terminología militar

Does "dirección" here really refer to a person (Director)? Does it not refer to an entity – such as a department or a ______? I am trying to translate the following: "...donde funcionaba la Comandancia General del Ejército con sus tres comandos administrativos, nueve direcciones generales y...

Dear colleagues, I am trying to translate "el subofficial de segunda." This text is a book on the Peruvian military. I know that "subofficial" means noncommissioned officer," but I don't know what "de sugunda" means in this context. I do know that the term "second class" is used in the...