Military Lingo....what does the following mean?

[Dennis_dup2]

OK OK i slept through history classes and i am not an army brat...so by nature i dont know what these actually mean. Can someone please enlighten me. What exactly is a: Troop Division Batallion Platoon in reguards to number of men and signifigance in war time. I just want to make sure i understand all the lingo when wolf blitzer tells me this stuff. Thanks for the clarification.

[Botch.]

They're all sizes of groups of Army troops, er, soldiers. A "troop" is one soldier. I can't answer the rest of them, I'm an Air Force weenie; Phil O'Keefe's a Marine and Geenard was Navy, don't know if we have any Army guys on the board or not.

[Jonathan Hughes]

These aren't exact numbers, but it's a start: Division (from dictionary.com): An administrative and tactical military unit that is smaller than a corps but is self-contained and equipped for prolonged combat activity. A group of several ships of similar type forming a tactical unit under a single command in the U.S. Navy. A unit of the U.S. Air Force larger than a wing and smaller than an air force. Two or more brigades under the command of a general officer. (b) Two companies of infantry maneuvering as one subdivision of a battalion. (c) One of the larger districts into which a country is divided for administering military affairs. Battalion (from dictionary.com): In the United States army, since April 29, 1898, a battalion consists of four companies, and three battalions form a regiment. The term is also applied to two or more batteries of artillery combined into a single command. Platoon (from dictionary.com): A subdivision of a company of troops consisting of two or more squads or sections and usually commanded by a lieutenant. Troop: one soldier

[The Thrashole]

I'm not sure about those but my favorites are REMF Charlie-Foxtrot

[joegerardi]

They are differentials of military makeup. A troop is a single soldier A Platoon is generally 4 squads of 8 men, but can also have a headquarters squad and\or a machine gun squad. A Battalion is 3 companies, and a company is 3 Platoons. (Again, with additions as seen fit, such as a headquarters staff, and an artillery squad(s), and an armor squad(s) also.) A Brigade is 3 Battalions. (Plus all of the above additions.) A Division is 3 Brigades. (Plus all of the above additions.) This is mainly a generalization, however. There are heavy Brigades, which can be comprised of up to 8 Battalions, and all of the other categories can be varied too, depending on support personnel. Additionaly, when you get to the Cavalry side of things, Brigades go away, and the word Regiment is substituted, but there are variants here also. My designations above are a general guideline, just to give you an idea. ..Joe

[Dennis_dup2]

Joe, Your Lay terms explination is EXACTLY what i was looking for Thanks!!!You said this: "A Platoon is generally 4 squads of 8 men, but can also have a headquarters squad and\or a machine gun squad." Does that mean a platoon is 8 men TOTAL or 32 men?? The way the news paints "Troops" it sounds like we have the greater population of the US over there....i thought a troop was 100 men or so, silly me! Please explain the Platoon math. Thanks, Dennis

[Jonathan Hughes]

"troop" is one of those weird words that is both singular and plural. But I think it's more common to say "troops" to refer to a bunch of individuals and "troop" to refer to the group even though, technically, each soldier is a troop. And then you've got the word "troupe" which, like "troop," is a group.

[gearmike]

Then what's a Company?

[joegerardi]

[quote]Originally posted by Dennis: [b]Does that mean a platoon is 8 men TOTAL or 32 men??[/b][/quote]32 men. GearMike: A Company is generally 3 Platoons, with a headquarters staff. One other thing: The figures I quote are for US Army Infantry. All the other branches (and even some parts of the Army) have somewhat different numbers and makeup. For example: IIRC, an artillery squad (those men attached to a field piece, - cannon - or "Cannon Cockers," as they are called) is only 4 men.

