The armed forces of a state are its government-sponsored defense and fighting forces and organizations used to further the objectives of the state. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces.
In democracies and most other government types, the armed forces are typically linked to the government through a civilian government department. These may be known as a Department of Defense, Department of War, or Ministry of Defence.
Services
The military is divided into several services (also called branches). The three most common are armies, navies, and air forces. Some nations also organize their marines and their special forces as independent services. A nation's coast guard may also be an independent branch of its military (though in many nations the coast guard is actually a law enforcement or civil agency). The French military structure, which is copied in other nations, includes the three traditional services and a fourth service which is the Gendarmerie. The former Soviet Union organized the Strategic Rocket Forces as a separate branch (Raketnye Vojska Strategicheskogo Naznachneiya) and the Russian government has continued that organization.
It is worthwhile to make mention of the term joint. In western militaries, a joint force is defined as a unit or formation comprising representation of combat power from two or more branches of the military.
Units, formations, and commands
It is common, at least in US and Commonwealth militaries, to refer to the building blocks of a military as units and formations. Generally, the unit is the smallest independent operating element within a military. It may take on the form of a battalion or a ship. A typical unit is a homogeneous military organization (pure infantry, pure cavalry, all bombers, etc.), and its administrative and command functions are organic (self-contained). Anything smaller than a unit is considered a "sub-unit" or "minor unit".
A formation is a grouping of units or smaller formations under a command. Formations include brigades, divisions, wings, etc.
In practice there is some what of a blurred line between a unit and formation, the latter usually exist to coordinate the operations of the former, however in many countries brigades and divisions are permanent organisations as well.
However, different nations (and even different services within a nation) may use the same name to denote different types of organizations. An example is the "squadron". In most navies a squadron is a formation of several ships; in most air forces it is a unit; in the U.S. Army it is a battalion-sized cavalry unit; and in Commonwealth armies a squadron is a company-sized armored sub-unit.
In a military context, a command is a collection of units and formations under the control of a single officer. A command is usually a very high-level formation which is responsible to government or the national military headquarters. It is not uncommon for a nation's services to each consist of their own command (such as Land Force Command, Air Command, and Maritime Command in the Canadian Forces), but this does not preclude the existence of commands which are not service-based.
Hierarchy of modern armies
This gives an overview of some of the terms used to describe army hierarchy in armed forces across the world. Whilst it is recognized that there are differences between armies of different nations, many are modeled on the British or American models, or both. However, many military units and formations go back in history for a long time, and were devised by various military thinkers throughout European history. For example, Corps were first introduced in France in the 18th Century, but have become integrated into the organization of most armies around the world. Readers interested in the detailed specifics of a national army (including the British and American) should consult the relevant entry for that country.
| APP-6A Symbol |
Name |
No. of personnel |
No. of subordinate units |
Unit leader |
| XXXXXX |
region or theater or front |
200,000 + |
2+ army groups |
general or army general or field marshal |
| XXXXX |
army group |
100,000 + |
2+ armies |
general or army general or field marshal |
| XXXX |
army |
50,000-60,000+ |
2+ corps |
colonel general or general or army general |
| XXX |
corps |
30,000-50,000+ |
2+ divisions |
lieutenant general |
| XX |
division |
10,000–20,000 |
2-4 brigades or regiments |
major general |
| X |
brigade |
3000–5000 |
2+ regiments or 3–6
battalions or Commonwealth regiments |
brigadier general, brigadier or colonel |
| III |
regiment or group |
2000–3000 |
2+ battalions or U.S. Cavalry squadrons |
colonel |
| II |
battalion (of infantry), (U.S. Cavalry squadron or Commonwealth armoured regiment) |
300–1000 |
2–6 companies, batteries, U.S. Cavalry troops, or Commonwealth squadrons |
lieutenant colonel |
| I |
company (of infantry), artillery battery, U.S. Cavalry troop or Commonwealth armoured squadron |
70–250 |
2–8 platoons or Commonwealth troops |
chief warrant officer and captain or major |
| ••• |
platoon or Commonwealth troop |
25–60 |
2+ squads, sections, or vehicles |
warrant officer and first or second lieutenant |
| •• |
section or patrol |
8–12 |
2+ fireteams |
corporal to staff sergeant |
| • |
squad or crew |
8–16 |
2+ fireteams or 1+ cell |
corporal to staff sergeant |
| Ø |
fireteam |
4–5 |
n/a |
lance corporal to sergeant |
| Ø |
fire and manoeuvre team |
2 |
n/a |
any/Private First Class |
Rungs may be skipped in this ladder: for example, typically NATO forces skip from battalion to brigade. Likewise, only large military powers may have organizations at the top levels.
Army, army group, region, and theatre are all large formations that vary significantly between armed forces in size and hierarchy position. Divisions were the traditional level at which support elements (field artillery, hospital, logistics and maintenance, etc.) were added to the unit structure. For example, regiments and battalions did not have such support assets. Since World War II, brigades are having such support units added, and since the 1980s, regiments have been receiving support elements. A regiment with such support elements is called a regimental combat team in US military parlance, or a battle group in the UK and other forces.
Different armies and countries may also use traditional names, creating considerable confusion: for example, a British or Canadian armored regiment (battalion) is divided into squadrons (companies) and troops (platoons), whereas an American cavalry squadron (battalion) is divided into troops (companies) and platoons.
The Red Army used the same basic organizational structure. However, in the beginning of World War II many units were greatly underpowered and their size was actually one level below on the ladder than usually used elsewhere, for example, a division in the early-WWII Red Army would have been about the size of most nations' regiments or brigades.[1] [2] At the top of the ladder, what other nations would call an army group, the Red Army called a front.
The Wehrmacht Army Group during the Second World War, particularly on the Eastern Front, such as Army Group Centre significantly exceeded the above numbers, and were more cognate with the Soviet Strategic Directions.
Hierarchy of modern navies
Naval organization at the flotilla level and higher is less-commonly abided by, as ships operate in smaller or larger groups in various situations that may change at a moment's notice. However there is some common terminology used throughout navies to communicate the general concept of how many vessels might be in a unit.
Navies are generally organized into groups for a specific purpose, usually strategic, and these organizational groupings appear and disappear frequently based on the conditions and demands placed upon a navy. This contrasts with army organization where units remain static, with the same men and equipment, over long periods of time.
Auxiliary ships are usually commanded by officers below the rank of captain. These vessels include corvettes, gunboats, minesweepers, patrol boats, military riverine craft, tenders and torpedo boats. Some destroyers, particularly smaller destroyers such as frigates (formerly known as destroyer escorts) are commanded by officers below the rank of captain as well. Usually, the smaller the vessel, the lower the rank of the ship's commander. For example, patrol boats are often commanded by ensigns, while frigates are rarely commanded by an officer below the rank of commander.
Historical navies were far more rigid in structure. Ships were collected in divisions, which in turn were collected in numbered squadrons, which comprised a numbered fleet. Permission for a vessel to leave one unit and join another would have to be approved on paper.
The modern U.S. Navy is primarily based on a number of standard groupings of vessels, including the Carrier Strike Group and the Expeditionary Strike Group.
Additionally, Naval organization continues aboard a single ship. The complement forms three or four departments, each of which is has a number of divisions.
Hierarchy of air forces
The organizational structures of air forces vary between nations: some air forces (such as the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force) are divided into commands, groups and squadrons; others (such as the Soviet Air Force) have an Army-style organizational structure.
See also
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