How many people does a regiment consist of? Hierarchy of military formations

Hierarchy and number of military formations.
Finally, the Combat Charter of the Ground Forces comes into force. You can more or less decide on the hierarchy, although I only got acquainted with two parts.
In general, I am often asked questions like “how many people are in the division”, “how many people are in the brigade”. Well, it's impossible to answer this question. Because I can give an answer, say, about a tank regiment, but they were interested in cavalry in general, and even in the 40th year. The fact is that the very name “detachment”, “platoon”, “company” does not depend on the strength, but, firstly, on the type of troops, and, secondly, on the tactical tasks that are assigned to the formation of this type.

And so, the smallest formation:
"Squad" (calculation for artillery, Crew for tankers).
The squad is commanded by a sergeant (junior sergeant) armed with an AK74
The motorized rifle squad consists of 9 ... 13 people (in addition to the squad leader: grenade launcher, private with RPG-7, PM; gunner-assistant grenade launcher, private with AK74; machine gunner, private with RPK74; senior shooter, corporal with AK74; 3 ... 5 shooters, privates with AK74; BMP driver mechanic and gunner-operator \ BMP machine gunner \ BMP).
The department is named after its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications)
Motorized rifle department:
Defense up to 100m,
Advance up to 50m

"Platoon"
Several squads make up a platoon (from 2 to 4).
The platoon is commanded by an officer - lieutenant, Art. lieutenant.
The number of 9 ... 45 people.
The platoon is named after its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications)
Motorized rifle platoon:
Defense 400 m along the front, 300 m in depth.
Offensive up to 200 ... 300 meters

"Company" (battery for artillery and squadron for cavalry)
Several platoons make up a company (from 2 to 4). In addition to platoons, a company may include squads that are not part of platoons.
A company is a formation that can perform independent tasks on the battlefield.
The company commander is a captain.
Number from 18 to 200 people (motorized rifle companies 130 ... 150 people; tank companies 30 ... 35 people)
The company is named after its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications)
Motor rifle company:
Defense 1 ... 1.5 km along the front to 1 km in depth
Offensive: 0.5 ... 1 km

Battalion. (Division for artillery.)
Several companies make up a battalion (from 2 to 4), the battalion also includes platoons that are not part of the company.
The battalion is named after its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications). But the battalion includes formations of other types of weapons (For example, in a motorized rifle battalion, in addition to motorized rifle companies, there is a mortar battery, a material support platoon, and a communications platoon.)
The battalion commander is a lieutenant colonel.
The battalion has its own headquarters.
The number of 250 ... 950 people (theoretically, the number of the battalion is possible and less).
Motorized rifle battalion:
Defense 3 ... 5 km along the front and 2 ... 2.5 km in depth
Offensive 1…2 km

Regiment.
The regiment is named after the type of troops, but has units from many branches of the military. Consists of at least 3…4 battalions. (2 ... 3 battalions of the armed forces)
The regimental commander is a colonel.
(For example, in a motorized rifle regiment there are 2 ... 3 motorized rifle battalions, one tank battalion, one artillery battalion (battalion), one anti-aircraft missile battalion, reconnaissance company, engineer company, communications company, anti-tank battery, chemical protection platoon, repair company, logistics company, orchestra, medical center)
The number of personnel of the regiment is from 900 ... 2000 people.

Brigade.
Intermediate element (so to speak) from the regiment to the division.
The main difference from the regiment is a larger number of both battalions and other units. (Let's say there are two tank battalions in the MTB) A brigade can also consist of 2 regiments.
Brigade Commander - Colonel
Number of 2000…8000 people

Division.
Although it is named after the type of predominant troops, in fact, the predominance can differ by only one regiment (say, in a motorized rifle division by two motorized rifle regiments, in a tank division, on the contrary, by two tank regiments, one motorized rifle)
Division Commander - Major General
Number of staff from 12000…24000 people

Frame.
Intermediate military formation from division to army.
The corps is a combined arms formation.
The corps was usually created in those cases when the formation of an army was impractical.
After completing the combat mission, the corps was disbanded.
Corps Commander: Lieutenant General
Now there are 7 Corps in Russia (data on commanders could be outdated):
- 57th Army Corps (Ulan-Ude) (Major General Alexander Maslov)
- 68th Army Corps (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) (Lieutenant General Vladimir Varennikov)
- 1st Air Defense Corps (Balashikha, Moscow region) (Lieutenant General Nikolai Dubovikov)
- 23rd Air Defense Corps (Vladivostok, Primorsky Territory) (Major General Viktor Ostashko)
- 21st Air Defense Corps (Severomorsk, Murmansk region) (Lieutenant General Sergey Razygraev)
- 16th operational submarine squadron (Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatka region) (Vice Admiral Alexander Neshcheret)
- 7th operational squadron of surface ships (Severomorsk, Murmansk region) (Vice Admiral Gennady Radzevsky)

