The mention of the armed forces and the US Department of Defense always evokes thoughts about the combat power of this country. And the main symbol of the entire military complex of America is the Pentagon.
This building, recognizable all over the world, is located very close to the capital - the city of Washington. Officially, the building belongs to Arlington County in the state, but the District of Columbia (where the capital of the country is located) is visible from the building with the naked eye, and to get there, you just need to cross the Potomac River.
History of the building
The Pentagon is a unique building not only for the United States, but for the whole world. According to researchers, this building is the largest of its kind (in the class of office buildings).
The area of the structure is more than 600 thousand m 2, the total length of all crossings is 28 kilometers. The perimeter of the building is 1400 meters, despite the fact that it has the shape regular pentagon(each side is exactly 281 meters long).
The architects tried hard when creating the project, so now employees can get to any place in the building in no more than 7 minutes. This is facilitated by a system of corridors and passages: there are 5 concentric paths and 11 interconnected corridors.
The chief architect was George Bergstrom, whose efforts were completed in less than 2 years (construction dates: 09/11/1941 - 01/15/1943). The initiator of the construction of such a complex was General BB Sommerwell - he conceived the Pentagon as a temporary headquarters of the armed forces.
Due to a shortage of traditional building materials (the United States threw all its forces into preparation for war), sand from the bottom of the Potomac River and reinforced concrete (instead of steel) were used in the structure.
The construction itself was carried out at an accelerated pace. There were several shifts at the construction site with tens of thousands of workers. The schedule was tight - they worked seven days a week and with short breaks.
Defense officials were already starting to work on the completed sectors while other parts of the building were still under construction. At the same time, the Pentagon acquired both a sewerage system and a water supply system, as well as a platform for helicopters and bus and metro stops (recently opened).
In 1993, the building began to be repaired. Work was carried out to replace communications, windows, build new offices and elevators. A terrorist attack in 2001 caused serious damage to the building, employees and the reconstruction plan.
9/11 terrorist attack
During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the most resonant of which was the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in, the Pentagon was also attacked. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked a passenger plane and directed it towards the building (two more planes crashed into the Twin Towers that day, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania).
According to the researchers, the Boeing-757-200 plane flew in the direction of the building so low that it demolished street lights. This situation was planned by the terrorists in order to inflict maximum damage.
The plane crashed into the Pentagon in part of the headquarters of the Naval Forces. 125 people died, not including 64 passengers on the plane. Dozens of pillars collapsed, a hole 5 meters in diameter was made in the facade.
Now in this part of the building there is a memorial museum with a chapel, and a memorial park has been opened in the adjacent territory.
1.
The building owes its shape and name to the original plan of the surrounding area. At the point where it was planned to build the Pentagon, several highways converged, and the angle of their intersection was as close as possible to the angle of the pentagon.
Therefore, the project of the construction perfectly fit into the road junction of the area. However, later, the President of America decided to build an object in another place, downstream of the river. But the project and the name did not change anymore.
2. The courtyard with a lawn area of 21 thousand square meters, according to unofficial information from the staff of the complex, is called "Epicenter" (the English version is untranslatable - "Ground Zero").
The public associates this name with the ironic attitude of the Ministry of Defense to The Soviet Union... Allegedly, during the Cold War, America independently indicated to the USSR the point at which it was necessary to aim with nuclear missiles - the center of the Pentagon.
3. The complex has exactly twice the number of toilets required by the staff. The fact is that during the design of the Pentagon, separate toilets for white and black employees were laid for granted.
During the construction of the building, sentiments still reigned in the country, which did not deny such discrimination. But President F. Roosevelt intervened in time, so there are no signs with explanations in the toilets of the complex.
Watch the movie Inside the Pentagon:
The US Department of Defense, located in a building called the Pentagon in Virginia, coordinates all of the country's facilities related to defense against external threats and national security. The annual official budget that the US government spends on fighting, maintaining the army and other expenses associated with this department exceeds $ 650 million. The unofficial budget of the Pentagon is more than one trillion US dollars.
This is a complex system that regulates the military chain of command, the relationship of various types of troops, and has a large number of units.
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
The famous Pentagon is the largest office building in the world, which simultaneously employs more than 25 thousand people. It has the shape of a regular pentagon, and the word "pentagon" itself is translated from Greek as "pentagon". The length of each side of this structure is over 280 meters.
Construction of the building that later housed the Ministry began in 1941, under the direction of architect George Bergstrom. The unusual shape of the Pentagon was dictated by the scheme of transport arteries in the area. The fact is that at the site of the future construction, five roads converged into a large intersection, forming an almost perfect pentagon. In order not to change urban transport communications, this particular form was chosen for a large-scale architectural structure. True, some time later, the President personally decided to move the construction slightly down the Potomac, so as not to spoil the view of the American capital, but the architectural project remained unchanged.
