which occurred in 1968 and again presently.
Canada was an important constituent of the British Empire and its successor, the Commonwealth of Nations. Its military traditions are therefore closely related to that of the British armed forces, as noted in a previous post. Until 1968, the Royal Canadian Airforce, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Army were three separate entities, each with their unique organisation, traditions, identity and commands. All three of these services had been largely modelled on their British counterparts, particularly in terms of rank structure, insignia and uniforms. However, the autonomous and organisationally uncoordinated functioning of the three services had been viewed as sub-optimal and wasteful, and pressure steadily mounted to unify the services in order to achieve cost savings and provide improved command, control, and integration of the military forces.
In 1968, the three separate services were reorganised and unified to form the Canadian Armed Forces (no “royal” prefix). The unification resulted in significant organisational and structural changes, with many commands being abolished and the creation of new, unified positions. The three services now became three branches, consisting of the Mobile Command (later renamed Land Force Command), Maritime Command and Air Command. Standardised uniforms were also part of the 1968 unification, with a new design adopted across all three branches to replace the largely British-style uniforms of the individual services. Initially, and highly controversially, a unicolour rifle green uniform was adopted across all three branches. This was eventually changed to the current configuration of branch-specific uniform colours, illustrated below:
A photo featuring the post-1968 pattern standardised uniform of (L-R) Air, Maritime and Land Command. Note the broad golden cuff bands, indicating general rank.
The new uniforms featured redesigned rank insignia, departing from the British system and introducing gold braid cuff bands across all officer ranks and retaining shoulder insignia only for general ranks. The universal cuff bands insignia closely resembled that of the merchant navy, which was an unpopular decision because it did not reflect the martial dimension of either of the three branches, nor was it relevant to the Air and Land Commands.
These changes in uniform and rank insignia combined to form an aesthetic that was symbolically neutral and generic. The loop on the naval officers’ cuff insignia (referred to as an executive curl) was reintroduced in 2010, as pictured above, thereby distinguishing the rank insignia from the other two branches and returning to a traditional combat (as opposed to merchant) naval design.
In 2011, a new wave of change began as a result of which the three branches reverted back to their old names of Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army. A significant component of this return to tradition was the adoption of a new set of rank insignia, replacing the universal system used across all three branches. In the case of the Air Force and Army, the new insignia is basically a reversion to the well-known British pattern of ranks, which would have been worn by Canadian soldiers during conflicts such as WWII.
Below are two official portraits of Lt.Gen. Yvan Blondin, former Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, showing the old and new rank insignia:
The old insignia. Note the solid gold cuff band, indicating all ranks of general. The shoulder insignia indicates the specific general rank as Lieutenant-General.
The new insignia. The solid gold cuff band has been replaced by RAF-style bands (one broad, two narrow) designating the rank of Lieutenant-General. The detail on the shoulder ranks are now silver, instead of gold.
The new Canadian army rank insignia also reintroduced the red gorget patches for senior ranks, which are worn on the lapel of the uniform collar. The new army insignia is illustrated below using two portraits of Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander of the Canadian Army.
The old rank insignia, which is identical to that of the Air Force. The rifle green of the uniform distinguishes it as that of the army.
The new rank insignia, which does away with the cuff bands and reintroduced both shoulder ranks and gorget patches.
As with the unification of 1968, the Canadian Forces’ return to pre-1968 rank insignia is in large part a political initiative. The minister responsible for the 1968 reforms (Paul Hellyer) was part of the liberal government of the time under the long-standing leadership of Pierre Trudeau. The latest reforms have occurred under the conservative government, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Thus, the reforms are an interesting indication of liberal and conservative sentiments towards military tradition. It also serves to emphasise the importance of symbolism to the military, and how symbols can be either divisive or unifying. Indeed, symbolic changes aimed at unification and reconciliation are often the very source of further division and animosity. However, in the case of the most recent changes in the Canadian Forces, the return to British-style insignia is a defensible and justifiable move that reflects Canada’s close relationship with Great Britain – a proud and illustrious history which was purged during the 1968 reforms.
anapophist 