Military

organization

Military organization or military

organisation is the structuring of the
armed forces of a state so as to offer
such military capability as a national
defense policy may require. In some
countries paramilitary forces are
included in a nation's armed forces,
though not considered military. Armed
forces that are not a part of military or
paramilitary organizations, such as
insurgent forces, often mimic military
organizations, or use these structures,
while formal military organization tends
to use hierarchical forms.

Organization chart of the Royal Danish

Army, April 1940
History
The use of formalized ranks in a
hierarchical structure came into
widespread use with the Roman Army.
In modern times, executive control,
management and administration of
military organization is typically
undertaken by governments through a
government department within the
structure of public administration, often
known as a ministry of defence or
department of defense. These in turn
manage military branches that
themselves command formations and
units specialising in combat, combat
support and combat-service support.
Executive control,
management and
administration
The usually civilian or partly civilian
executive control over the national
military organization is exercised in
democracies by an elected political
leader as a member of the government's
cabinet, usually known as a minister of
defence. In presidential systems, such as
the United States, the president is the
commander-in-chief, and the cabinet-
level defense minister is second in
command. Subordinated to that position
are often secretaries for specific major
operational divisions of the armed forces
as a whole, such as those that provide
general support services to the military,
including their dependants.
Then there are the heads of specific
departmental agencies responsible for
the provision and management of
specific skill- and knowledge-based
services such as strategic advice,
capability development assessment, or
military science provision of research,
and design and development of
technologies. Within each departmental
agency will be found administrative
branches responsible for further agency
business specialization work.
Military branches

A mixed aircraft and ship formation

of military vehicles during an
exercise with USN and JASDF
vehicles.

In most countries, the armed forces are

divided into three military branches (also
service, armed service, or military service):
army, navy, and air force.
Many countries have a variation on the
standard model of three basic military
branches. Some nations also organize
their cyber force, emergencies service,
medical service, military logistics, space
force, marines, and special forces such
as commandos or airborne forces as
independent armed services. A nation's
border guard or coast guard may also
be an independent branch of its military,
although in many nations border guard
or coast guard is a civil law enforcement
agency. A number of countries have no
navy, for geographical reasons.
In larger armed forces, the cultures
between the different branches of the
armed forces can be quite different.
Most smaller countries have a single
organization that encompasses all
armed forces employed by the country
in question. Armies of developing
countries tend to consist primarily of
infantry, while developed countries
armies tend to have larger units
manning expensive equipment and only
a fraction of personnel in infantry units.
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.
Internal security forces
Gendarmeries, military police and
security forces, including equivalents
such as paramilitary forces, militia,
internal troops and police tactical unit
similar, are an internal security service
common in most of the world, but
uncommon in countries with English
common law histories where civil police
are employed to enforce the law, and
there are tight restrictions on how the
armed forces may be used to assist.[a]
Commands, formations, and
units
It is common, at least in the European
and North American militaries, to refer to
the building blocks of a military as
commands, formations, and units.
In a military context, a command is a
collection of units and formations under
the control of a single officer, although
during the Second World War a
command was also a name given to a
battle group in the US Army. In general it
is an administrative and executive
strategic headquarters that is
responsible to the national 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 Component, Air
Component, Naval Component, and
Medical Component in the Belgian
Army), but this does not preclude the
existence of commands that are not
service-based.
A formation is defined by the US
Department of Defense as "two or more
aircraft, ships, or units proceeding
together under a commander".[1] Fomin
in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
emphasised its combined-arms nature:
"Formations are those military
organisations which are formed from
different speciality Arms and Services
troop units to create a balanced,
combined combat force. The formations
only differ in their ability to achieve
different scales of application of force to
achieve different strategic, operational
and tactical goals and mission
objectives."[2] It is a composite military
organization that includes a mixture of
integrated and operationally attached
sub-units, and is usually combat-
capable. Example of formations include:
divisions, brigades, battalions, wings,
etc. Formation may also refer to tactical
formation, the physical arrangement or
disposition of troops and weapons.[3]
Examples of formation in such usage
include: pakfront, panzerkeil, testudo
formation, etc.
A typical unit is a homogeneous military
organization (either combat, combat-
support or non-combat in capability)
that includes service personnel
predominantly from a single arm of
service, or a branch of service, and its
administrative and command functions
are self-contained. Any unit subordinate
to another unit is considered its sub-unit
or minor unit. It is not uncommon in the
United States for unit and formation to
be used synonymously. In
Commonwealth practice, formation is
not used for smaller organizations such
as battalions, which are instead called
"units", and their constituent platoons or
companies are referred to as sub-units.
In the Commonwealth, formations are
divisions, brigades, etc.
Different armed forces, and even
different branches of service of the
armed forces, 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 sub-unit.
Table of organization and
equipment
A table of organization and equipment
(TOE or TO&E) is a document published
by the U.S. Army Force Management
Support Agency that prescribes the
organization, manning, and equipage of
units from divisional size and down, but
also including the headquarters of Corps
and Armies.
It also provides information on the
mission and capabilities of a unit as well
as the unit's current status. A general
TOE is applicable to a type of unit (for
instance, infantry) rather than a specific
unit (the 3rd Infantry Division). In this
way, all units of the same branch (such
as infantry) follow the same structural
guidelines.
Modern hierarchy

