Military Units

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Large armed forces are organized into military units, each led by a commander. When combined, these units form larger groupings that can amount to an army, navy, or air force (or space force). The armed forces we’re inventing now may not exist in such large numbers; maybe they’re more of a specialty group, like the U. S. Marines, who have special training and may accompany members of larger military units. Decide which type you’re creating as this determines whether you need to organize them into military units or if they accompany the units of other forces.

The following chart shows typical army units, numbers of individuals comprising each, and the rank of the usual commander. Each unit is comprised of multiple small units. For example, a platoon is composed of multiple squads. This means that a lieutenant (in charge of a platoon) has several subordinate sergeants (commanding those squads at his direction). We can alter these numbers. This can be a guide or used wholesale.

Units Numbers of Soldiers Commander
Fireteam 2-4 Corporal
Squad 5-14 Sergeant
Platoon 15-45 Lieutenant
Company 80-150 Captain/Major
Battalion 300-800 Lieutenant Colonel
Brigade 1000-5000 Colonel/Brigadier General
Division 10000-25000 Major General
Corps 30000-50000 Lieutenant General
Field Army 100000-3000000 General
Army Group 2+ field army Field Marshal
Region 4+ army groups Commander-in-chief

Figure 4 Army Units

The following chart shows several air force units and how many aircraft are in each and the usual commander. Regarding groups and wings, significant variations occur across countries, making it harder to generalize, but these names can be used interchangeably.

Units Numbers Commander
Flight 3-6 aircraft and support crew Squadron leader
Squadron 3-4 flights Squadron leader
Group/Wing 3-4 squadrons Wing Commander/Group Captain

Figure 5 Air Force Units

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