: Have they actually need to use a rank structure in that interim? Like, wars
: or major movements? I think it was pretty much just used for law
: enforcement in that period. Since the population itself was also
: responsible for such enforcement, I assume ranks weren't much needed.

They had border skirmishes with Vietnam and Russia in the interim. And they weren't playing tag either. From what I recall, they had a full-on, triple-digit casualty shooting engagement with the Russians in the late sixties.