[BlueSky]

Army Formations • Squad: The smallest groupings in the army structure, squads are made up of 8 to 11 soldiers and are normally led by a sergeant. • Platoon: Usually consisting of two to four squads, platoons are typically led by a lieutenant, with a senior sergeant second in command. • Company (in the infantry), battery (in the artillery) or troop (in the cavalry): The company, battery or troop is made up of three to five platoons and is typically commanded by a captain. It usually has a first lieutenant as the second in command and a first sergeant as the senior non-commissioned officer. • Battalion: The primary combat maneuver element of the Army, the battalion or squadron is composed of four to six companies and is commanded by a lieutenant colonel with a sergeant major as the senior non-commissioned adviser. A major acts as the executive officer and second in command. The battalion is tactically and administratively self-sufficient and can conduct independent operations of a limited scope. An armored or air cavalry unit of similar size to a battalion is called a squadron. • Brigade: The brigade or regiment is made up of two to five battalions under the command of a colonel with a sergeant major as the senior non-commissioned officer. Armored calvary and ranger units of similar size to a brigade are called regiments, while special forces units are known as groups. • Division: Typically made up of three maneuver brigades, as well combat support brigades, they are commanded by a major general. The division performs major tactical operations for the corps and is capable of sustained operations. • Corps: A corps is made of two or more divisions commanded by a lieutenant general. At this level, national intelligence assets are analyzed and command and control of the whole theater operations are coordinated. • Army: Armies can be identified as theater armies, field armies, or army groups.

[Botch.]

"Cannon Cockers" would be a great name for a rock band. :)

[Mats Olsson.]

Anything belongs to either of three definitions: * one * two * many That's all you need to know. /Mats

[Curve Dominant]

[quote][b]• Squad: The smallest groupings in the army structure, squads are made up of 8 to 11 soldiers and are normally led by a sergeant.[/b][/quote]True, although... Air cavalry squads may vary in size of manpower, but in proportion to firepower. Take note the illustration: [img]http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/ah64d003.jpg[/img] AH-64D Apache Longbow firing AGM-114 Hellfire Missile...just one of these squads could take out a platoon, or a small town, or a good portion of a small city. PS to joegerardi: how've you been my brother?

[joegerardi]

[quote]Originally posted by Curve Dominant: [b][QUOTE][b]PS to joegerardi: how've you been my brother?[/b][/quote]Down but not quite out. There was a major tennis tournament here in Savannah this past weekend, and I was the official match starter, aside from playing in it. I had first round byes in both singles and doubles because of my ranking, and I did so much walking starting the early matches that my left knee (which has very severe ostoearthritis) swelled 2-1/2 times its original size with fluid buildup, forcing me to default both my matches with injury retirements, and I could barely walk. But, it IS getting better. Today I was able to forego the brace and ambulate with a little difficulty. I consider that WAY better than taking that needle to drain the fluid. (Any of you that have never had this done, you should go through it once. After that, BELIEVE me, politics and the impending end of the planet seems trivial comparatively!) As to not seeing me post in the political threads (which kind of explains my lack of posting) well, I figure what's the point? I just agree to let everyone disagree, and have their own beliefs, without trying to impose mine on them, and time will let everyone decide who was right or wrong about what's going on. To me, it's not worth making enemies of musicians whose talents I respect over something as silly as politics. ..Joe

[Philip OKeefe]

Blue Sky pretty much nailed it. Marine Corps units are orgainzed in a similar manner, with a few differences. For example, the smallest unit in the USMC is the individual Marine, who is ALWAYS a rifleman. The next largest unit is the "Fire Team". Fire Teams are normally under the command of a Corporal, and consist of four individuals - a automatic rifleman (usually a Lance Corporal), a assistant automatic rifleman (also usually a Lance Corporal), a rifleman (usually a PFC or Private). In addition to their duty as Fire Team Leader, the Corporal leading the team also functions as a rifleman and as a grenadier. A Marine 0311 (infantry) Squad is normally three Fire Teams under a Sergeant. One other thing you're likely to see mentioned in the news is Marine MEU's. A MEU is a Marine Expeditionary Unit. This is a combined arms (air / ground) task force usually consisting of a batallion sized landing force and a composite squadron of support aircraft - usually attack (AH-1W Super Cobras) and transport (CH-46 Sea Knight) helicopters, as well as possible VSTOL aircraft such as the Harrier. MEU's provide major combat punch from a relatively small and readily mobile force. MEU's are normally about 1/9th the size of a Marine Division / Air Wing team. (Edited for embarrasing spelling errors.)

[mars_dup1]

As a matter of interest, in the Gospel of John, in the part dealing with Jesus' arrest, they mention that in addition to the temple guards, the Romans sent a "cohort" of soldiers. A cohort then consisted of 3,500 men - so this was a major military op - not the simple "few soldiers with swords" we see depicted. They were expecting major trouble.