Army.
In this case, the army as a military formation.
The army is a large military formation for operational purposes. The army includes divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops.
An army may also include one or more corps.
Staff rank com. Army - Colonel General.
Armies are usually not formed in peacetime and regiments, divisions and battalions are part of the District.
Now there are 30 armies in Russia:
- 37th Air Army ( strategic purpose) of the Supreme High Command (Moscow).
Lieutenant General Mikhail Oparin
- 61st Air Army (military transport aviation) of the Supreme High Command (Moscow),
Lieutenant General Viktor Denisov

27th Guards Rocket Army (Vladimir),
Lieutenant General Viktor Alekseev
- 31st Rocket Army (Orenburg),
Lieutenant General Anatoly Borzenkov
- 33rd Guards Rocket Army (Omsk)
Lieutenant General Alexander Konarev
- 53rd Rocket Army (Chita).
Lieutenant General Leonid Sinyakovich

3rd separate army of rocket and space defense (Solnechnogorsk, Moscow region).
Major General Sergei Kurushkin

2nd Guards Combined Arms Army (Samara).
Major General Alexei Verbitsky
- 5th Combined Arms Army (Ussuriysk, Primorsky Territory).
Major General Alexander Stolyarov
- 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (Voronezh).
Lieutenant General Sergei Makarov
- 22nd Guards Combined Arms Army (Nizhny Novgorod).
Lieutenant General Alexei Merkuriev
- 35th Combined Arms Army (Belogorsk, Amur Region).
Lieutenant General Alexander Kutikov
- 41st combined arms army (Borzya, Chita region).
Lieutenant General Khakim Mirzazyanov
- 41st Combined Arms Army (Novosibirsk).
Major General Vladimir Kovrov
- 58th Combined Arms Army (Vladikavkaz).
Lieutenant General Valery Gerasimov

Group of Russian troops in Transcaucasia.
Lieutenant General Nikolai Zolotov
- Operational group of Russian troops in Transnistria (Tiraspol).
Major General Boris Sergeev

4th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Rostov-on-Don).
Lieutenant General Alexander Zelin

5th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Yekaterinburg).
Lieutenant General Evgeny Yuriev
- 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army (St. Petersburg).
Lieutenant General Evgeny Torbov
- 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Khabarovsk).
Lieutenant General Igor Sadofiev
- 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Novosibirsk).
Lieutenant General Nikolai Danilov

16th Air Army (Kubinka, Moscow region).
Lieutenant General Valery Retunsky

1st submarine flotilla (Zaozersk, Murmansk region)
Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev
- 3rd submarine flotilla (Gadzhiyevo, Murmansk region).
Vice Admiral Sergei Simonenko

Kola flotilla of heterogeneous forces (Polyarny, Murmansk region).
Vice Admiral Nikolai Osokin
- Primorsky flotilla of diverse forces (Fokino, Primorsky Krai).
Vice Admiral Yevgeny Litvinenko
- Kamchatka flotilla of diverse forces (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky).
Vice Admiral Yuri Shumanin

Caspian flotilla (Astrakhan).
Rear Admiral Kravchuk Viktor Petrovich (since 2005)

Troops and forces of the North-Eastern Direction of the Pacific Fleet (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky).
Rear Admiral Viktor Chirkov (?)

County (in war time Front)
The highest military formation.
The front includes several armies, corps, divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops. Fronts are never subdivided according to the types of troops
At the head of the front (district) is the commander of the front (district) with the rank of army general
Russia now has 6 military districts, 4 military fleets (data as of May 2007).
-Moscow Military District
Army General Bakin Vladimir Yurievich
- Leningrad Military District
Army General Puzanov Igor Evgenievich
- Volga-Urals Military District
Army General Boldyrev Vladimir Anatolyevich
- North Caucasian Military District
Army General Baranov Alexander Ivanovich
- Siberian Military District
Colonel General POSTNIKOV Alexander Nikolaevich
- Far Eastern Military District
Colonel General Vladimir Bulgakov

Northern Fleet
Admiral Vysotsky Vladimir Sergeevich
- Pacific Fleet
Admiral Fedorov Victor Dmitrievich
- Black Sea Fleet
Admiral Tatarinov Alexander
- Baltic Fleet
Vice Admiral Sidenko Konstantin Semenovich

In addition, there is:
Subdivision.
These are all military formations that are part of the unit. Squad, platoon, company, battalion - they are all combined in one word "unit". The word comes from the concept of division, divide. Those. part is divided into divisions.

