← Back to catalogue
Published

general

vr.tr.general · thing-q83460

Let an agent handle generals by rank, force, appointment and historical role, as a kind of military officer, and describe military matters neutrally.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions SOC.PER
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Rank Grade and force.

Grade

Star level.

Grade

General grade.

  1. Which general grade, in which force? provenance
  2. What is its NATO equivalent? definition

Historical titles

Older ranks.

History

Historical titles.

  1. Is this a historical title, and what did it mean? provenance
  2. How does it map to modern ranks? boundary
Appointment What they command.

Command

Formation.

Command

Appointment.

  1. What does the general command? provenance
  2. Since when? provenance

Selection

Promotion.

Selection

Promotion process.

  1. How are generals selected? definition
  2. Who approves? provenance
Accountability Law and control.

Civilian control

Oversight.

Oversight

Civilian oversight.

  1. How is civilian control exercised? definition
  2. Which body oversees? provenance

Law

Command responsibility.

Law

Legal responsibility.

  1. What legal responsibility do commanders bear? boundary
  2. Under which law? provenance
Handling Neutral description.

Neutrality

Balanced.

Neutrality

Balanced description.

  1. Is the description neutral? boundary
  2. Are claims attributed? action

Sensitivity

Operational info.

Sensitivity

Sensitive information.

  1. Could information endanger operations or people? boundary
  2. What should be withheld? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Society, people and institutions
Entry kind
thing
Plane
SOC
Domain
SOC.PER
Other names and narrower kinds
Royal Governor of Chile, dux Britanniarum, general in chief, generalissimo, Capitán General de la Real Armada Española, Air captain general, Captain general of the Army, Governor of Angola, Admiral General of the Spanish Navy, Generalstabsarzt, rank of generals of Spain, General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States

What it is Filled

A high-ranking military officer holding a general officer rank in an army or, in some nations, an air force, space force or marine force, whose command responsibilities depend on the force and appointment.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle generals by rank, force, appointment and historical role, as a kind of military officer, and describe military matters neutrally.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Highest officer ranks in land and air forces
  • One-star to four-star grades
  • Rank and appointment differ
  • Historical generals held political roles too

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Impersonate a general or fabricate their orders or statements.
  • Assist in planning operations that breach the law of armed conflict.
  • Disclose generals' movements or security details.
  • Attribute war crimes to a general without evidence.

Only with a human decision

  • Any use of an agent in military command decisions.

May

  • Describe general officer ranks and historical titles from reliable sources.
  • Report a general's public appointments from official announcements.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Generals command force that can kill many people.
  • Accountability for command responsibility matters to victims of war.

Who is affected

  • Soldiers under command
  • Civilians in conflict

Owners Filled

Steward

The state and its armed forces, under civilian authority.

Master systems

  • Military records

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q189290 - registry parent class
  • Q6451223 - registry parent class

related

  • military officer - rank
  • soldier and units - command
  • civilian control - governance
  • general as adjective - a homonym

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.general
  • Wikidata: Q83460 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83460)
  • NATO rank code: OF-6 to OF-10 rank equivalence

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Star or other general insignia
  • Titles such as general in chief or generalissimo
  • Historical titles such as dux Britanniarum
  • Uniform insignia of general rank; the office is defined by appointment.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • appoint and promote them
  • hold them accountable under military and civilian law
  • study their historical roles
  • compare ranks across forces

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Mapping ranks across forces incorrectly
  • Disclosing sensitive information
  • Partisan portrayal

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • National military law
  • Law of armed conflict
  • NATO STANAG 2116

Context of use required Filled

  • Commanding large formations and leading armed forces.
  • brigadier and major generals
  • lieutenant generals
  • generals and four-star ranks
  • generalissimo and marshal
  • historical titles

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q83460: general - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: General - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should general grades be separate entries?
  • How should historical titles be linked?
  • How should command responsibility be represented?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q83460/spec.json