The total area of the internal premises of the building is more than 600,000 square meters, and the total length of the corridors of the building is almost 30 kilometers. The Pentagon is equipped with a helipad, a hall for ceremonies, and a metro station goes to it. According to official figures, the US Department of Defense has 7 floors, 2 of which are underground.
Interesting fact about the Pentagon: the number of toilets in the Pentagon is twice the required sanitary standards. In 1943, when construction was completed, it was revealed that the architects had taken care of separating the toilets for white employees and African Americans. But by order of Franklin Roosevelt, the "white" and "colored" signs in the Pentagon were abolished.
History of the creation of the US Department of Defense
The need to create a single department that would take over the management of issues of the army, navy, defense and national security became apparent to the American government at the end of World War II, in 1945. It was then that Harry Truman first proposed to Congress to create such a ministry. This proposal, however, did not receive unequivocal support, since the army and navy did not see any prospects in the idea of concentrating the leadership of all the armed forces in one department. The law on the creation of the Ministry of Defense was only passed in 1947.
The ministry united several departments created in the 18th century and morally obsolete. The first secretary of defense was James Forrestal, the former head of the naval department.
Interesting fact: The US Department of Defense was originally called the National Military Establishment, but it was soon renamed due to the fact that NME, pronounced aloud, sounds exactly like english word"Enemy" which means "enemy, enemy".
The structure and divisions of the US Department of Defense
This one of the largest government institutions in the country today combines the following units:
- Ground Forces (US Army);
- Naval forces;
- Airborne and airborne troops;
- Reconnaissance structures and special forces (SSO);
- The Coast Guard also falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry.
US Department of Defense structure
The current structure of the Department of Defense was determined in 1986 by a special law on the highest ranks of the American army. According to this law, the main command belongs to the President of the United States, a step below is the Secretary of Defense. This is followed by the commanders of military units in different regions of the country. At the same time, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff has the status of a military adviser to the President.
The Office of the Minister of Defense consists of 4 divisions: the Defense Advisory Committee, the Military Assessments Directorate, the Control Directorate and the Investigative Committee.
The directorates of the three branches of the armed forces make up the Main Directorate of the Services of the Armed Forces.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff includes the directorates of the transport troops, as well as the strategic and special forces. The Armed Forces Joint Operations Headquarters consists of the chiefs of US military headquarters in various regions of the world. Also, the divisions of the Ministry of Defense include the Intelligence Directorate, functional and technical services, including the Pentagon Security Service.
Press Service, Personnel Department, Prisoners of War Commission, Department of Medical Institutions are among the Auxiliary Services.
The development of Internet technologies and mass communications also influenced the structure of the Ministry of Defense. In 2003, the national communications system was taken over by him. In 2009, an agency known as the United States Cyber Command emerged in the Pentagon. This relatively new unit serves on the fronts of information warfare, repels hacker attacks, and is responsible for the safety of military networks and Internet resources. The creation of this military unit provoked the active introduction of similar units in other countries of the world. Cyber troops have already been created in South Korea, China and Russia.
The highest award of the Department of Defense (which can be earned in peacetime) is the Distinguished Service Medal. As a rule, it is awarded only to representatives of the highest military ranks, and it is presented personally by the US Secretary of Defense. In the compositional center of the award there is a blue pentagon, symbolizing simultaneously the five branches of the US Army, and the Pentagon building. Above it is an eagle with three arrows clamped in its paws, and the composition is crowned with an arc of 13 stars, symbolizing the 13 first American states that defended American independence.
Interesting fact: The first US Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, was an infinitely dedicated military man who suffered from the unhealthy workaholism that often plagued his family members. When he entered the most important position of his career, his two sons were once forced to make a flight from England to America on their own, unaccompanied by adults. The boys missed their connecting flight in Paris and, having called their father, were severely reprimanded for disturbing him during office hours and ordered to resolve the situation on their own. The boys were 6 and 8 years old.
Korean music performers confidently gaining leading positions in the song charts not only in their homeland, but also far beyond its borders: in Europe, America, CIS countries - all over the world. For example, South Korean boy band BTS recently gained a record number of views in the first 24 hours after the release of their music video IDOL on the video hosting YouTube. The view rate has surpassed the 45 million mark! However, the Korean pop industry is rich in other, less popular, but equally talented performers. So let's get to know a group called PENTAGON. Who are these guys? What kind of music can they offer their listener? Find out in the article!
Who are Pentagon?
