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This article is about a type of military unit. For the Texas A&M student newspaper, see The Battalion
Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols
Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. The Battalion is the student newspaper of Texas A&M University. APP-6A Military Symbols for Land Based Systems is the NATO standard for military map marking symbols A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Several battalions are grouped to form a regiment or a brigade. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is

The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such as a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization.

A battalion is generally the smallest military unit capable of independent operations (i. e. not attached to a higher command), although many armies have smaller units that are self-sustaining. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group or a brigade, depending on the organizational model used by that service. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. An army group is a Military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is The bulk of a battalion will ordinarily be homogeneous with respect to type (e. g. an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions. Every battalion will also include some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company. In the United States Army, Combat Service Support is a military term defined as the essential capabilities functions activities and tasks necessary to sustain all elements A Combat Support Company is a Company -echelon unit which provides combat service support to a Battalion.

The term is Italian in origin, appearing as battaglione. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The French changed the spelling to bataillon, whereupon it directly entered into German. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

Contents

British Army

Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry battalion.
Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry battalion. The North Atlantic Treaty

The term battalion is used in the infantry, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Intelligence Corps only. The British Army 's Infantry comprises 51 Battalions of Infantry, from 19 Regiments Of these 37 battalions are part of the 'Regular' army and the The Royal Army Medical Corps ( RAMC) is a specialist Corps in the British Army which provides Medical services to all British Army The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers ( REME; pronounced phonetically as "Reemee" is a Corps of the British Army that has The Intelligence Corps (also known as Int Corps) is one of the Corps of the British Army. It was formerly used for a few units in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps. The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps ( RAOC) was a former Corps of the British Army. The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks Other corps usually use the term regiment instead. This article is about a military unit For alternative meanings see Corps (disambiguation. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel.

An infantry battalion is numbered ordinally within its regiment (e. g. 1st Battalion, The Rifles, usually referred to as 1st Rifles). For the band The Rifles see The Rifles (band. For the novel by William T It normally has a Headquarters Company, Support Company, and three Rifle Companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C Companies). Each company is commanded by a Major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a Captain or senior Lieutenant as Second-in-Command (2i/c). Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Please see " Captain " for other versions of this rank Captain is a rank in the British armed forces that is used in the Army, Royal Navy Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services For the film see Second in Command. The Second-in-Command ( 2i/c or 2IC) is the deputy commander of any British Army The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. Military communications, or Signals ( not to be confused with military Line of communications (LOC is a field of Military activities tactics Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations In land armies it is a term referring to a military individual or unit who specializes in supplying and provisioning troops Military intelligence (abbreviated MI int Commonwealth, or intel The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information Mechanised units usually have an attached Light Aid Detachment (LAD) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A Light Aid Detachment is a subunit Detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers or Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:

Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies For the film see Second in Command. The Second-in-Command ( 2i/c or 2IC) is the deputy commander of any British Army Adjutant is a military rank or appointment In some armies it is an officer who assists a more senior officer while in other armies it is a rank which normally corresponds Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations In land armies it is a term referring to a military individual or unit who specializes in supplying and provisioning troops The Army Medical Services (AMS is the organisation responsible for administering the four separate units responsible for supplying medical and nursing services in the British Army The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD is an all-officer corps that provides Ordained Clergy to minister to the British Army. Regimental Sergeant Major ( RSM) is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 (WO1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant is a Military rank in some militaries and an appointment in others A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. g. 101 Battalion REME).

United States Army and Marine Corps

In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two or more batteries, companies or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc. ) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (Battery A, Company B, Troop C, etc. ). Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments.

A United States Army battalion includes the battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel), his staff, and headquarters, the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), and usually 3-5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 soldiers. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions.

During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of four companies. That is, companies A, B, C, and D were part of the 1st battalion, companies E, F, G, and H constituted the 2nd battalion, and I, K, L, and M in the 3rd. There was no J company. [The letter J was traditionally not used because in 18th and 19th century old style type the capital letters I and J looked alike and were therefore too easily confused with one another. ] It wasn't uncommon for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, battalions and even companies were moved around as necessary. The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains

From the 1960s through approximately 2005, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion has had four companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) and A, B, and C Companies. In United States Army units a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized Military unit, found at the Battalion level and In addition to the battalion staff, the HHC also included a scout platoon and a mortar platoon.

