Military rank is a system of
hierarchical relationships in
armed forces or civil institutions organized
along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by
particular insignia affixed to the uniforms. Ranking systems have
been known for most of military history to be advantageous for
military operations, in particular with regards to logistics,
command, and coordination; as time continued and military
operations became larger and more complex, military ranks increased
and ranking systems themselves became more complex.
Within modern armed forces, the use of ranks is almost universal.
Communist states have sometimes abolished rank
(e.g., the Soviet Russian Red Army
1918–1935, the Chinese People's
Liberation Army 1965–1988, and the Albanian Army 1966–1991), only to
re-establish them after encountering operational difficulties of
command and
control.
Ancient and medieval ranks
Persian ranks
The army
of ancient Persia consisted of
manageable military groupings under the individual commands.
Starting at the bottom, a unit of 10 was called a
dathabam
and was led by a
dathapatish. A unit of 1,000 was a
hazarabam and was commanded by a
hazarapatish. A
unit of 10,000 was a
baivarabam and was commanded by a
baivarapatish. The Greeks called such masses of troops a
myrias or
myriad. Among mounted troops, an
asabam was a
cavalry unit led by an
asapatish.
Historians have discovered the existence of the following ranks in
Parthian and
Sassanian armies:
Greek ranks
From 501
BC the Athenians annually elected ten individuals to the rank of
strategos, one for each of the
ten "tribes" that had been created with the founding of the
democracy. Strategos literally
means "army leader" and so it is usually translated as "
general." Originally these generals worked together
with the old
polemarchos ("war
lord") but over time the latter figure lost all military
function.
The ten
generals were equals to one another; there was no hierarchy amongst
them, however a basic form of democracy was in effect: For example,
at the Battle of
Marathon in 490 BC, the generals determined the battle plan
by majority vote. Particular assignments, however, might
have been given to individual generals; inevitably there was a
regular division of responsibilities.
The rank that was subordinate to a top general was a
taxiarchos or
taxiarhos,
something akin to the modern
brigadier.
In
Sparta, however, the title was polemarchos. Below
this was the
syntagmatarkhis, which can be
translated as "leader of a
regiment"
(
syntagma) and was therefore like a modern
colonel. Below him was the
tagmatarkhis, a commanding officer of a
tagma (near to the modern
battalion). The rank was roughly equivalent to the
legatus of a
Roman legion. Next was the
lokhagos, an officer who led an infantry unit
called a
lokhos that consisted of roughly a hundred men,
much the same as in a modern
company led by a
captain.
A Greek cavalry (
hippiko) regiment was called a
hipparchia and was commanded by a
hyparchos or
hipparch, but Spartan
cavalry was led by a
hipparmostes. A
hippotoxotès
was a horse archer. A Greek cavalry company was led by a
tetrarchès or
tetrarch.
The rank and file of the military in most of the Greek city states
was composed of ordinary citizens. Heavily armed foot soldiers were
called
hoplitès or
hoplites and a
hoplomachos was a drill or weapons instructor.
Once
Athens became a naval power, the top generals of the land
armies had authority over the naval fleets as well. Under
them, each
warship was commanded by a
trièrarchos or
trierarch, a word
which originally meant "
trireme officer" but
persisted when other types of vessels came into use. Moreover, as
in modern navies, the different tasks associated with running a
ship were delegated to different subordinates. Specifically, the
kybernètès was the helmsman, the
keleusthès
managed the rowing speed, and the
trièraulès was the flute
player who maintained the strike rate for the oarsmen. Following
further specialization, the naval strategos was replaced by a
nauarchos, a sea officer equating
to an
admiral.
With the rise of
Macedonia under
Philip II of Macedon and
Alexander the Great, the Greek military
became professional, tactics became more sophisticated and
additional levels of ranking developed. Foot soldiers were
organized into heavy infantry
phalanxes called
phalangites. These were among the first
troops ever to be drilled, and they fought packed in a close
rectangular formation, typically eight men deep, with a leader at
the head of each column (or file) and a secondary leader in the
middle so that the back rows could move off to the sides if more
frontage was needed.