Pentagon is a Korean boy band of 10 trainees who are run by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of 8 Korean guys, 1 Chinese and 1 Japanese. They debuted with the title track Gorilla on October 10th. So, the detailed biography of the Korean group Pentagon is in the article below!
They were originally supposed to debut in early 2016, but before that, 10 participants had to pass a TV screening test. Pentagon Maker was the name of the show, in which the trainees tried to prove their right to be a member of the group. They had to finish Pentagraph to secure their place in the group during the non-debut. Luckily, in the end, all of the members debuted together. A more detailed biography of Pentagon, the history of the formation of the group and its development - further.
Pre-debut: Pentagon Maker
On April 26, 2016, the music agency Cube Entertainment released a trailer for Come into the World - it was the first trailer since the company hinted at a new boy band back in December 2015.
What is interesting about the biography of the Pentagon group? The final line-up was determined during the reality show Pentagon Maker of the South Korean television channel Mne, which was also broadcast over the Internet. Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Yenan, Yuto, Kino, and Woosook made it to the end of the show; he confirmed the status of the official members of the group. In addition, the group also includes Eadon and Yevon.
The biographies of the members of the Pentagon group are interesting and special in their own way, because each of them has traveled a long way on the way to success and debut.
So, the official start of the band's career came on July 9, when Pentagon released the songs Young and Find Me. In support of the first composition, music video.
Pentagon's biography indicates that the group originally planned to hold their debut concert on July 23, 2016. It was supposed to be a show at the Jamsil Indoor stadium. However, Cube Entertainment had to postpone the date of the group's concert and debut - they attributed this to problems within the company.
Pentagon biography: 2017 and Japanese debut
On January 22, 2017, the group released a special music video for Pretty Pretty, a track from their second Korean EP, Five Senses.
The first Japanese EP was a mini-LP Gorilla: shortly after its release, on March 29, the track debuted at number three on the Oricon charts. The album consists of six tracks, including Japanese versions of the previously released tracks Gorilla, Can You Feel It, Pretty Pretty and You Are, as well as two new Japanese tracks.
On May 18, the band released a new single: the ballad Beautiful. From June 8 to June 10, the band held a concert at Shinhan Card Fan Hall. It was called Tentastic Vol. 2 and was divided into three days P, T and G, symbolizing the group's abbreviated name - PTG. During the concert, the boy band demonstrated various concepts and wowed the audience with their performances.
On June 12, the group released their third Korean EP, which included the title track Critical Beauty (예뻐 죽겠네). It was he who became their first EP to enter the Billboard world music chart at number 14. An interesting fact from the biographies of the Pentagon members: Yan An was unable to take part in promotions and events dedicated to promoting the album due to a hand injury. On July 24, Pentagon released a surprise music video for their fans, Precious Promise.
On September 6, the group released their fourth Korean EP, which included the title track Like This. They held their third solo concert, the Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 3, Promise at Yes24 Hall in Seoul.
On November 23, the group released their fifth Korean EP. Its title track is Runaway. The group subsequently held their fourth solo concert, the Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 4, Dream at the Blue Square IMarket Music Hall in Seoul.
Group composition changes
Pentagon biography: 2018
On January 17, 2018, The Pentagon released their second Japanese EP, Violet, which included the title track of the same name. They held their last one-man concert, the Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 5, Miracle April 1 at Blue Square I-Market Hall in Seoul.
On April 2, The Pentagon released their sixth Korean EP, Positive, with six tracks, including the single 빛나리 (Shine).
SHINE's Japanese version of the song began selling on August 29th. This song was the opening theme song for the August episodes of the Break Out nightly music series.
On September 10, The Pentagon released their seventh Korean EP, Thumbs Up, which features five tracks including the single 청개구리 (Naughty Boy).
Triple H - what is it
Triple H (트리플 H in Korean) is a South Korean group formed by the music agency Cube Entertainment. The group includes Korean singer Hyuna and Pentagon members Hui and Eidong. As a group, they released two EPs, 199X (2017) and Retro Futurism (2018).
The trio Triple H got this name because HyunA and Pentagon members Hui and E "Dawn have their names english letter H (E'Don's real name is Hyojong). However, the trio admitted that an American professional wrestler and champion named Triple H also influenced the group's name choice - his personality seems to reflect the mood of the Korean group.
EDawn (Pentagon) Biography Interesting Facts: After E "Dawn and Hyuna announced their relationship in August, Cube Entertainment announced on September 13 that they were ending their contracts with the two artists, citing the company no longer trusting them. Following the fall in the organization's stock prices and the riot of fans, the company's management decided to postpone the firing of HyunA and E'Dong, and Cube Entertainment told Cube Entertainment that they will have to think it over before announcing the final decision on the matter.
The life of Korean stars is very interesting. Fans are most attracted to the part of celebrity life that fell on the pre-debut time. So, what do we know about the guys from the Pentagon group?