In this older structure, United States Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, cross-post companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF). Mechanized infantry (or "mech infantry" are Infantry equipped with Armored personnel carriers (APCs or Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs For the computer game see Joint Task Force (computer game. A task force (TF is a temporary unit or formation established to work

Starting in 2005-2006 with Transformation, US Army mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into Combined Arms Battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two armor companies, an engineer company, and a forward support company. This new structure eliminated the need to cross-post (or as it is more commonly referred to, cross-attach) companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each heavy brigade is composed of two CABs, an armored reconnaissance squadron, a fires battalion (field artillery), a special troops battalion (STB), and a brigade support battalion (BSB).

A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant Colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually a major), the Sergeant Major, and the executive staff (S-1 through S-8). A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world The battalion headquarters is supported by a Headquarters and Service Company (Battery). A battalion usually contains 2-5 organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery), and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments - three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments - three to five battalions of artillery; Marine logistics regiments - two or more logistics battalions). In the US Marine Corps the brigade designation is used only in "Marine Expeditionary Brigade" (MEB). A MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an air combat element (a reinforced Marine Air Group), and a service support element (a Marine Logistics group, which includes Naval Construction Force (SEABEEs) and naval medical elements).

In the US Marine Corps an infantry or “rifle” battalion typically consists of a Headquarters and Service Company (H&S Co. ), three rifle, or “line,” companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under WW II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in "reserve" for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed.

United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into Battalion Landing Teams (BLT's) as the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). In the United States Marine Corps, the Ground combat element is the land force of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF A Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU, pronounced M-YOO formerly called Marine Amphibious Unit ( MAU) is the smallest Marine Air-Ground Task Force A Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU, pronounced M-YOO formerly called Marine Amphibious Unit ( MAU) is the smallest Marine Air-Ground Task Force A "standard" Marine infantry battalion is typically reinforced with an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance Marines, and combat engineers. In Military organizations an artillery battery is a unit of Guns mortars or Rockets so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization.

During the American Civil War, an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described above), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 1 - 6 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.

The United States Navy has also had Construction Battalions since World War II. The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Tactical operations

Tank and mechanized infantry battalion task forces apply their combat power to—

Tactical telecommunications

Communications at the tactical level is essential in succeeding in full spectrum operations on the modern battlefield. Tactical communications means the sharing of information between small combat units (typically the squad, platoon, company, and battalion). The efficient sharing of information sharing enables small units to locate and target the enemy quickly and accurately. At the battalion level, the ability to share information links shooters (the fire team leader and his men) and the battalion commander and his staff.

The Army’s maneuver battalions employ wired and wireless systems to communicate tactically and maintain command and control. Typically, wired systems are used in static or defensive positions. Conversely, radio systems are generally used in mobile and offensive operations. Army communications systems at all levels must be secure and have a low probability of intercept and attack.

Prior to the mid-1990s, tactical communications were normally transmitted "in the clear. " Communications security was achieved by applying the standards of brevity and a signal operating instruction. The signal operating instructions (SOI) was a manual carried by leaders and radio operators that standardized small unit frequencies, call-signs, and code-words (for rudimentary encryption). Signal operating instructions (SOI is a US military term for a type of combat order issued for the technical control and coordination of communications within a command Units maintained 2 copies of the SOI: a training version and a "go-to-war" version. Since the fielding of the SINCGARS system, however, the SOI has generally faded from Army use.

The following is a brief overview of systems currently available to the typical Army maneuver battalion:

TA-1 field telephone

The TA-1 is a lightweight, sound powered field telephone and does not require batteries. The user signals by squeezing a pump button on the handset which generates signaling current. The TA-1 is a half duplex (push to talk, release to listen) system. Signal (65-80Vac @ 20 Hz) and voice transmission (300-4000 Hz) range is approximately 4 miles (6 km) with WD-1/TT wire. This phone is intended to be used in a field wire network connected directly to other phones or through a battery powered switchboard.