Part.
The main unit of the Armed Forces. Most often, a unit is understood as a regiment or brigade.
For part characteristic:
- own office work,
- military economy,
- having a bank account,
- postal and telegraphic address,
- the presence of its own official seal,
- Commander's right to issue written orders,
- the presence of open (for example, 44 training tank division) and closed (military unit 08728) combined arms numbers.
The presence of the Battle Banner for the part is optional.
In addition to the regiment and brigade, division headquarters, corps headquarters, army headquarters, district headquarters, as well as other military organizations (military department, army hospital, garrison clinic, district food depot, district song and dance ensemble, garrison house of officers, garrison household complex services, central school of junior specialists, military school, military institute, etc.)
In some cases, a Unit may be a unit other than a regiment or brigade. Battalion, Company and even a platoon. Such parts are referred to by the word "separate" before the name.

Compound.
United units: Division. Less often, Brigade.

Union.
Unification is a term that unites a corps, an army, an army group and a front (district).

I'm still working on the text.

Very often in feature films and literary works on military subjects, terms such as company, battalion, regiment are used. The number of formations is not indicated by the author. Military people, of course, are aware of this issue, as well as many others related to the army.

This article is addressed to those who are far from the army, but still want to navigate the military hierarchy and know what a squad, company, battalion, division is. The number, structure and tasks of these formations are described in the article.

Smallest Formation

A subdivision, or department, is the smallest unit in the hierarchy of the Soviet Armed Forces, and later Russian army. This formation is homogeneous in composition, that is, it consists of either infantrymen or cavalrymen, etc. When performing combat missions, the unit acts as a single unit. This formation is led by a full-time commander with the rank of junior sergeant or sergeant. Among the military, the term "dresser" is used, which means "squad leader" for short. Depending on the type of troops, units are called differently. For artillery, the term "calculation" is used, and for tank troops"crew".

The composition of the division

As part of this formation, the service is from 5 to 10 people. However, a motorized rifle squad consists of 10-13 soldiers. Unlike the Russian army, in the United States, a group is considered the smallest army formation. The unit itself in the US consists of two groups.

Platoon

In the Russian Armed Forces, a platoon consists of three to four squads. It is possible that there are more of them. The number of personnel is 45 people. The leadership of this military formation is carried out by a junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant.

Company

This army formation consists of 2-4 platoons. A company may also include independent squads that do not belong to any platoon. For example, a motorized rifle company may consist of three motorized rifle platoons, machine gun and anti-tank squads. The command of this army formation is carried out by a commander with the rank of captain. The strength of a battalion company is from 20 to 200 people. The number of military personnel depends on the type of troops. Thus, in a tank company, the smallest number of servicemen was noted: from 31 to 41. In a motorized rifle company, from 130 to 150 servicemen. In the landing - 80 soldiers.

A company is the smallest military formation of tactical importance. This means that company soldiers can perform small tactical tasks on the battlefield on their own. In this case, the company is not part of the battalion, but acts as a separate and autonomous formation. In some branches of the military, the term "company" is not used, but replaced by similar military formations. For example, cavalry is equipped with squadrons of one hundred people each, artillery with batteries, border troops with outposts, aviation with units.

Battalion

The number of this military formation depends on the type of troops. Often the number of servicemen in this case ranges from 250 to a thousand soldiers. There are battalions of up to a hundred soldiers. Such a formation is completed with 2-4 companies or platoons acting independently. Due to their significant numbers, battalions are used as the main tactical formations. It is commanded by an officer with the rank not lower than lieutenant colonel. The commander is also called "battalion commander". The activities of the battalion are coordinated at the command headquarters. Depending on the type of troops using one or another weapon, a battalion can be tank, motorized rifle, engineering, communications, etc. Motorized rifle battalion of 530 people (on the BTR-80) may include:

  • motorized rifle companies, - a mortar battery;
  • material support platoon;
  • communications platoon.