A
tetrarchia was a unit of four files and a
tetrarchès or
tetrarch was a
commander of four files; a
dilochia was a double file and
a
dilochitès was a double-file leader; a lochos was a
single file and a lochagos was a file leader; a
dimoiria
was a half file and a
dimoirites was a half-file leader.
Another name for the half file was a
hèmilochion with a
hèmilochitès being a half-file leader.
Different types of units, however, were divided differently and
therefore their leaders had different titles. For example, under a
numbering system by tens, a
dekas or
dekania was
a unit of ten led by a
dekarchos, a
hekatontarchia was a unit of hundred led by a
hekatontarchès and a
chiliostys or
chiliarchia was a unit of a thousand led by a
chiliarchès.
The cavalry, for which Alexander became most famous (in a military
sense), grew more varied. There were heavy cavalry and wing cavalry
(
ilè) units, the latter commanded by an
ilarchès.
Roman ranks
The use of formalized ranks came into widespread use with the
Roman legions after the reforms by
Marius. Under the new system, a legion
would be commanded by a
legate
(
legatus), typically a
senator, for a three-year term. Immediately
beneath the legate were six
military
tribunes (
tribuni militum), five of whom were young
men of
Equestrian rank and one of
whom was a nobleman who was headed for the Senate.
The
tribuni militari were the Roman army's senior officers
who commanded the rough equivalents to the
US and
British armies
battalions and brigades (the relevant modern ranks being
major,
lieutenant
colonel,
colonel and
brigadier general). Note that these
comparisons are only loose because the Roman army's command
structure was much different from the organizational structure of
its modern counterparts, which arose from the medieval mercenary
companies, rather than from the writings of Fourth Century Roman
writer
Vegetius and
Caesar's commentaries on his conquest of
Gaul and the civil war.
The term military tribune is sometimes translated into English as
"colonel" — most notably by the late classicist
Robert Graves in his "
Claudius" novels and his translation of
Suetonius'
Twelve Caesars — to avoid
confusion with the political "tribunes of the people."
The fighting men in the legion were formed into
ranks,
rows of men who fought as a unit. Under Marius's new system,
legions were divided into ten
cohort (
cohortes), each
consisting of six
centuries, each of between 60 and 160
men. Each century was led by a
centurion
(
centurio) who was assisted by a number of junior
officers, such as an Optio. Centuries were further broken into ten
contubernia of eight soldiers each. Individual soldiers
were referred to as soldiers (
milites) or legionaries
(
legionarii).
Roman discipline was severe, with all ranks subject to corporal and
capital punishment at the commander's discretion. For example, if a
cohort broke in battle, the typical punishment was
decimation, in which every
tenth soldier, selected by lot, was killed. However, the Romans
were sensible and would not sacrifice too many men in this
way.
Mongol ranks
There were no ranks in the
Mongol
Empire in the modern sense of a hierarchy of titles, although
the army was organized into a hierarchical command (see "
Mongol military tactics
and organization").
The organization of the Mongol army was based
on the decimal system, much like that of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. The
army was built upon a squad of ten (
arban) led by an
appointed chief. Ten of these would then compose a company of a
hundred (
jaghun), also led by an appointed chief. The next
unit was a regiment of a thousand (
minghan) led by an
appointed
noyan. The largest organic
unit was a ten thousand man unit (
tumen) also led by an appointed
noyan.
The
Mongalisen is what we would call General of the
Army.
Medieval ranks
High command in medieval armies
The
king’s army was placed under the command
of the High
Constable as
commander-in-chief. The High Constable
had authority over the local constables, commanders of the
garrisons of major castles. The High Constable had the help of the
Field Marshal, an officer that set up
the army’s camp. (Marshals acted as chiefs of logistics and were
also employed by royal and noble courts.) The High Constable
derived his authority over the army from his role of head of the
Cavalry.
