Re: Force sizes

Guess I'll toss in my .02 as well.

I'm most familar with Modern US so here it is:

Fireteam- led by a E-3 or E-4 (Private First Class to Corporal) 3-4
guys. 
The fireteam has a SAW (squad automatic weapon) and a soldier with a
M-16 
with a M-203 grenade launcher. The other two guys have a M-16 and
usually 
tote extra ammo for the SAW and M0203. The squad leader isn't attached
to a 
particiular squad, he just goes where he needs to.

Squad- Two fireteam led by a E-5 or E-6 ('buck' sergeant or Staff
Sarge). 
Nine guys in the light infantry... mech types usually have a vehicle and
its 
crew, but have a smaller dismount squad (6 guys- three per fireteam). In
the 
armor, a tank with its crew is the same as a squad. You got me for the 
artillery and support types.

Section- An informal formation in the Mech Infantry and Armor- two
squads or 
tanks, one led by the Platoon Sergeant (an E-7 or E-6) and the other led
by 
the Platoon leader (O-1 Second Lieutenant)

Platoon- 4 squads or tanks led by a Lieutenant: usually 16 (for a tank 
platoon) to 34 (light infantry platoon) men.

Company- 3 line platoons with a HQ led by a Captain (0-3), the XO (1st 
Lieutenant) and company First Sergeant (E-8 usually, but E-7 in a
pinch-we 
nicknamed them 'Top'). Most US company size units don't have a 'heavy 
weapons' platoon, but they DO have a mortar section (except armor) of 2
60mm 
tubes. This is about 130 in the infantry and around 60 in an armor
company.

Team- an informal grouping of platoons, usually formed around one of the

line companies. Usually two battalions with pair off and swap companies-

then the companies will swap platoons. A typical example is my old
company 
(C company, 2-34 Armor). We were swapped to the 5-16th Infanty.... once 
there we swapped up one platoon (my platoon, 1st platoon) to the
5-16th's 
Delta company, and got their 1st Platoon in return. In addition, the
company 
would get additional assets from the Bn HQ company (recovery vehicles, 
medicsl vehicle, etc) and even assets from Division like ADA (a M-113
with a 
Vulcan gun and SAM team) and engineers (we had converted M-48 called a 
'Miclic' to clear mines, and a M-113 with an engineer team- in Desert
Storm 
we were one of the 'breaching' companies). Once you add all of these 
additional 'ash and trash' up, your company swells up to 200+ guys! This

grouping is rather informal and VERY task oriented.

Battalion- 3-4 line companies (3 in the infantry, 4 in the armor),
infantry 
battalions have either a heavy weapons company or an anti-armor company.
The 
light infantry battalions have a recon platoon(19 guys), a 81mm mortar 
platoon (4 tubes and 27 guys), and an anti-tank platoon (can have TOWs,
.50 
M-2 MGs, or even AGLs). Generally you're talking about 400-600 in a
'pure' 
battalion. This outfit is led by a Lt. Colonel (O-5) with a Major as OX 
(O-4). This is the lowest unit where you will find a Sergeant-Major (we 
called them 'Top' as well).

Task Force- The battalion version of the Team above. Now you're adding
extra 
assets to a battlion (ADA, Engineers, Cavalry, and so on). Once you add
it 
all up, you can have 1000+ in the unit.

Regiment- an old formation that is no longer in regular service (outside
the 
Rangers and Cavalry). For the most part it exists as a history element- 
tying the modern battalions to the old regiment of the Army. For
example, I 
was in the 2d Battalion of the 34th Armor Regiment (1st Brigade, 1st 
Infantry Division). I think at the time I was in there was only one
other 
battlion that claimed the heritage of the 34th Armor. My battalion
(2/34) 
and its sister (1/34) were part of the 1st Brigade... I think the army
tries 
to keep the battalions of the same regiment in the same division or
brigade, 
and tries to keep 'historical' relations between Divisions and Regiments

going (all of the infantry battalions of the 1st Infantry Division
belong to 
the 16th, 18th, or 26th Infantry Regiments... the 'traditional'
regiments of 
the Division).

Brigade- Usually 3 line battalions (a mixture of armor and infantry in 
'heavy' divisions, or all three infantry in light infantry, airborne,
and 
air assault divisions). In addition the Brigade has a HQ company
(something 
like 200 guys), a support battalion (a BIG outfit!) and attachments 
(engineer company... even a battlions!), ADA assets, Cavalry, arty
(usually 
a battalion), and whatever else the Division Commander wants to add to
the 
mix. This formation is HUGE... 5000 guys when you add up all the 'ash
and 
trash'. As big as some nations divisions, and usually more firepower.
The 
Brigade is led by a 'full' (or 'bird' because of the eagle 'n shield
rank 
pin- O-6) Colonel, a Lt. Colonel as XO, a Sergeant Major, and tons of 
officers in the G units (the staff guys... G-1, G-2, and so on). You've
not 
seen anything until you've seen an Armor Brigade in battle array... a
truely 
awesome sight!

Division- 9-10 line battalions, and almost as many service and combat 
support battalions organized into three maneuver brigades, a 'div arty'
of 
four battalions, an ADA battalion, a combat engineer bn, a cavalry
brigade 
(with a mixture of ground cavalry, and hele squadrons/battalions).
You're 
talking about 20,000 guys now when you add in all of the Corp support
types 
that join in... sometimes you get what amounts to a 'mini' Corp (like
the 
24th Infantry in Desert Storm... it had over 25000 troops!) This mind 
boggling formation is led by a Major General (O-8) with a Brigadier
General 
XO (O-7) and as always, a Sergeant-Major.

Needless to say, this is a very diversified and complex structure that
in a 
constant state of change as the mission changes.

HOPS VINCET! ATWTMATMUTATB

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