Recently reading the headlines about Band of Brothers coming from HBO tho Netflix and it got me thinking:
– how does the US military divide up it’s soldiers? (Eg regiment vs troop vs platoon vs squadron)
– are there different rules for each branch of the military?
– I’ve only ever heard of the 101st airborne division but not other ones… Was there a 100th division? 99th division, etc? Why is the 101st so famous?
In: 642
It is hard to explain the army’s structure in ELI5 format, but in general it goes:
Team –> Squad –> Platoon –> Company (so easy Company, 506th, 101st) –> Regiment/Battalian –> Brigade –> Division –> Corps –> Army.
Air Force would be
Team –> Flight –> Squadron –> Group –> Wing –> Air Division –> Numbered Air Force –> Major Command
Going back to the army, it is helpful to understand who is what. Winters was company commander, as such the ranks from 2LT to Captain (so 01-03) are called ‘company grade officers.’ They are in command of companies and smaller. Above that, when he made major, he was at the battalion level, so many companies that come together to form a cohesive battle ready unit. Those officers are called ‘field grade’, they go from Major to Colonel. A general officer starts at the brigade, as such the first general rank is called ‘*brigadier* general.’
Typically an army division is where we talk about the individual special ability. So the 101s Airborne division contains all of the needs to field the airborne capability in a theatre of battle. They have logistics, medicine, mechanics, trigger pullers, intelligence, etc. Those are divided out into brigades and companies. A company is a group of people that generally do the same thing as far as the mission goes. You won’t have heavy armor guys in a airborne rifle *company*.
It gets more complex, but basically field and general grade officers are able to take units regimental level and above to form a function that they need in order to execute a mission given to them by the President. So, if the President says “Invade Europe”, the officers are able to put together the units at their command to execute that mission. It would include the paratroopers, landing craft, the navy, the army air force, etc. The army is designed to allow this flexibility.
What we learned in WWII was the more flexible you can make your unit down to the company level the better. When we killed a German or Japanese officer, the men below them would lose combat effectiveness. In the allied military, a Seargent would simply pick up the duties as needed, and a corporal would temporarily backfill him.
Now, in NATO land, we are even more integrated. The supreme commander of NATO forces Europe can call on American, Italian, German, French, and English armies, navies, and air forces quickly and effectively. The structure of the army and other branches allows this to happen.
Each branch of the US military has the same set of rules known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice, it is section 10 of the US code. Each branch has their own instructions (that is what they are called) on specific items of military discipline, but they are all broadly similar. Like, an Air Force officer would expect the same courtesy from a Marine Corporal as a Marine officer would. Officers, by the way, are appointed by the President. It is a big deal, they are authorized to order people around, they have legal responsibilities, it is no small thing to be an officer.
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