Origins of modern ranks
As the Middle Ages came to an end, the rank structure of medieval
armies became more formalized. The top officers were known as
commissioned officers because
their rank came from a royal commission. Army commissions were
reserved for the elite — the aristocracy of mainland Europe and the
aristocracy and gentry of Great Britain.
The basic unit of the medieval army was the
company, a band of soldiers assigned
(or raised) by a vassal
lord on behalf of
his lord (in later times the King himself). The vassal
lord in command of the company was a commissioned officer with the
rank of
captain. Captain was derived
from the
Late Latin word capitaneus
(meaning
head man or
chief).
The commissioned officer assisting the captain with command of the
company was the
lieutenant. Lieutenant
was derived from the
French
language; the
lieu meaning “place” as in a position;
and
tenant meaning “holding” as in “holding a position”;
thus a “lieutenant” is somebody who holds a position in the absence
of his superior. When he was not assisting the captain, the
lieutenant commanded a unit called a
platoon, particularly a more specialized platoon.
The word is derived from the 17th-century French peloton, meaning a
small ball or small detachment of men, which came from pelote, a
ball.
The commissioned officer carrying the (infantry) company’s flag was
the
ensign. The word ensign was in
fact derived from the Latin word
insignia.
In cavalry companies the equivalent rank was cornet. In English
usage, these ranks were merged into the single rank of
Second Lieutenant in the 19th
Century.
Not all officers received a commission from the King. Certain
specialists were granted a warrant, certifying their expertise as
craftsmen. These
warrant officers
assisted the commissioned officers but ranked above the
noncommissioned officers. They received their authority from
superior officers rather than the King. The highest rank of NCO was
sergeant. The first sergeants were the
armed servants (men-at-arms) of the aristocracy, assigned to
command, organize and train the militia units raised for battle.
After years of commanding a squad, a NCO could be promoted to
sergeant. While a sergeant might have commanded a squad upon
promotion, he usually became a staff officer. While commissioned
staff officers assisted their commander with personnel,
intelligence, operations and logistics, the sergeant was a jack of
all trades, concerning himself with all aspects of administration
to maintain the enlisted men serving under his commander. Over
time, sergeants were differentiated into many ranks as various
levels of sergeants were used by the commanders of various levels
of units.
A corporal commanded a
squad. Squad derived
from the Italian word for a “square” or “block” of soldiers. In
fact, corporal was derived from the Italian caporal de squadra
(head of the squad). Corporals were assisted by lancepesades.
Lancepesades were veteran soldiers;
lancepesade was derived from the Italian lanzia
spezzata meaning broken spear - the broken spear being a metaphor
for combat experience, where such an occurrence was likely. The
first lancepesades were simply experienced privates; who either
assisted their corporal or performed the duties of a corporal
themselves. It was this second function that made armies
increasingly regard their lancepesades as a grade of corporal
rather than a grade of private. As a result, the rank of
Lance Corporal was derived from combining
lancepesade and corporal.
As the Middle Ages came to an end, kings increasingly relied on
professional soldiers to fill the bottom ranks of their armies
instead of militiamen. Each of these professionals began their
careers as a
private. The private was
a man who signed a private contract with the company commander,
offering his services in return for pay. The money was raised
through taxation; those yeomen (smallholding peasants) who did not
fulfill their annual 40-day militia service paid a tax that funded
professional soldiers recruited from the yeomanry. This money was
handed to the company commanders from the royal treasury, the
company commanders using the money to recruit the troops.
Origins of higher ranks
As armies grew larger, composed of multiple companies, one captain
was granted general (overall) authority over the field armies by
the King. (National armies were the armies of the kings. Field
armies were armies raised by the King to enter the battle field in
preparation for major battles.) In French history, “lieutenant du
roi” was a title borne by the officer sent with military powers to
represent the king in certain provinces. A lieutenant du roi was
sometimes known as a
lieutenant
general to distinguish him from lieutenants subordinate to mere
captains. The sergeant acting as staff officer to the captain
general was known as the sergeant-major general. This was
eventually shortened to
major general,
while captain general was shortened to simply
general. This is the reason why a
major outranks a lieutenant, but a lieutenant general
outranks a major general.
