The Regimental System
The other day, I gave my mom my new card, and she asked how to read ( 1-186 IN), my National Guard unit. As I explained the terminology to her, I realized that many of the things that I take for granted are not available to people who are not familiar with the military. One of these things is an understanding of the various 'building blocks' that make up all military units. So this article is devoted to an explanation of military unit designations and basic organization. This will be primarily about ground forces, but I'll throw in just enough about the Navy and Air Force to really confuse everyone!
The first thing to remember is that confusion is normal, because every country is slightly different in their use of combat unit designations, though they all apparently use very similar names. Also, names can vary somewhat within the same country, depending on the type of unit. So this is just a guide, to provide general understanding. I'll use the Infantry as the basis for the my explanation, with some branching out to other Arms and Services.
The smallest official formation is the squad, or section. This name appears to vary by country. The infantry squad is made up of from seven to eleven soldiers, and is led by a Non commissioned officer. Tank squads are 4 or 5 men and their vehicle. (The issue of ranks is another confusing area. A squad leader in the British Army is a Corporal, while the U.S. Army authorizes a Staff Sergeant. They do the same job, but one army has maintained pretty much the same rank structure for a century or more, and the other has created more and more ranks, until 30% of its force consists of 'sergeants' of varying levels.)
Ground forces are built, more or less, in pyramids, with three smaller units making up one of the next larger size. Therefore Three squad/sections are the basis for a platoon. As units increase in size, they require extra levels of leadership and more support. A platoon also has a headquarters, consisting of the platoon officer, the platoon sergeant, and one or two radio telephone operators. An additional infantry squad is sometimes added, or a weapons squad made up of machine gun and mortar crews, and anti tank specialists. Total strength of around 40 soldiers. A platoon is normally commanded by a Lieutenant, the least experienced of the officer ranks. He is advised and assisted by his platoon sergeant, who normally is well experienced. Armored units will have a vehicle per squad, plus one for the platoon leader and one for the platoon sergeant.
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