Army
The following table 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.[4] 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, the modern Corps was first
introduced in France about 1805 by
Napoleon as a more flexible tactical
grouping of two or more divisions during
the Napoleonic Wars.
 NATO Name Nature Strength Constituent units Commander or
Symbol leader
Combatant Command 1,000,000– 4+ army groups OF-10: field
Command[5] or 10,000,000 marshal
equivalent OF-9: general,
region[b][4] army general or
theater colonel general
army group or Command 400,000– 2+ armies OF-10 field
equivalent 1,000,000[4] marshal
front OF-9: general,
army general, or
colonel general
field army Command 100,000– 2–4 corps OF-10: field
200,000 marshal
OF-9: general,
army general, or
colonel general
corps Formation 20,000– 2 - 5 divisions OF-9: general or
45,000[4] army general[c]
OF-8: lieutenant
general, corps
general, or colonel
general[d]
OF-7: major
general[e]
division Formation 10,000– 2–8 brigades or OF-8: lieutenant
15,000[4] regiments general
OF-8 or OF-7:
divisional general
OF-7: major
general or
OF-6: senior
colonel[f]
brigade Formation 3,000– 2+ regiments or OF-7: major
5,000[4] groups, or general
3–8 battalions or OF-7 or OF-6:
equivalent brigade general
OF-6: brigadier,
brigadier
general,senior
colonel
OF-5: colonel
regiment or Unit 1,000–3,000 2+ battalions or OF-5: colonel
group equivalent
battalion or Unit 300–1,000 2–6 sub-unit s OF-4: lieutenant
equivalent (companies or colonel
regiment (some equivalent)
countries for
some arms
only)
squadron (US
Cavalry)
squadron
(some
countries for
aviation)
cohort
company or Unit or 80–250 2–8 platoons or OF-3: major
equivalent Subunit equivalent OF-2: captain
artillery battery OR-9: chief
squadron warrant officer
(some
countries for
some arms
only)
U.S. cavalry
troop
centuria
 staffel[6] or Sub- 50–90 2 platoons/troops OF-2: captain or
echelon[7] subunit or 6–10 sections staff captain
OR-8: warrant
officer or master
warrant officer
platoon or Sub- 20–50 2+ Section, or OF-1: first or
equivalent subunit vehicles second lieutenant
troop (some OR-7: warrant
countries for officer
some arms
only)
section or - 12–24 2–3 squads or 3–6 OR-6: staff
patrol fireteams sergeant
OR-5: sergeant
squad - 6–12 2–3 fireteams or OR-5: sergeant
1+ cell OR-4: corporal
team or crew - 2–4 n/a OR-3: lance
corporal to OR-5:
sergeant
OR-2: 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 and 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. In the
French system (used by many African
countries) the company is divided into
sections (platoons) composed of 3 x
"groupes de combat" of 7 soldiers, plus a
group of vehicle crews and a HQ that
includes 2 x snipers.
Army, army group, region, and theatre
are all large formations that vary
significantly between armed forces in
size and hierarchy position. While
divisions were the traditional level at
which support elements (field artillery,
hospital, logistics and maintenance, etc.)
were added to the unit structure, since
World War II, many brigades now have
such support units, and since the 1980s,
regiments also have been receiving
support elements. A regiment with such
support elements is called a regimental
combat team in US military parlance, or
a battlegroup in the UK and other
forces. Canadian Army doctrine also
includes the combat team which is a
company of infantry augmented with
tanks, or a squadron of tanks
augmented with infantry, or the
combination of a full company of
infantry with a full squadron of tanks.
During World War II the Red Army used
the same basic organizational structure.
However, in the beginning many units
were greatly underpowered and their