As armies grew bigger, heraldry and unit identification remained
primarily a matter of the regiment.
Brigades headed by
brigadier generals were the units
invented as a tactical unit, by the swedish king
Gustavus Adolphus the second ("Gustav II
Adolf", dead at battle of Lutzen 1632). It was introduced to
overcome the normal army structure, consisting of regiments. The
so-called “brigada” was a mixed unit, comprising infantry, cavalry
and normally
artillery too, designated for
a special task. The size of such “brigada” was a reinforced company
up to two regiments. The “brigada” was a 17th century form of the
modern “task force”.
Around the end of the 16th century, companies were grouped into
regiments. The officers commissioned to lead these regiments were
in fact called
colonels (column officers).
They were first appointed in Spain by King
Ferdinand II of Aragon where they
were also known as coronellos (crown officers) since they were
appointed by the Crown. Thus the English pronunciation of the word
colonel.
The first colonels were captains granted command of their regiments
by commission of the King. The lieutenants of the colonel were the
lieutenant colonels. In the 17th
century, the sergeant of the colonel was the
sergeant major. These were field officers,
third in command of their regiments (after their colonels and
lieutenant colonels), with a role similar to the older, army-level
sergeants major (although obviously on a smaller scale). The older
position became known as
sergeant
major general to distinguish it. Over time, the sergeant was
dropped from both titles since both ranks were used for
commissioned officers. This gave rise to the modern ranks of
major and major general.
The full title of sergeant major fell out of use until the latter
part of the 18th century, when it began to be applied to the senior
non-commissioned officer of an infantry battalion or cavalry
regiment.
Regiments were later split into
battalions with a lieutenant colonel as a
commanding officer and a major as
an
executive officer.
Modern ranks
Modern military services recognize three broad categories of
personnel.These are codified in the
Geneva Conventions, which distinguish
officers,
non-commissioned officers, and
enlisted men.
Apart from
conscripted personnel one
can distinguish:
Commissioned officers
Officers are distinguished
from other military members by holding a
commission (or Officer in Training); they are
trained or training as leaders and hold command positions.
Officers are further generally separated into four levels:
- General, Flag, or Air Officers
- Field or Senior Officers
- Company Grade or Junior Officers
- Subordinate Officer (Naval Cadet or
Officer Cadet in the Canadian
Forces)
General, Flag, or Air Officers
Officers who typically command units or
formation that are expected to operate
independently for extended periods of time (i.e.,
brigades and larger, or
flotillas or
squadrons of
ships), are referred to variously as
General
Officers (in armies, marines, and some air forces),
Flag Officers (in navies and coast guards), or
Air Officers (in some
Commonwealth air forces).
General Officer ranks typically include (from the most senior)
General,
Lieutenant General,
Major General, and
Brigadier General, although there are many
variations like Division General or (Air-, Ground-) Force
General.
Flag Officer ranks, named after the traditional practice of showing
the presence of such an officer with a flag on a ship and often
land, typically include (from the most senior)
Admiral,
Vice Admiral
and
Rear Admiral. In some navies, such
as
Canada's, the
rank of
Commodore is a flag
rank.
In the
United Kingdom and most other
Commonwealth air forces, Air
Officer ranks usually include
Air
Chief Marshal,
Air Marshal,
Air Vice-Marshal and
Air Commodore. For some air forces, however,
such as those of
Canada,
United States or most of the
Air Forces in the Americas, army General Officer ranks (including a
number of ranks based on the term brigadier) are used.
In some forces there may be one or more superior ranks to the
common examples, above, that are given distinguishing titles, such
as
Field Marshal or General of the
Armies (many armies),
Fleet Admiral
(
U.S. Navy),
Marshal of the Royal Air
Force, or other national air force.
These ranks have often
been discontinued, such as in Germany and Canada, or limited
to wartime and/or honorific promotion, such as in the United Kingdom and the United States.