Regiments are formed from battalions. In artillery, the concept of a battalion is not used. There it was replaced by similar formations - divisions.

The smallest tactical unit of the armored forces

TB (tank battalion) is a separate unit at the headquarters of the army or corps. Organizationally, a tank battalion is not included in tank or motorized rifle regiments.

Since the TB itself does not need to increase its firepower, it does not contain mortar batteries, anti-tank and grenade launcher platoons. TB can be reinforced by an anti-aircraft missile platoon. 213 soldiers - this is the size of the battalion.

Regiment

In the Soviet and Russian army, the word "regiment" was considered the key. This is due to the fact that the regiments are tactical and autonomous formations. The command is carried out by a colonel. Despite the fact that regiments are named according to the types of troops (tank, motorized rifle, etc.), they may include various units. The name of the regiment is determined by the name of the predominant formation. An example would be a motorized rifle regiment, consisting of three motorized rifle battalions and one tank battalion. In addition, the motorized rifle battalion is equipped with an anti-aircraft missile battalion, as well as companies:

  • communications;
  • intelligence;
  • engineer-sapper;
  • repair;
  • material support.

In addition, there is an orchestra and a medical center. The personnel of the regiment does not exceed two thousand people. In artillery regiments, in contrast to similar formations in other branches of the armed forces, the number of servicemen is smaller. The number of soldiers depends on how many divisions the regiment consists of. If there are three of them, then the number of military personnel of the regiment is up to 1200 people. If there are four divisions, then the personnel of the regiment has 1,500 soldiers. Thus, the strength of a battalion of a regiment of a division cannot be less than 400 people.

brigade

Just like the regiment, the brigade belongs to the main tactical formations. However, the number of personnel in the brigade is higher: from 2 to 8 thousand soldiers. In a motorized rifle brigade of motorized rifle and tank battalions, the number of servicemen is twice as large as in a regiment. The brigades include two regiments, several battalions and auxiliary companies. The brigade is commanded by an officer with the rank of colonel.

The structure and strength of the division

The division is the main operational-tactical formation, completed from various units. Just like a regiment, a division is named after its predominant branch of service. The structure of a motorized rifle division is identical to that of a tank division. The difference between them lies in the fact that a motorized rifle division is formed from three motorized rifle regiments and one tank regiment, and a tank division - from three tank regiments and one motorized rifle. The division is also equipped with:

  • two artillery regiments;
  • one anti-aircraft missile regiment;
  • jet division;
  • missile division;
  • helicopter squadron;
  • one company of chemical protection and several auxiliary ones;
  • reconnaissance, repair and restoration, medical and sanitary, engineering and sapper battalions;
  • one battalion of electronic warfare.

In each division, under the command of a major general, from 12 to 24 thousand people are serving.

What is a corpus?

The army corps is a combined arms formation. There is no predominance of one division or another in a tank, artillery, or any other type of corps. There is no single structure in the formation of corps. Their formation is largely influenced by the military-political situation. The corps is an intermediate link between such military formations as a division and an army. Corps are being formed where it is impractical to create an army.

Army

The term "army" is used in the following meanings:

  • the armed forces of the country as a whole;
  • large military formation of operational purpose.

An army usually consists of one or more corps. It is difficult to indicate the exact number of servicemen in the army, as well as in the corps themselves, since each of these formations differs in its own structure and strength.

Conclusion

Military affairs are developing and improving every year, enriched with new technologies and types of troops, due to which, in the near future, as the military believes, the way wars are waged can be radically changed. And this, in turn, will entail an adjustment in the number of personnel of many military formations.

The number of soldiers in various military units may be of interest as people who are fond of military theme, and a simple layman who has wide range interests. It will not be superfluous to have such information for the purpose of self-education, because it is knowledge in various fields that forms a modern erudite person. How many people are in the company and other army units will be discussed below.

A company, platoon, battalion, regiment, division - all these are military units that are characterized by a certain number of people. The number of soldiers in each of the detachments is determined by military needs and is strictly fixed. For armies different countries such data may be different, as well as in the formation of special forces units.

