Battalion
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A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms (e.g. some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead). 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. Battalions are ordinarily homogeneous with respect to type (e.g. an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions.
British Army
The term battalion is used in the infantry, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Intelligence Corps only. 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. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead.
An infantry battalion is numbered ordinally within its regiment (e.g. 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets, usually referred to as 1st Royal Green Jackets). 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 as Second-in-Command (2i/c). The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. 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.
Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:
- Commanding Officer (CO) (invariably a Lieutenant-Colonel)
- Second-in-Command (2i/c) (usually a Major)
- Adjutant (Captain or Major)
- Quartermaster (QM) (Captain or Major)
- Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) (Royal Army Medical Corps Captain or Major)
- Regimental Administrative Officer (RAO) (Adjutant General's Corps Captain or Major)
- Padre (Royal Army Chaplains Department Chaplain 4th or 3rd Class)
- Regimental Intelligence Officer (RIO) (Lieutenant or Captain)
- Regimental Signals Officer (RSO) (Lieutenant or Captain)
- Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) (Warrant Officer Class 1)
- Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS) (Warrant Officer Class 2)
- Chief Clerk
- Drum Major (or Bugle Major in light infantry battalions)
- Pipe Major (in Scots and Irish regiments only)
Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.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. There are two basic types of battalions: Organic and Separate. Organic battalions are part of a regiment, are charged with only tactical functions, and have subordinate units that are organic to the same degree. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.), normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (Battery A, Company B, Troop C, etc.), and depend on the regiment for all administrative functions. Separate battalions are identified by cardinal numbers, are charged with both administrative and tactical functions, and are capable of operating entirely apart from any other unit.
An American 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 1,000 soldiers or Marines. A regiment is made of between one and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions.
From the 1960s onwards, a typical infantry battalion has had five companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), which includes the battalion staff; A, B, and C Companies; and a Combat Support Company, which includes scouts, anti-tank, and mortar sections or platoons.
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).
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), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each. After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions were typically comprised of four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.
See also
da:Bataljon de:Bataillon fa:گردان fr:Bataillon gl:Batallón it:Battaglione nl:Bataljon ja:大隊 no:Bataljon pl:Batalion ru:Батальон sl:Bataljon fi:Pataljoona sv:Bataljon zh:营