In various countries, particularly the United States, these may be
referred to as "star ranks" for the number of stars worn on some
rank insignia: typically one star for Brigadier General or
equivalent with the addition of a star for each subsequent rank. In
the United States, five stars has been the maximum used in all
services (excluding the
Marines and
Coast Guard, which have only used
four). There has also historically been a theoretical "six-star"
rank held by
John J. Pershing and to which
George Washington was
posthumously promoted, referred to as
the
General
of the Armies of the United States. Additionally, see
Admiral of the Navy for the US Navy's
Six-Star equivalent, awarded to
Admiral
George Dewey and subsequently removed after his death.
Some titles are not genuine ranks, but either functions assumed by
generals or honorific titles. For instance, in the
French Army Général de corps
d'armée is a function assumed by some
Généraux de division, and
Maréchal de France, which is a
distinction denoting the most superior military office, but one
that has often neutered the practical command powers of those on
whom it is conferred. In the
United
States Navy, a
Commodore
currently is a senior
Captain
commanding a
squadron that is too small for
a
Rear Admiral to command, although
that name has historically been used as a rank. The title (not
rank) of Commodore can also indicate an officer who is senior to a
ship's Captain (since only the ship's commander is addressed as
Captain while underway). Marine Captains are referred to as Major
to distinguish themselves while shipboard.
Field or senior officers
Field officers, also called
"field-grade officers" or "senior officers," are officers who
typically command units that can be expected to operate
independently for short periods of time (i.e., infantry battalions,
cavalry or artillery regiments, warships, air squadrons). Field
officers also commonly fill staff positions of superior
commands.
The term "field(-grade) officer" is primarily used by armies and
marines; air forces, navies and coast guards generally prefer the
term "senior officer." The two terms are not necessarily
synonymous.
Typical army and marine field officer ranks include
Colonel ( ),
Lieutenant Colonel,
Major and, in the British army, Captains holding an
adjutant's appointment. In many
Commonwealth countries the field rank of
Brigadier is used, although it fills the position
held by Brigadier General in other countries.
Naval and coast guard senior officer ranks include
Captain and
Commander. In some countries, the more senior rank
of
Commodore is also included. In
others
Lieutenant-Commanders,
as equivalents to army and marine Majors, are considered senior
officers.
Commonwealth air force senior officer ranks include
Group Captain,
Wing Commander, and
Squadron Leader, where such ranks are still
used.
Company grade or junior officers
The ranks of junior officers are the three or four lowest ranks of
officers. Units under their command are generally not expected to
operate independently for any significant length of time. Company
grade officers also fill staff roles in some units. In some
militaries, however, a captain may act as the permanent commanding
officer of an independent company-sized army unit, for example a
signal or field engineer squadron, or a field artillery
battery.
Typical army company officer ranks include
Captain and various grades of
Lieutenant. Typical naval and coast guard junior
officer ranks include grades of
Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant,
Lieutenant Junior Grade and
Ensign. Commonwealth (excluding
Canada) air force junior officer ranks usually include
Flight Lieutenant,
Flying Officer, and
Pilot Officer.
"The [U.S.] commissioned officer corps is divided into 10 pay
grades (O-1 through O-10). Officers in pay grades O-1 through O-3
are considered company grade officers. In the Army, Marine Corps,
and Air Force, these pay grades correspond to the ranks of second
lieutenant (O-1), first lieutenant (O-2), and captain (O-3), and in
the Navy, ensign, lieutenant junior grade, and lieutenant. Officers
in the next three pay grades (O-4 through O-6) are considered field
grade officers. In the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, these pay
grades correspond to the ranks of major (O-4), lieutenant colonel
(O-5), and colonel (O-6), and in the Navy, lieutenant commander,
commander, and captain. The highest four pay grades are reserved
for general officers in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, and
flag officers in the Navy. The ranks associated with each pay grade
are as follows: in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, brigadier
general (O-7), major general (O-8), lieutenant general (O-9), and
general (O-10); in the Navy, rear admiral-lower half, rear
admiral-upper half, vice admiral, and admiral."