Number of people in military units


On average, the size of a company can be from 45 to 360 people, motorized rifle companies usually have about 130-150 people, tank companies 30-35 people

Consider how many people there are in military units:

  • How many people are in the department? Usually it includes 5-10 people. The squad leader is the commander. Most often, this position is a sergeant's, because the chest of drawers (short for the phrase "squad leader") is most often a junior sergeant or sergeant.
  • How many people are in a platoon? Usually it has 3-6 branches. The average number of people is from 15 to 60. The head of the platoon is the platoon leader, and this position is an officer's. Thus, the commander can be a maximum - a captain, a minimum - a lieutenant.
  • How many people are in the company? Usually there are 45-360 people in a company, that is, from 3 to 6 platoons. The commander is at the head of the company. This position is a major. In fact, a captain or senior lieutenant is most often appointed to command a company.

Note. In army circles, a company commander is called a company commander.

  • How many people are in a battalion? In addition to 3 or 4 companies, this unit may include a headquarters and individual specialists, such as snipers, a signalman, a gunsmith, etc. In some cases, the battalion may have its own mortar platoon, tank destroyers and air defense. As a rule, this unit includes up to 500 people. The minimum number of soldiers in a battalion is 145. This unit is commanded by a battalion commander or battalion commander for short.

Lieutenant colonels initially became battalion commanders. However, today, given the shortage of personnel, a captain or a major can act as a commander, who in the near future will have the position of lieutenant colonel.


On average, the division has 5,000 - 22,000 personnel
  • How many people are in the regiment? The regiment unites from 3 to 6 battalions and can include up to 2500 people, and sometimes more. In addition to ordinary soldiers, the regiment may assume the presence of air defense, PTB, regimental artillery and headquarters. A colonel is appointed as the commander of the regiment. This position may also be held by a Lieutenant Colonel.
  • How many people are in the brigade? This unit combines several battalions, sometimes up to three regiments. The number of people in a brigade should not exceed 4,000. The commander is a colonel, who is most often called a brigade commander.
  • How many people are in the division? Several regiments, including tank and artillery. Sometimes the rear service and aviation are added to their number. The division commander is a major general or colonel. These units can have a different number of soldiers, ranging from 5,000 to 22,000 people.
  • How many people are in the corps? The corps unites several divisions with a total number of soldiers up to 100,000 people. The major general acts as the commander of the corps.
  • How many people are in the army? This unit can contain up to 10 divisions of troops of various kinds, repair shops and rear units. The size of the army can vary significantly, reaching 1 million people. The commander of this unit is a lieutenant general or major general.
  • Front. In peacetime, it is a military district. In this case, it is quite difficult to name the approximate number of soldiers. The numbers vary depending on the military doctrine, region, political situation, etc.

The front is a self-sufficient structure that includes warehouses, reserves, training units, etc. The front may have its own military school. This unit is commanded by an army general or lieutenant general, who holds the position of front commander.

The composition of the front can vary significantly depending on what tasks were set and what the situation in a particular region is. Most often, the front includes the following units:

  • control;
  • 5 or 6 armies;
  • 1-2 missile armies;
  • tank army (possibly two);
  • air defense army;
  • air force;
  • separate formations, including special troops and troops various kinds;
  • units, formations and institutions of the operational rear.

Units and formations of other branches of the armed forces may be used to reinforce the front. It is possible to join the reserve of the Supreme High Command to this unit. In this case, the number of soldiers increases significantly.

Other useful tactical terms


Squad, platoon, company, battalion - they are all combined in one word "unit"

Starting to talk about the number of people in military units, you should consider a few terms, which are also called military units.

The rules regarding the creation of units in the armies of the Russian Federation may depend on the characteristics of a particular region. For example, in the presence of a particularly dangerous situation, the number of people in the detachment can be increased. Also, if necessary, it is possible to add special forces to the unit, which are necessary for the quick resolution of a particular situation.

In addition to the above terms, there are others that are also used in the modern army and relate to this topic. Such knowledge will also be useful to a person interested in military terminology. Let's consider them in more detail:

  • Subdivision. This term refers to all military formations that are part of the unit. A company, platoon, battalion or squad are all subdivisions characterized by a different composition. In this way, military unit is divided into divisions.
  • Part. This is the main unit of the Armed Forces. This term most often implies a brigade and a regiment. External signs parts - this is the presence of its own military economy, office work, bank account, telegraph and postal address, official seal, open and closed combined arms numbers, as well as the commander's right to give orders in writing. Thus, the part is characterized by the presence of a certain autonomy.

Military and military units are not the same thing at all. For example, if we are talking about a military unit, then we are talking about a general designation. But when the conversation turns to a specific brigade or regiment, it would be correct to use the term "military unit". As a rule, her number is mentioned after that. For example, military unit 45678. You can also use the abbreviation - military unit 45678.

