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Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE!?

Clancy uses these terms and others like them frequently, but I have only the vaguest idea of what, exactly, they mean. Someone, please, HELP!

Daryus, you know this kind of stuff, right?

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Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

A squad is made up of 8-12 infantry, and is commanded by a sergeant.

A platoon is made up of around 4 squads, and is commanded by a lieutenant.

A company is made up of 3-4 platoons, and is commanded by a captain or major.

A battalion is made up of around 4 companies, and is commanded by a lieutenant-colonel.

A division is made up of several battalions, and is commanded by a colonel.

A brigade is made up of several divisions, and is commanded by a brigadier general.

An army is made up of several divisions, and is commanded by a major general, lieutenant-general, or general.

Of course, real-world armies usually aren't this rigid...I did this from memory anyway, so I may have gotten some of it wrong.

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Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

Squad - sizes vary, but usually no larger than 12.
Lead by an E-4 or E-5

Section - is a group of, usually, 4 squads.
Lead by an E-5 or E-6
This element is normally found in Specialty units.

Platoon - is a group of 2 to 6 Squads, or 2 to 4 Sections.
Lead by an E-6, E-7, or E-8.
Commanded by an O-1, O-2, or 0-3.

Company - is a group of 2 to 6 Platoons.
Lead by an E-7 or E-8
Commanded by an O-2, O-3, or O-4.

Battalion - is a group of 4 to 6 Companies.
Lead by an E-8 or E-9
Commanded by an O-4, O-5, or O-6

Brigade - is a group of 2 to 6 Battalions.
Lead by an E-9.
Commanded by an O-6 or O-7.
A Brigade that is part of a Division is usually commanded by an O-6.
An Independant Bridge, which is like an Armored Cavalry Regiment, is attached to a Corps or Army, and is commanded by an O-7.

Division - is a group of 2 to 6 Brigades.
Lead by an E-9.
Commanded by an O-8

Corps - is a group of 2 or more Divisions, with supporting Independant Brigades, Battalions, and Companies.
Lead by an E-9
Commanded by an O-9

Army - is a combined unit of all of the above, but usually consisting of at least 2 Corps.
Lead by an E-9
Commanded by an O-9 or O-10.

The variations are endless, with Seperate units that are attached to Divisions, Corps, and Armies. This Seperate units can be anything from a 12 man Special Forces A Team to an entire Corps with its supporting units. Units size and mission determine what the grade is of its commander, and availability in that area of that grade.

Any other questions???

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EOH

Posted by The Talented Mr. Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :

Frank:What about Commanders?

Ritten: What do "O" and "E" stand for?

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Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

Officer & Enlisted?

Charlie Sheen is in a Platoon.

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Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

Sorry.....
O = Officer
Army-Air Force-Marine Corps/Navy
O- 1 2nd Lt. / Ens.
O- 2 1st Lt. / Lt(j.g.)
O- 3 Capt. / Lt.
O- 4 Major / Lt. Cmdr.
O- 5 Lt. Col / Cmdr.
O- 6 Col. / Capt.
O- 7 Brig. Gen./ Rear Adm.(lh)
O- 8 Maj. Gen. / Rear Adm.(uh)
O- 9 Lt. Gen. / Vice Adm.
O-10 Gen. / Adm.

E = Enlisted
Army Only, since I don't know the others, for the most part.
E-1 Private, no insignia
E-2 Private, 1 stripe
E-3 Private First Class
E-4 Specialist/Corporal
E-5 Sergeant
E-6 Staff Sgt.
E-7 Sgt. First Class
E-8 Master Sgt. and 1st Sgt
E-9 Sgt. Major's/Command Sgt. Majs

By lead I ment that in most cases it's the NCOs that lead the men, while the officers command the men. Subtle difference, but most troops will follow their NCOs to hell and back.

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EOH

Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

There's also an E-10, I believe. First Sergeant of the United States Army, or something.

*looks*

Nope, just a special E-9. Sar-Major, US Army. I guess that's like an enlisted C-in-C, or something.
http://www.clancyfaq.com/milranks.htm

And what the heck is a warrant officer?

Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

Technicians mainly, specialty officers of a sort.
Pilots also.
WO-1 to CWO-5
equivilant to O-1 to O-5
The don't get federal commission papers, but are warranted to be officers. They go through an OCS course after completing basic training and AIT, then they go to their specialty schools.
To get to be a WO you apply for it while in Basic or AIT (Advanced Individual Training).

Ever hear the say, "Don't call me Sir, I work for a living!" Well a WO is an Officer that works for a living.

Technicaly an O-1 outranks a Chief Warrant Officer - 5. But pity the poor Lt that tries it.

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EOH

Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

My Dad used to be a Warrant Officer in the Canadian Air Force, before he retired. He just fixed stuff there I guess.

Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

Omega, here is a link to the III Corps that shows a good make up of a Corps, with its seperate Divisions, Brigades, Groups, and Battalions.
Several units have breakdowns here.

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EOH

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Some of the following is true.

Platoon: Film starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, and Tony Todd.

Company: Microsoft.

Division: In general, the following process: 100 divided by 5 equals 20.

Batallion: A medallion made out of BATS!

Brigade: Singular form of 'brigadoon', which is a sort of cotton pantsuit.

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Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :

Tony Todd was in Platoon? *checks*

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Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Ah, I forgot Corps...thanks, Ritten.

Gurgeh: Commander is a naval rank.

Meanwhile, Sol continues to be the most hilarious human being in Washington state.

Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :

The rank (actually rate) structure of enlistees for the US Navy and I believe the Coast Guard are:

Seaman Recruit (E-1)
Seaman Apprentice (E-2)
Seaman (E-3)
Petty Officer 3rd Class (E-4)
Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5)
Petty Officer 1st Class (E-6)
Chief Petty Officer (E-7)
Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8)
Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9)

and I think there might have been a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (E-10)

The Warrant Officers go as following, I believe:

Warrant Officer 1 (W-1) *
Warrent Officer 2 (W-2)
Warrent Officer 3 (W-3)
Warrant Officer 4 (W-4)
Warrant Officer 5 (W-5)**
Chief Warrent Officer (W-5 or W-6)**

* I think the Navy may have gotten rid of that tank by now
** I'm not sure if there is a Warrant Officer 5 in the Navy or not. If there isn't then the CWO is W-5.

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Groundskeeper Willy: Aye. I also 'ate the mess he left on me rug. [Bart stares.] Ya heard me!

[This message has been edited by PopMaze (edited December 20, 2000).]

Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

No, the most senior enlisted pay grade is E-9, and I don't know if there is a CWO-6 as of yet....

The military pay rates are the same for all branches, and they all follow the same E-1 to E-9, WO-1 to CWO-5, and O-1 to O-10 scale.

This is a pay scale.

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EOH

[This message has been edited by Ritten (edited December 20, 2000).]

Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :

Wow, nice *L* One thing you have to keep in mind omega is that division means different things in different nations. So do all the other names. For instance, a Russian division is something in the order of 15 000, an Indian division is 25 000. But if clancy is writing I'd say he's talking in yank terms. Which is what Frank outlined.

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Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

brigades are part of divisions though.

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Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Once again, it depends on the army...usually battalions are part of divisions, which are part of brigades, though.

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Posted by Toadkiller (Member # 425) on :

Different nations.....there are different nations now?

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TK