Hong Seok is a former member of the group formed by the television audit firm MIX & MATCH (2014). At the time of his participation in Pentagon Maker, the guy already had many fans.
Jinho was an SM Entertainment trainee, however, after canceling his debut with SM Entertainment, he transferred to Cube Entertainment to audition for Pentagon Maker.
Hui is the leader of the group. Interestingly, during the first mission in the Pentagon Maker program, he received the highest score among all participants.
In the Pentagon Maker program, Kino showed the least stability in positions. Before becoming an official member of Pentagon, Kino was in the lead, and then lost ground, showing average results.
Yuto is Japanese. He is incredibly good at rap, which is why he is in the rap line of the group. The Pentagon members refer to him as "Prince Takayaki".
Yenan was born and raised in China. He is considered a heartbreaker for his good figure and glowing white skin!
Wooseok is the youngest member of the group (in Korean show business they are called maknae).
Eadon has tattoos and considers himself the most adorable member of the group.
The article tells about what the Pentagon is, when this building was created, what roles it plays and who is its head.
Services
With the development of human society, the need for various kinds of government services and organizations gradually arose. And probably, the greatest attention has always been paid to those services that are involved in ensuring the security of the country and its citizens, for example, the army, law enforcement agencies, etc. And the organization of their work, control and everything else is usually handled by the Ministry of Defense. In the United States, this is the Pentagon.
This building of a peculiar shape has become very recognizable over time, and its name has firmly entered the everyday speech of military personnel as the designation of the Ministry of Defense. But what was the Pentagon when it was built? We will talk about this.
History
As already mentioned, the Pentagon is the headquarters. This name comes from a peculiar form. And metonymically, it has long come to denote the Department of Defense both among the American military and among foreign journalists, observers, military specialists and others. So now we know what the Pentagon is.
This building is also the largest office in the world and was completed in 1943. If we talk about dimensions, the length of each side is 281 meters, the total perimeter is 1405 meters, and the total length of the corridors is 28 kilometers.
It was designed by the architect Bergstrom, and the plan for a new, very spacious and elaborate building was commissioned directly by the US Department of Defense. So we sorted out the question of what the Pentagon is.
Construction features and interesting facts
Despite the general conviction, the pentagonal shape of the building has no sacred meaning, it is just that the place where it was originally going to be erected had its own peculiarities of the terrain, relief, the location of roads and everything else, which led the architects to create a building of this shape. However, before the immediate start of construction, it was decided to change the location of the future building of the Ministry of Defense. And although in the new place there were no restrictions in the form of third-party objects, they still decided to leave the pentagonal shape the same, and so the modern Pentagon turned out. This building is recognizable, probably all over the world.
The central lawn of the courtyard is informally called "Ground Zero". This name was given to him by Ministry officials during the Cold War, and it is somewhat ironic in nature, denoting a target for nuclear missiles of the Soviet Union.
You can also often come across the question of where the Pentagon is located. And it is located in the United States, near Washington.
And by the way, the layout of the building was created during the times of racial segregation, and the final stages of construction - after the abolition of this law. And so the number of toilet rooms ended up being doubled, since some of them were intended exclusively for black use. And this fact is probably the most frequent, which is mentioned in stories about the Pentagon. This building is famous for such a history.
September 11, 2001 terrorist attack
Almost everyone knows about the tragic events of this date. However, first of all, it is associated precisely with the way planes crashed into skyscraper buildings. But few people remember that another of the hijacked planes by terrorists rammed the Pentagon.
On September 11, the plane crashed into the left outer wing of the building, where at that time the headquarters of the naval command was located. Part of the wall collapsed, and the fire was also severely damaged. As a result of all this, the number of victims was 125 people, 64 of them were passengers of the hijacked plane.
About 20 minutes after the direct collision, another part of the wall collapsed, which severely slowed down firefighting and rescue operations. But still, for all the tragedy, there could have been much more victims. The thing is that, shortly before the terrorist attack, repairs were barely completed in that section of the building, and there were few workers there.
Later, after all the restoration work, a memorial was erected in the newly rebuilt wing in memory of those who died on that fateful day.
Head of the Pentagon
The head of the Pentagon is Ashton Baldwin Carter. He took this post on February 17, 2015. Carter is the twenty-fifth United States Secretary of Defense, nominated by Barack Obama himself.
Carter has a bachelor's degree in theoretical physics, and many of his rivals have argued that he would make a better scientist than a politician.
After the outbreak of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine, Carter repeatedly stated that various kinds of pressure should be exerted on Russia, since, in his opinion, it was she who was the cause of the kindling of war and the unstable situation in Kiev.