  • Union. This term refers to a unit that includes an army, corps, front, army group. The headquarters of the association is a part to which various formations and units are subordinate.
  • Compound. Only a division is suitable for this term, since the word itself suggests the connection of parts. The divisional headquarters has the status of a unit to which the regiments are subordinate. All this together is a division. But in some cases, the status of a formation can be assigned to a brigade, for example, if it includes separate companies and battalions, each of which is assigned the status of a unit.

All the grouping and specific concepts used in the modern military hierarchy of the ground forces have been described above. The fleet and aviation have their own military formations, different from those described above. However, the basic terms remain unchanged. Thus, there is nothing complicated here, and to understand the features army hierarchy anyone can.

For many civilians, such words as squad, platoon, company, regiment and others are known. However, most of them never thought about the difference, for example, between a squad and a regiment, and a platoon from a company. In fact, the structure of military units is formed based on the number of military personnel. In this article, we will look at the size of each military unit and deal with the structure of military formations in detail.

Brief description of units and number of troops

In order to clearly control the personnel of military personnel, military units have a certain structure, each link of which has its own commander or chief. Each unit has a different number of military personnel, and is part of a larger unit (a squad is part of a platoon, a platoon is part of a company, etc.). The smallest unit is the department, it includes from four to ten people, and the largest formation is the front (district), the number of which is difficult to name, since it depends on a number of factors. To have a clearer idea of ​​the size of a military unit, it is necessary to consider each of them, which we will do next.

What is a branch and how many people are in it

As noted above, the smallest military unit is the squad, which is directly part of the platoon. The squad leader is the direct head of the squad's personnel. In military jargon, it is abbreviated as "Chest of drawers". Most often, the squad leader has the rank of junior sergeant or sergeant, and the squad itself may consist of ordinary soldiers and corporals. Depending on the type of troops, a different number of people can be in the department. Interestingly, the equivalent of a squad in tank divisions is the tank crew, and in artillery divisions - crew. The picture below shows a few examples of the differences between squad, crew and calculation

The picture shows a motorized rifle squad, but in fact there are various squads in the battalions, for example: the control squad of the battalion commander (4 people), the reconnaissance squad of the control platoon (4 people), the weapons repair squad of the repair platoon (3 people), the communications squad (8 people) and others.

What is a platoon and how many people are in it

The next largest number of personnel is a platoon. Most often it includes from three to six departments, respectively, its number varies from fifteen to sixty people. As a rule, a platoon is commanded by a junior officer - a junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant.
On the infographic you can see examples of motorized rifle and tank platoons, as well as a firing platoon of a mortar battery


Thus, we see that a motorized rifle platoon consists of a platoon control (platoon commander and deputy) and 3 squads (we considered the composition of the squads above in the picture). That is, only 29 people.
A tank platoon consists of 3 tank crews. It is important that the commander of a tank platoon is also the commander of the first tank, so there are only 9 people in a tank platoon.
A fire platoon consists of 3-4 crews, each squad consists of 7 people, so the number of platoons is 21-28 people.

Also, in addition to the units presented in the example, there are many more different platoons in various brigades and regiments. Here are just a few of them as an example:

  • Control Platoon
  • communications platoon
  • Reconnaissance Platoon
  • Engineer Platoon
  • grenade launcher platoon
  • logistics platoon
  • medical platoon
  • Anti-aircraft missile platoon
  • Repair platoon, etc.

Company and the number of people in it

The third largest military formation is the company. Depending on the type of troops, the size of a company can be from 30 to 150 soldiers, who are part of 2-4 platoons. Yes, the number tank company is 31 - 40 people, and the number of servicemen of a motorized rifle company ranges from 150 people. The company is also a formation of tactical importance, which means that the military personnel who are part of the company, in the event of combat operations, can perform tactical tasks on their own, without being part of the battalion. Often a company is commanded by an officer with the rank of captain, and only in some units this position is occupied by a major. Also, depending on the type of troops, the company may have a different name. For example, an artillery company is called a battery, an aviation company is called an aviation unit, and there was also a cavalry company, which was called a squadron.

In the example, we have a tank and motorized rifle company, as well as a mortar battery

Battalion and the number of soldiers in it

As in other military units, the size of the battalion depends on the type of troops. The battalion consists of 2 - 4 companies, and has from 250 to 1000 people. As you can see, this military unit already has a fairly impressive number, and therefore it is considered the main tactical formation capable of acting independently.

