Dictionary of Meaning
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Military unit
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A '''military unit''' is an organisation within an
armed force. It may consist of any number of
soldiers, ships, vehicles, or aircraft. Armies, navies, and air forces, are organised hierarchically into groups of various sizes for functional, tactical and administrative purposes.
Technically, a ''unit'' is a homogeneous military organisation, such as a battalion (infantry), or regiment (cavalry), and its administrative and command functions are considered to be ''at the unit level''. Smaller organisations (companies, platoons, sections), are ''minor units,'' as opposed to battalions and regiments, which are ''major units''.
Larger military organisations (brigades and higher) are ''
formations''. A formation is a collection of separate units, each with their own command structures.
The specific composition of a military organisation is sometimes called an "
Order of Battle" or ''Orbat'' for short.
Hierarchy of military organisation
This article gives an overview of some of the terms used to describe military units in armed forces across the world. Whilst it is recognised that there will be differences between armies of different nations, it seems that a large proportion are modelled on the
British Army British and/or
United States Armed Forces American models. Readers interested in the detailed specifics of a national army (including the British and American) should consult the relevant entry for that country.
{| border=1 cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 align=center style="border-collapse:collapse; border:0 none; vertical-align:top;" frame=void rules=rows
|- valign=bottom style="border-bottom:3px double #999;"
! align=left | Symbol
! align=left | Name
! align=left | No. of personnel
! align=left | No. of subordinate units
! align=left | Officer in command
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | XXXXXX
| region or
theatre (military) theatre
| many
| 2+ army groups
|
general or
field marshal
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | XXXXX
|
army group
| many
| 2+ armies
|
general or
field marshal
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | XXXX
|
army or
Red Army front
| 50-60,000+
| 2+ corps
|
general or
field marshal
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | XXX
|
corps or
Red Army army
| 30,000+
| 2+ divisions
|
lieutenant general
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | XX
|
Division (military) division
| 10,000–20,000
| 2-4 brigades or regiments
|
major general
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | X
|
brigade
| 2000–5000
| 2+ regiments or 3–6
battalions or Commonwealth regiments
|
brigadier general,
brigadier or
colonel or
major general
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | III
|
regiment or group
| 2000–3000
| 3–4 battalions
|
colonel
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | II
|
battalion or Commonwealth
regiment
| 300–1000
| 2–6 companies or squadrons
|
lieutenant colonel
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | I
|
Company (military unit) company or
squadron
| 60–250
| 2–6 platoons or troops
|
captain or
major
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | •••
|
platoon or
troop
| 30–40
| 2+ squads or sections
| first or second
lieutenant
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | ••
|
Section (military unit) section or
patrol
| 8–12
| 2+ fireteams
|
corporal to
staff sergeant
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | •
|
squad or
crew
| 8–12
| 2+ fireteams
|
corporal to
staff sergeant
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
| align=center | Ø
|
fireteam
| 4–5
| n/a
|
lance corporal to
sergeant
|- valign=top style="border-bottom:3px double #999;"
| align=center | Ø
|
fire and manoeuvre team
| 2
| n/a
| any
|}
Rungs may be skipped in this ladder: for example, in the UK the battalion can be a regiment-sized formation, though in some arms, such as the infantry, it is a purely administrative grouping of battalions. Likewise, only large military powers may have organisations at the top levels (for example, today,
Canada's largest organisation is at the division level).
Army,
army group and
theater (military) theatre are all large formations which vary significantly between armed forces in size and hierarchy position.
Different arms and countries may also use traditional names, creating considerable confusion: for example, a British or Canadian armoured regiment (battalion) is divided into
squadrons (companies) and
troops (platoons), whereas an American cavalry squadron (battalion) is divided into troops (companies) and platoons.
See also
*
APP-6a military symbols
*
Comparative military ranks
*
Detachment (military) Detachment
*
Military rank
*
British Army/Structure Structure of the British Army
*
Structure of the United States Armed Forces
Category:Military organization
ca:Unitat militar
da:Militær enhed
de:Formation (Militär)
fa:یگان
is:Deildaskipan herja
lv:MilitÄ?rÄ? organizÄ?cija
ja:近代陸��編制
no:Militær organisasjon
sl:Vojaške formacije
fi:Sotilasyksikkö
zh:军事��
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