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I'd like to know what all those terms like squadron, battalion, division, corps, brigade, company, etc. mean. And is there a certain rank in charge of each?

2007-01-19 10:14:32 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government Military

5 answers

I can explain for the Army - it's similar in the Marines. Not sure about the Navy. The Air Force is very functional - the heirarchy is different for different functions. And different Army units have different heirarchies, too - a gun crew in an artillery unit is like a squad, but different, too. There are lots of exceptions. That said, there is a basic structure that most units come close to:

Squad - led by a Staff Sergeant - 8-12 Soldiers

Platoon - 3-4 squads, led by a Lieutenant Platoon Leader, assisted by a Sergeant First Class Platoon Sergeant.

Company - 3-5 platoons, led by a Captain Company Commander, assisted by a First Sergeant. Artillery and Air Defense units call a company a battery. Cav units call a company a troop.

Battalion - 3-5 companies, led by a Lieutenant Colonel, assisted by a Command Sergeant Major.

Brigade - 3-4 Battalions (around 1500 Soldiers), led by a Colonel, assisted by a Command Sergeant Major. Some Cavalry units call a brigade a regiment.

Division - 4-6 Brigades, led by a Major General, assisted by a Command Sergeant Major.

Corps - Any number of divisions, depending on the situation. Commanded by a Lieutenant General - and, yes, a Command Sergeant Major.

Army - A field Army consists of a number of Corps, again dependent on the situation. Led by a General.

To help put things in context, here are the Army ranks. Remember that any officer (even a very junior one) outranks any enlisted Soldier (even a very senior one) - but in practice no Lieutenant gives orders to a Sergeant Major.

Enlisted:
E-1, E-2 Private
E-3 Private First Class
E-4 Specialist or Corporal
E-5 Sergeant
E-6 Staff Sergeant
E-7 Sergeant First Class
E-8 Master Sergeant or First Sergeant
E-9 Sergeant Major or Command Sergeant Major

Officer:
O-1 Second Lieutenant
O-2 First Lieutenant
O-3 Captain
O-4 Major
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel
O-6 Colonel
O-7 Brigadier General
O-8 Major General
O-9 Lieutenant General
O-10 General

2007-01-19 10:34:29 · answer #1 · answered by dougdell 4 · 0 0

I can for the Army, anyway:

Two fire teams form a squad.
Four Squads form a platoon.
Four or five platoons form a company.
Several (3-5) companies form a battalion.
Several (3-5) battalions form a brigade.
Several brigades form a division.
Several divisions form an corps.
Several corps form an army.

Throw in regiments and cavalry squadrons, and you've got yourself an Army.

2007-01-19 10:20:30 · answer #2 · answered by BDZot 6 · 1 0

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2016-12-16 08:39:26 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

Follow Dude's advice. Far too much info to put in one answer.

2007-01-19 10:39:10 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0 0

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2007-01-19 10:21:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

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