Section (military Unit) - British Army

British Army

The British Army section now consists of eight soldiers made up of a Corporal as section commander, a Lance-Corporal as his second-in-command ("2IC") and six privates. Three sections together form a platoon. In conventional warfare, the section is split into two four-man fireteams ("Charlie" and "Delta"), commanded by the corporal and lance-corporal respectively.

The "Rifle Section" of the Second World War was formed of 10 men; a Corporal as the section leader with six privates with Lee Enfield rifles forming a rifle group, and a light machine gun group of a Lance-corporal, a gunner with the Bren gun and a "loader" carrying a spare barrel and extra ammunition.

From the switch from .303 to 7.62mm NATO in the 1950s until the introduction of 5.56 mm calibre weapons in the late 1980s, the typical section was armed with and organized around the 7.62 mm L7 GPMG (general purpose machine gun). The section was typically divided into two "groups": a rifle group and a gun group.

The rifle group comprised the Section Commander (Corporal) with an L1A1 SLR, the Anti-Tank gunner with the 84mm Carl Gustav and 9mm SMG, the Anti-Tank No 2 with spare 84mm rounds and an L1A1 and two riflemen with L1A1s . The gun group was commanded by the section 2IC (Lance Corporal) with an L1A1, and comprised the gunner with the GPMG and the gun No 2 with an L1A1.

All section tactics were basically designed to bring the gun to bear on the enemy and support the gun; once the gun had suppressed the enemy ("winning the firefight") the rifle group would assault and destroy the enemy position with the gun providing fire until the last safe moment.

This organization was abandoned in favour of fireteams when 5.56 mm assault rifles and SAWs were introduced in the late 1980s. These were the L85 IW and the longer-barrelled L86 LSW ("Light support weapon"). The firepower of the team has now been extended by the L110A1 LMG. The LSW is now generally used as a designated marksman's rifle and the LMG is the belt fed weapon for laying down suppressing fire. Each fire team has two IW, one with an underslung grenade launcher, one LSW and one LMG.

An infantry section now consists of:

Charlie Fireteam:

• Corporal, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
• Rifleman, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
• Rifleman, armed with an L110A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
• Rifleman, armed with an L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.

Delta Fireteam:

• Lance Corporal, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
• Rifleman, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
• Rifleman, armed with an L110A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
• Rifleman, armed with an L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.

Some units currently operating in Afghanistan have reintroduced the GPMG as a Section gun, on the scale of one per fire team, meaning that only two L85A2s are carried per Section and both are fitted with the UGL. This practice may be altered following the introduction of the L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle, officially bringing 7.62mm weapons back to Section level in recognition that the 5.56mm round has proved inadequate in Afghanistan.