system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: The American Armed Forces are the closest example to a Socialist institution in the US.

I cannot say that the Armed Forces is an example of Communism, as Communism calls for the elimination of classes, & within the Armed Forces there is a class system in place of Enlisted & Officers.  Communism, according to Marx, also calls for a revolution against the owners of the means of production - the bourgeoisie - which is not the point I wish to make.

Most would agree that the Active Duty Armed Forces are a necessity in promoting national defense.  The Armed Forces are overseen by the government, which measures their success on how well-trained Service Members are at being ready to defend/secure whatever goal is set by the government.  

In order to meet this goal, the government has created an environment pledging for Service Members to support one another no matter what.  No one gets left behind. (those in the Army, think about the Soldier's Creed.  Also, wasn't the Army slogan 'Army of One' a few years ago?)  Additionally, every Service Member, including their families,  gets government provided housing, health care, and even government clothing & food. Oh, & discounted or free college tuition. 

What I find interesting is the fact that the Armed Forces moves in the direction that everyone is supposed to share in the wealth that they create.  However, the phrase "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need," really starts to hit home when you look at individual cases of Service Members.  An E4 shows great ability in completing their job compared to other E4s.... Awesome, all E4s will get paid the same amount.  The amount of tax dollars spent on an E4 who is healthy, single, & without any dependents will be less compared to the E4 who has 30% disability, on their second marriage with four dependents.  As long as all these E4 examples are doing the bare minimum, which is oftentimes the standard in the Armed Forces, they will not get fired or demoted.    
What is the motivation for an E4 to work harder if all his basic living needs are met?  *Well he would get a promotion, & therefore a higher wage.* True but with that promotion comes more responsibility & of tasks & responsibility of other's actions -  which can reinforce the whole bare minimum standard being met all over again.    


There are many other examples I could look to, but my main view is this:  Any branch of the Armed Forces creates the environment of socialism for their Service members.
gpt
Socialism: noun:
a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Socialism does not mean wealth distribution, it means that production and the associated benefits are controlled by the labor, whether it be by public ownership, collective ownership, etc.

That CAN'T be true here for a few reasons:

* As you mentioned, the military has a strict hierarchy. It's controlled by one person, the Commander in Chief (President) and then by a small group of military leaders that function as administrators. It's not controlled by any collective. The "public" has *some* say through voting, but does not ever vote directly on military decision-making, which means it doesn't qualify as "control."

* It's not a entity that undergoes "production". Socialism is an economic theory, but the military is a national defense unit. There are certainly economic consequences, but you don't have a profit motive or "customers" in the traditional sense, so the analysis is inapplicable.