size was actually one level below on the
ladder that is 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.[8][9] At the top of the ladder,
what other nations would call an army
group, the Red Army called a front. By
contrast, during the same period the
German Wehrmacht army groups,
particularly on the Eastern Front, such
as Army Group Centre significantly
exceeded the above numbers, and were
more cognate with the Soviet Strategic
Directions.
Navy
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.
Unit Name Vessel types No. of Vessels Officer in command
Combatant All vessels in a navy 2+ Fleets Fleet Admiral, Admiral
Command (US)[5] of the Fleet, Grand
or Navy or Admiral or Admiral
Admiralty
Fleet All vessels in an ocean or 2+ Battle Fleets Admiral or Vice
general region Admiral
Battle Fleet (US, A large number of 2+ Task Forces Vice Admiral
1922-1941) vessels of all types
Task Force or A collection of 2+ Task Groups, Rear Admiral (upper
Carrier strike complementary vessels Divisions or Flotillas half) or Rear Admiral
group (US)
Division or Task Usually capit al ships 2+ large vessels Rear Admiral (lower
Group half), Commodore, or
Division Admiral
Flotilla or Task A small number of 2+ Squadrons Rear Admiral (lower
Group vessels, usually of the half), Commodore, or
same or similar types Flotilla Admiral
Squadron or Task Small vessels A small number of Captain or
Unit vessels, usually of Commander
the same or similar
types
Task Element A single vessel One Captain, Commander,
Lieutenant
Commander or
Lieutenant
The five-star ranks of admiral of the
fleet and fleet admiral have largely been
out of regular use since the 1990s, with
the exception of ceremonial or honorary
appointments. Currently, all major navies
(blue-water and green-water navies) are
commanded by an admiral of either
four-star rank or three-star rank
depending on relative size. Smaller naval
forces, such as the Royal New Zealand
Navy, or those navies that are effectively
coast guards, are commanded by a rear-
admiral (two-star rank), commodore
(one-star rank) or even a captain.
Aircraft carriers are typically
commanded by a captain. Submarines
and destroyers are typically commanded
by a captain or commander. Some
destroyers, particularly smaller
destroyers such as frigates (formerly
known as destroyer escorts) are usually
commanded by officers with the rank of
commander. Corvettes, the smallest
class of warship, are commanded by
officers with the rank of commander or
lieutenant-commander. Auxiliary ships,
including gunboats, minesweepers,
patrol boats, military riverine craft,
tenders and torpedo boats are usually
commanded by lieutenants, sub-
lieutenants or warrant officers. 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.
Historically, 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 (such as tactical and
engineering), each of which has a
number of divisions, followed by work
centers.
Air force
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. The modern Royal Canadian
Air Force uses Air division as the
formation between wings and the entire
air command. Like the RAF, Canadian
wings consist of squadrons.
NATO
Symbol Unit Name
(for Army (USAF/RAF/Other No. of
comparison) air forces) person
Combatant Entire
Command[5] or force
national air force
Major Command / Varies
Command
No USAF Varies
equivalent/Command Regio
or Tactical Air Force Duty
/ Air army[10]
Numbered Air Varies
Force/No RAF Regio
equivalent Duty
No USAF Varies
equivalent/No RAF Regio
equivalent Duty
/Aviation Division /Air
division
Wing/Group (inc. 1,000–
EAGs) 5,000
/Russian aviation
brigade/Air Brigade
Group/wing (inc. 300–
EAWs) or Station 1,000
/Russian aviation
regiment
Squadron 100–3