Subordinate/Student Officer
Officers in Training in the Canadian Armed Forces either
Naval Cadet for Naval Training or
Officer Cadet for Army or Air Force
Training.
In the US, British, and several other western forces, officers in
training are referred to as student officers, and carry the rank of
Cadet ( the Army, and Air Force) or
Midshipman (in the Navy and in some countries,
Marines). These officers may be serving at a
military academy, or (as common in the
United States), as members of a military training unit attached to
a civilian college or university, such as an
ROTC unit. This is due to a common requirement that
comissioned officers have at least a four-year degree.
While Cadet has always been a rank of limited authority and
prestige (Cadets and US Navy midshipmen have no authority over
comissioned personnel, warrants, or officers, only subordinate
cadets), Midshipman has historically been a rank with limited
leadership responsibility, particularly in the Royal Navy. This
tradition was continued by the US Navy after its original adoption
of the rank, but now US Navy Midshipmen are limited in the same
manner as Cadets in the other US services. Additionally, US Marine
officers in training are also Midshipmen, trained and educated
alongside their naval counterparts, and wear distinctive insignia
to indicate their branch of service.
Note:
US Coast Guard Academy
students are referred to as cadets, while those attending the
military branch's Officer Candidate School are officer
candidates.
An alternative to spending four years as a Cadet or Midshipmen is
for college graduates with a four-year degree to attend
Officer Candidate School (OCS), an
intensive twelve week training course designed to convert college
graduates into military officers. Each service has at least one,
and usually several, OCS facilities. Students at these programs are
called
Officer Candidates.
Warrant Officers
Warrant officers (as receiving
authority by virtue of a
warrant) are a hybrid rank treated
slightly differently in each country and/or service. WOs may either
be effectively senior
non-commissioned officers or an
entirely separate grade between commissioned and Non-Commissioned
Officers, usually held by specialist personnel.
In the United States, Warrant Officers are appointed by warrant
then commissioned by the President of the United States at the rank
of Chief Warrant Officer.
Enlisted personnel
Enlisted personnel are personnel below commissioned rank and make
up the vast majority of military personnel. They are known by
different names in other countries, such as
Other Ranks (ORs) in the United Kingdom and some
Commonwealth countries, and
Non-commissioned members (NCMs) in
Canada.
Non-Commissioned Officers
Non-commissioned officers
(NCOs) are enlisted personnel, under the command of an officer,
granted delegated authority to supervise other military members or
assigned significant administrative responsibilities. In U.S. Army
parlance: "NCOs are the backbone of the Army!"
[23150] They are responsible for the care and direct
control of junior military members, often functioning in the
smaller field units as
Executive
Officers.
Even the most senior NCO officially ranks beneath the most junior
commissioned officer or warrant officer. However, most senior NCOs
have more experience, possibly including combat, than junior
officers. In many armies, because junior officers have a great
amount of responsibility and authority but little operational
experience, they are paired with senior NCO advisers. In some
organizations, senior NCOs may have formal responsibility and
informal respect beyond that of junior officers, but less than that
of warrant officers. Many warrant officers come from the ranks of
mid-career NCOs. In some countries warrant ranks replace senior
enlisted ranks.
NCO ranks typically include a varying number of grades of
Sergeant and
Corporal (Air
Force, Army and Marines), or
Chief
Petty Officer and
Petty Officer
(Navy and Coast Guard). In many navies the term
rate is
used to designate specialty, while
rank denotes
paygrade.
Other enlisted ranks
Personnel with no command authority usually bear titles such as
Private,
Airman/
Aircraftman, Guard
and
Seaman (
Seaman Recruit in the United States Navy
and Coast Guard). In the United States Marine Corps individuals of
all ranks regardless of command status may be referred to as
"Marine". In some countries and services, personnel in different
branches have different titles. These may have a variety of grades,
but these usually only reflect variations in pay, not increased
authority. These may or may not technically be ranks, depending on
the country and/or service. Each rank gives the individual an
indication of how long and how well they have served in combat and
training.