Many have heard the song of the Lyube group called "Combat", but not everyone knows what it means. So, the battalion is commanded by the battalion commander, which is abbreviated as "battalion commander", in whose honor this composition of the same name was written. The battalion commander is the position of a lieutenant colonel, but most often the battalion commanders are captains and majors, who have the opportunity to curry favor in their rank and receive the stars of a lieutenant colonel.

The activities of the battalion are coordinated at the battalion headquarters. Just like a company, a battalion, depending on the type of troops, may be called differently. For example, in the artillery and anti-aircraft missile forces they are called divisions (artillery division, air defense division).

In battalions and divisions, there are many more specific units that were mentioned above. Therefore, we will present the structure in the form of separate infographics



The regiment and its composition

The regiment consists of three to six battalions. The number of the regiment does not exceed two thousand people. By itself, the regiment is directly a key tactical formation, which is completely autonomous. To command such a formation, one must have the rank of colonel, but in practice lieutenant colonels are more often placed as regimental commanders. A regiment may contain several different units. For example, if there are three tank battalions and one motorized rifle battalion in the regiment, then the regiment will have the name tank. Also, depending on the type of troops, the regiment can perform different tasks: combined arms, anti-aircraft, rear.

There are also more numerous units that were heard by civilians much less often than the above formations. We will try to briefly talk about them in the next part of the article.

Brigade, division, corps, army, front

After the regiment, the brigade is next in size, which usually has from two to eight thousand military personnel. The brigade includes several battalions (divisions), several auxiliary companies, and sometimes two or even three regiments. The brigade commander (abbreviated as brigade commander) is an officer with the rank of colonel.

The main operational-tactical formation is a division. It includes several regiments, as well as many auxiliary units of various types of troops. The command of the division is allowed to the highest officers with the rank of major general and above, since the number of the division is an impressive 12-24 thousand people.

Another military formation is the army corps. It is formed from several divisions, which can reach one hundred thousand people. There is no predominance of any kind of military service in the creation of an army corps, since it is a combined arms formation. A corps commander may be a senior military officer - a major general and above.

The army as a military unit consists of several corps. The exact number of military personnel can range from two hundred thousand to a million, depending on the structure. The army is commanded by a major general or a lieutenant general.

The front, and in peacetime the military district, is the largest unit of all existing in armed forces. It is very difficult to name its number, since it can vary depending on the political situation, military doctrine, region, etc. The position of front commander can be occupied by a lieutenant general or an army general.

General principles for the formation of the number of units

From the above, you can build a kind of chain that will help to finally clarify general principles formation of the number of units:

  • 5 - 10 people form a branch;
  • 3 - 6 squads form a platoon;
  • 3 - 6 platoons create a company;
  • 3 - 4 companies form a battalion;
  • 3 - 6 battalions create a regiment;
  • 2 - 3 battalions form a brigade;
  • several brigades and support units form a division;
  • 3 - 4 divisions create an army corps;
  • 2 – 10 divisions are capable of forming an army

You also need to remember that the number of military units may depend directly on the type of troops. For example, tank units are always significantly inferior in number to motorized rifle units.

Other tactical terms

In addition to the above terms of the number of military units, the following concepts can also be distinguished:

  1. Subdivision - all military formations that are part of the unit. In other words, such military terms as squad, platoon, company, etc., can be expressed by the word "unit".
  2. The military unit is the main independent unit of the Armed Forces. Most often, the unit is a regiment or brigade. Also, individual companies and battalions can be military units. The main features of the part are:
  • availability of open and closed combined arms numbers;
  • military economy;
  • bank account;
  • postal and telegraphic address;
  • own office work;
  • official seal of the part;
  • the right of the commander to issue written orders.

All these signs indicate that the part has the autonomy it needs.

  1. Compound. In fact, this term can only describe a division. The very word "connection" implies the union of several parts. If the composition of the brigade is formed from separate battalions and companies that have the status of units, then in this case the brigade can also be called a formation.
  2. Union. It unites such units as a corps, army, front or district.

After analyzing all the above concepts, one can understand on what principles the numerical class of military units is built. Now, when watching military films, or talking to a soldier, having heard most of the military terms, you will have a clear idea about them. It should be noted that this article does not pay due attention to the structure of aviation and naval formations, since they do not differ significantly from military ones.

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