Flight or flying 20–10

staffel[11]

Staffel[12] or 40–16
echelon[13]
 Section 10–40

Element 8–12

Detail or crew 2–4

Task force
A task force is a unit or formation
created as a temporary grouping for a
specific operational purpose. Aside from
administrative hierarchical forms of
organization that have evolved since the
early 17th century in Europe, fighting
forces have been grouped for specific
operational purposes into mission-
related organizations such as the
German Kampfgruppe or the U.S.
Combat Team (Army) and Task Force
(Navy) during the Second World War, or
the Soviet Operational manoeuvre group
during the Cold War. In the British and
Commonwealth armies the battlegroup
became the usual grouping of
companies during the Second World War
and the Cold War.
Within NATO, a Joint Task Force (JTF)
would be such a temporary grouping
that includes elements from more than
one armed service, a Combined Task
Force (CTF) would be such a temporary
grouping that includes elements from
more than one nation, and a Combined
Joint Task Force (CJTF) would be such a
temporary grouping that includes
elements of more than one armed
service and more than one nation.
See also
Chalk (military)
Command and control
Military administration
Explanatory notes
a. In the United States it is a common
misunderstanding that their armed forces
are totally prohibited from doing so by
the Posse Comitatus Act. The Act, which
reserves to Congress the power to employ
federal military force to enforce law and
order, refers specifically only to the US
Army and US Air Force. The US Marines
and Navy are separately regulated, and
the Coast Guard has a clear law
enforcement role in its peacetime status.
The state-controlled Army National
Guard (technically a branch of the US
Army) is also excluded from the Posse
Comitatus Act. The Insurrection Act
 specifically permits the president to use
federal military force to restore public
order in extreme emergency situations:
the Act was implemented during the
"Rodney King Riots" in Los Angeles.
b. in the US this command is termed an
army region
c. Some countries such as Brazil.
d. Eastern Bloc
e. PLAGF
f. PLAGF
References
1. United States Department of Defense,
DOD Dictionary ([Link]
rine/jel/doddict/data/f/[Link])
 Archived ([Link]
081223235143/[Link]
ne/jel/doddict/data/f/[Link]) 2008-
12-23 at the Wayback Machine
2. Fomin, N. N., Great Soviet Encyclopaedia
(Russian: Большая Советская
Энциклопедия), Moscow, 1978
3. Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
4. "Military Units: Army" ([Link]
[Link]/Multimedia/Experience/Military-Un
its/Army/#:~:text=CORPS,-Commanded%
20By%3A&text=A%20corps%20includes%
20two%20to,operational%20direction%2
0for%20actual%20combat.) . US
Department of Defense. Retrieved
2023-05-18.
5. FM 1-02 Operational Terms and Graphics.
US DoD. 21 September 2004. pp. 5–37.
6. APP-6C NATO Joint Military Symbology.
NATO. May 2011. pp. 2–25.
7. APP-6 Military Symbols for Land Based
Systems. NATO. July 1986. pp. B8.
8. "Доклад НКО август 1939. doklad-nko-
[Link]" ([Link]
t/[Link]) . [Link].
Retrieved 2013-11-20.
 9. Центральный государственный архив
Советской армии (с июня 1992 г.
Российский государственный военный
архив). В двух томах. Том 2.
Путеводитель. 1993 ([Link]
org/web/20150704133759/[Link]
[Link]/browse/[Link]?bid
=121&sid=92105) (in Russian).
[Link]. Archived from the
original ([Link]
wse/[Link]?bid=121&sid=9210
5) on 2015-07-04. Retrieved
2013-11-20.
10. [Link]
Red Army VVS Organisation(rus)
 11. APP-6D NATO Joint Military Symbology.
NATO Standardization Office. October
2017. pp. B-6, B-8.
12. APP-6C NATO Joint Military Symbology.
NATO. May 2011. p. B8.
13. APP-6 Military Symbols for Land Based
Systems. NATO. July 1986. pp. 2–25.

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