Appointment
Appointment refers to the instrument by virtue of which the person
exercises his or her authority. Officers are appointed by a Royal
Commission in most monarchies or a
Presidential Commission in many other countries. In the
Commonwealth, Warrant Officers hold a Royal or Presidential
Warrant. In the United States, officers are commissioned by the
United States Senate after
nomination by the President. Most officers are approved
en
bloc by
voice vote, but flag
officers are usually required to appear before the
Armed Services
Committee and answer questions to the satisfaction of its
members, prior to a vote on their commission.
NCOs are appointed by an instrument of appointment, a written
document, often a certificate, usually from the service head. Entry
into service is often referred to as enlistment throughout the
English speaking world, even in countries where soldiers do not
technically enlist.
Sometimes personnel serve in an appointment which is higher than
their actual rank. For instance,
commodore used to be an appointment of
captain in the
Royal Navy and
lance
corporal used to be an appointment of private in the
British Army.
Size of command
Rank and unit size
To get a sense of the practical meaning of these ranks—and thus to
be able to compare them across the different armed services,
different nations, and the variations of titles and insignia—an
understanding of the relative levels and sizes of each command will
be helpful. The ranking and command system used by
U.S. Marine ground forces or
U.S. Army infantry
units can serve as a template for this purpose. It should be
remembered that different countries will often use their own
systems that don't match the presentation here.
Under this system, starting from the bottom and working up, a
Corporal leads a
Fireteam consisting of
three other individuals. A Sergeant leads a
Squad consisting of three fireteams. As a result, a
full squad numbers 13 individuals. Squads usually have numbered
designations (e.g., 1st Squad).
Generally, in most armies and marine units, a Lieutenant or
equivalent rank commands a
Platoon, which
can consist of three or four squads. For example, in U.S. Marine
infantry units, rifle platoons usually
consist of three rifle squads of 13 men each, with a Navy
Corpsman, the Platoon Commander, and a Platoon
Sergeant (i.e., a
Staff Sergeant who
serves as second-in-command). An infantry platoon can number from
42 to 55 individuals, depending on the service. Platoons are
usually numbered (e.g., 1st Platoon) or named after their primary
function (e.g., Service Platoon).
A Captain or equivalent rank commands a
Company, usually consisting of four
Platoons (three line platoons and one heavy weapons platoon). His
headquarters can include a
First
Sergeant and as many as seven others. As such, a Company can
comprise from roughly 175 to 225 individuals. Equivalent units also
commanded by Captains are Batteries (for field artillery units) and
Detachments. In English speaking countries, a Company (or troop in
the Cavalry or Armor, and Battery in the Artillery) is usually
designated by a letter (e.g., A Company). In non-English speaking
countries, they are usually numbered.
A Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent rank commands a
Battalion or a
Squadron,
often consisting of four companies, plus the various members of his
headquarters. A battalion is around 500–1,500 men and usually
consists of between two and six companies.
A Colonel or equivalent commands a
Regiment
or
Group, often consisting of four
battalions (for an Infantry unit) or five to six Air Groups (for a
Wing). Battalions and Regiments are usually numbered, either as a
separate Battalion or as part of a Regimental structure (e.g.,
1-501st Infantry in the US Army).
In these latter, abstractions cease to be helpful and it becomes
necessary to turn to an actual unit. The
1st Battalion of the
1st Marine Regiment of
the
1st Marine
Division of the
I
Marine Expeditionary Force consists of three infantry
companies, one weapons company, and one headquarters and service
company. Above that, the 1st Marine Regiment (aka First Marines)
consists of four such Battalions and one headquarters company.
Marine Air Control Group
18 of
1st Marine Air Wing of
the
III Marine
Expeditionary Force consists of four squadrons, one battery,
and one detachment, a mix of different-sized units under a
regimental equivalent-sized unit.
