I must admit, for a guy who has done 16 years in the Australian military, my knowledge of military history is fairly lacking. I am sure that the military rank structure/chain of command probably dates back thousands of years ago, something someone could clarify. Thus my question, for something so old, is it still relevent in its current form? Can it be fixed or even modified to suit the modern day society? I am not talking about a complete breakdown of the coc, more the ability to share ideas from the nco ranks for open discussions. Is there room for any sort of democracy when not 'at war'?

Has any nation attempted such a move away from the tried and tested?

Brains trust?