Unit Sizes
Above the unit symbol, a symbol representing the size of the unit can be displayed:
| Symbol | Name | Typical no. of personnel | No. of subordinate units | Typical rank of leader (Commonwealth and USA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXXXXX | Region or Theatre (very rare in peacetime) | 250,000+ | Several army groups | Commonwealth:Field Marshal US:General of the Army |
| XXXXX | Army Group (rare in peacetime) | 120,000+ | Several armies | Commonwealth:Field Marshal US:General of the Army |
| XXXX | Army | 100,000 | Nominally several corps, typically 5–10 Divisions | General |
| XXX | Corps | 30,000–60,000 | Several divisions | Lieutenant General |
| XX | Division | 10,000–20,000 | Nominally several Brigades, typically ~10 Battalions plus support units | Major General |
| X | Brigade | 2,000–5,000 U.S, 4,000–20,000 Commonwealth | Several U.S. Battalions or 2–50 Commonwealth tactical (field) Regiments. Largest permanent grouping for Commonwealth units | Commonwealth: Brigadier US: Colonel |
| III | Regiment (Not used as tactical formation by Commonwealth armies) (Group in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) | 500–2,000 | 3–7 Battalions. | Colonel (Group Captain in in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) |
| II | Battalion or equivalent, e.g. Commonwealth Regiment (certain countries/arms only) or U.S. Cavalry Squadron (Wing in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) | 300–1,000 | 2–6 Companies, Batteries, U.S. Troops, or Commonwealth Squadrons, etc. | Lieutenant colonel (Wing Commander in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) |
| I | Company or equivalent, e.g., Artillery Battery, Commonwealth Armoured or Cavalry Squadron& U.S. Cavalry Troop (Squadron in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) | 60–250 | Several U.S. Platoons or Commonwealth Platoons/Troops | Commonwealth: Major (Squadron Leader in Commonwealth air force ground combat force) U.S. Captain |
| ••• | Platoon or equivalent, e.g. Commonwealth Troop (certain countries/arms only), Commonwealth air force ground combat elements Flight French Army Section | 25–40 | Several squads, sections, or vehicles | Commonwealth: Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant US: Second Lieutenant |
| •• | Section (Commonwealth) or Squad (U.S.) | 7–13 | 2–3 Fireteams | Commonwealth: Corporal US: Sergeant or Staff Sergeant |
| • | Crew or Patrol | 5–10 | 1–2 Fireteams | Commonwealth: Corporal or sergeant US: Sergeant or Staff Sergeant |
| Ø | Fireteam | 3–5 | n/a | Commonwealth: Lance Corporal US: Corporal or Sergeant |
| ø | Fire and maneuver team U.S., Pair Commonwealth | 2 | n/a | n/a |
The typical commander ranks shown in the table are for illustration. Neither the actual rank designated for a particular unit's commander, nor the rank held by the incumbent commander alters the appropriate symbol. For example, units are periodically commanded by an officer junior to the authorised commander grade, yet a company under the command of a Lieutenant (U.S.) or Captain (Commonwealth) is still indicated with two vertical ticks. Likewise, some peculiar types of companies and detachments are authorised a Major, Lieutenant Colonel (personnel services companies) or Colonel (some types of judge advocate detachments); the company or detachment is nevertheless indicated with, respectively, two vertical ticks or three dots.
While in Commonwealth armies, the regiment as a tactical formation does not normally exist, in some cases a regimental sized (i.e. larger than battalion and smaller that brigade) Task Force may exist where the operational requirement exists. These formations may be commanded by Colonels.
Note that, for brigades and higher, the number of Xs corresponds to the number of stars in the United States military's insignia for the typical general officer grade commanding that size unit. For example, a division is capped with XX and is usually commanded by a major general the American insignia for which is two stars.
Commonwealth air force ground combat forces are ground combat forces such as the Royal Air Force Regiment, which (despite operating on the ground) is part of the British RAF and charged with airfield defence.
Read more about this topic: NATO Military Symbols For Land Based Systems
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