The next level has traditionally been a
Brigade, commanded by a Brigadier General, and
containing two or more Regiments. But this structure is considered
obsolete today. At the present time, in the
U.S. Army, a Brigade is roughly equal to or a
little larger than a Regiment, consisting of three to seven
battalions. Strength typically ranges from 1,500 to 3,500
personnel. In the U.S. Marines, Brigades are only formed for
certain missions. In size and nature they are larger and more
varied collections of Battalions than is common for a Regiment,
fitting them for their traditional role as the smallest formation
able to operate independently on a battlefield without external
logistical tactical support. Brigades are usually numbered (e.g.,
2nd Brigade).
The level above Regiment and Brigade is the
Division, commanded by a Major General
and consisting of from 10,000 to 20,000 persons. The 1st Marine
Division, for example, is made up of four Marine Regiments (of the
type described above), one Assault Amphibian Battalion, one
Reconnaissance Battalion, two Light Armored Reconnaissance
Battalions, one Combat Engineer Battalion, one Tank Battalion, and
one Headquarters Battalion—totalling more than 19,000 Marines.
(Within the Headquarters Battalion are one Headquarters Company,
one Service Company, one
Military
Police Company, one Communications Company, and one Truck
Company.) An equivalent elsewhere within the same Marine
Expeditionary Force (MEF) might be a MEF Logistics Group (MLG) -
which is not a regimental-sized unit (as the word "group" implies),
but rather a large support unit consisting of several battalions of
support personnel. Divisions are normally numbered, but can be
named after a function or personage.
Considering such a variety of units, the command sizes for any
given rank will vary widely. Not all units are as troop intensive
as infantry forces need to be.
Tank and
Artillery crews, for example, involve far
fewer personnel. Numbers also differ for non-combat units such as
quartermasters, cooks, and hospital
staff. Beyond this, in any real situation, not all units will be at
full strength and there will be various attachments and detachments
of assorted specialists woven throughout the system.
The 1st Marine Division is part of the
I Marine Expeditionary Force, which also
includes the 3rd Marine Air Wing, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st
Marine Expeditionary Brigade (as required), three Marine
Expeditionary Units (featuring
helicopter
groups), and a Battalion-sized Marine Air Ground Task Force. In the
U.S. Marine Corps there are three Marine Expeditionary
Forces.
In the U.S. Army, the level above Division is called a
Corps instead of an Expeditionary Force. It is
commanded by a Lieutenant General. In many armies, a Corps numbers
around 60,000, usually divided into three divisions. Corps (and
similar organizations) are normally designated with roman numerals
and their nationality when operating in a Combined (international)
force, e.g. V (US) Corps, VIII (ROK) Corps, II MEF, I Canadian
Corps.
During World War II, due to the large scale of combat, multiple
Corps were combined into
Armies commanded in
theory by a General (four stars), but often by a Lieutenant General
(three stars), and comprising as many as 240,000 troops. Armies are
numbered by spelled-out numerals or functional titles, using their
nationality in "combined" forces (e.g., Eighth US Army, Third ROK
Army, British Army of the Rhine). These were in their turn formed
into
Army Groups, these being the largest
field organization handled by a single commander in modern warfare.
Army Groups included between 400,000 and 1,500,000 troops. Army
Groups received Arabic numeral designations and national
designations when combined.
These examples illustrate a standard that holds true all over the
world and throughout military history, namely that higher rank
generally implies command of larger units in a nested system of
ranks and commands. The specific size of a command for any given
rank will, however, depend on the task the unit performs, the
nature of weapons used, and the strategies of warfare.
See also
References
- Rosignoli, Guido (1984). World Army Badges and Insignia
Since 1939. Dorset: Blandford Press.
- CCC - China's Upcoming Leadership Changes and the
PLA
-
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+al0155)
-
http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/poprep2000/html/chapter4/chapter4_2.htm
-
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html
- Oxford Classical
Dictionary, 2nd edition, 1996: strategoi.
- Warry, John Gibson (1980) Warfare in the classical world:
an illustrated encyclopedia of weapons, warriors, and warfare in
the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome. New York, St.
Martin's Press.
External links