TA-312 field telephone

The TA-312 field telephone can be used in a point-to-point wire system or in any two-wire ring-down subscriber position of a telephone communications system. The TA-1 is a half duplex (push to talk, release to listen) system. Can be used in common battery, local battery, or common-battery signaling operation modes. Signal (90-100Vac @ 20 Hz) and voice transmission (300-3200 Hz) range is approximately 22 miles (35 km) with WD-1/TT wire. Requires two BA-30 batteries or an external 3Vdc power source.

AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR)

Replaces the AN/PRC-126 and ICOM squad radios and gives small unit leaders (team, squad, and platoon leaders) ability to communicate securely (via frequency hopping and encryption) with larger, primarily vehicle mounted systems (SINCGARS platforms). The MBITR, at 30. 6 oz, is a compact, lightweight, hand-held radio. The MBITR operates between 30-512 MHz.

After the fielding of the SINCGARS but prior to the arrival of the MBITR, communications at platoon level and below were generally unsecure. Therefore, brevity and codewords (signaling operating instruction or SOI) were employed to deter the enemy’s ability to eavesdrop and triangulate. With the arrival of the MBITR, a dismounted platoon leader was now able to securely communicate with both his company commander and his squad leaders.

Single Channel Ground Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)

Currently, the Single Channel Ground Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is the cornerstone of Army battalion and below (platoon and company) tactical communications infrastructure. SINCGARS ( Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) is a Combat Net Radio (CNR currently used by U Prior to the fielding of the MBITR, the AN/PRC-119F was the smallest frequency hopping radio available to the Army maneuver battalion. The SINCGARS radio set is capable of operating either in single channel or frequency hopping mode. The latest version of this radio in use by the Army is the Advanced Lightweight SINCGARS SIP (ASIP) RT-1523(E). The SINCGARS system of radios is highly modular and can be configured in many different ways: AN/PRC-119F (manpack), AN/VRC-89 (one short range, one long range radio), AN/VRC-92 (dual long range radios), and many others.

The ASIP version of the venerable SINCGARS radio contains several major improvements. The most significant of these improvements is the reduction in size and weight, both extremely important characteristics at the small unit level. The ASIP radio is a 50% smaller and 33% lighter version (9 lb with battery, handset, and antenna) of its predecessor.

SINGCARS systems are used in the maneuver battalion’s combat vehicles including the HMMWV, M1A2SEP tank, and Bradley Fighting Vehicle variants. SINCGARS radios use frequency modulation in the VHF band (30 to 87. 975 MHz). The SINCGARS radio is capable of both voice and data transmission (up to 16kbit/s). Voice transmission range varies between 0 and 40 km depending on power source and amplification.

Headquarters personnel

The commanding officer of a battalion is usually a lieutenant colonel, although a major can be selected for battalion command in lieu of an available lieutenant colonel. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country A typical tour of duty for this assignment is twenty-four to thirty-six months.

A battalion command is the first unit command position at which the commanding officer is given an appreciably sized headquarters and staff to assist him or her in commanding the battalion and its subordinate company units. A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary The typical staff usually includes:

In addition, the headquarters will include non-commissioned officers and enlisted support personnel in the occupational specialties of the staff sections; these personnel will ordinarily be assigned to the battalion's headquarters and headquarters company. While executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an Organization, the exact meaning of the role is variable A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commander and subordinate units A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commander and subordinate units Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG, can refer to the judicial arm of any of the United States Armed Forces including the Air Force A chaplain is typically a Priest, Pastor, ordained Deacon, Rabbi, Imam or other member of the Clergy serving a group of A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force An enlisted rank in the Military of the United States is any rank below a commissioned officer. In United States Army units a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized Military unit, found at the Battalion level and

References

External links

See also

March battalion ( French Bataillon de Marche, Polish Batalion marszowy, German Marschbatallion) is a Battalion A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy

Dictionary

battalion

-noun

  1. An army unit having two or more companies etc. and a headquarters.
  2. Any large body of troops.
  3. (by extension) A great number of things.
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