2015
H86 555 767
2 Section
The Chain of Command in the Canadian Armed Forces The chain of command is the order of authority, duties, and responsibilities passed down from higher in the hierarchy of the entirety of the Canadian Forces. These orders are usually passed down directly from one rank in the structure at a time until they reach the desired ranking individual, for example, a major would pass down his orders to a captain, and from the captain to the lieutenant and so on. This means that only rarely would a high ranking officer directly order a low ranking noncommissioned member. This helps the forces to operate in a more efficient manner by keeping confidential information on a needtoknow basis, while maintaining discipline, and also ensuring that insubordination, mutiny, and anything else of that manner can be identified, and rectified with disciplinary action, or severe consequences if need be. Some problems that arise when using a hierarchical structure such as a chain of command include a difficulty voicing opinions or other complaints, as well as infighting between people on the same level of the chain. Luckily however, these problems are looked after very effectively by the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure fairness in all matters while still maintaining the ever so important structure that is required through devices such as mediators for problems that can arise between individuals, and investigations for larger, and more pressing issues. There are a plethora of issues that can quickly topple any hierarchy and chain of command through acts of subversion within the rank structure, with anything from refusing to complete tasks, to a catastrophic mutiny triggering a dominolike effect on the entire chain.
There are many countermeasures in place to stop these effects before they even have a