Standard
NATO code for a friendly infantry company.
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200
soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons
although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. Several companies are grouped to form a battalion.
British Army
Rifle companies consist of three platoons and a Company Headquarters. An infantry Battalion will also include a Headquarters Company and
a Manoeuvre Support Company.
The British Army identifies its rifle companies by letter (usually, but not always, A, B
and C) within an infantry battalion, usually with the
addition of a headquarters company and a support/heavy weapons company. Some units name their companies after regimental battle
honours, this is commonly the case for composite units, for example the London Regiment
with its Somme, Messines and Cambrai companies.
Royal Marines companies are designated by a letter that is unique across the Corps not
just within their Commando. The Intelligence Corps,
Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal
Military Police and Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers all have companies uniquely numbered acoss their corps.
The Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured
Corps, Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of
Signals, Army Air Corps, Special Air
Service, Honourable Artillery Company and Royal Logistic Corps use the term squadron instead of company
(although the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals had companies until after the Second World
War, except in armoured divisions). The Royal Artillery use the term
battery.
The defunct Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps
had companies; the Royal Corps of Transport had squadrons.
British companies are usually commanded by a Major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a Captain or senior Lieutenant as Second-in-Command (2i/c). The company headquarters
also includes a Company Sergeant Major (CSM) normally holding the rank of
WO2 and a Company Quartermaster
Sergeant (CQMS) of Colour Sergeant rank, the two most senior soldiers in the
company.
It should be noted that the Honourable Artillery Company is in fact a
Regiment, not a Company in terms or organisation and size.
Canadian Army
Canadian Forces organisation is modelled after the British.
However, a Canadian infantry battalion consists of three or four rifle companies identified by letter (A Company, B Company,
etc), a Combat Support Company, and an Administration Support Company. A notable exception is The Royal Canadian Regiment which names its companies sequentially throughout the regiment
from the Duke of Edinburgh's Company (instead of A Company) in the First Battalion to T Company in the Fourth Battalion.
The Combat Support Company administratively contains the specialized infantry platoons such as Recce Platoon, Pioneer Platoon,
HQ and Signals Platoon, Anti-Armour Platoon, and Mortar Platoon. The Administration Support Company contains the support
tradesmen which a battalion requires, such as cooks, vehicle technicians, supply, medics, etc.
Irish Army
In the Irish Army, a company usually consists of three platoons. Companies are usually identified by letters in an infantry
battalion (A, B, C... etc)
Finnish Army
During World War II a Finnish Army company was usually put in order by from where the soldier's hometown was. A company
usually has from seventy five to hundred soldiers in it, divided into about four platoons. Equivalent Artillery units are called
batteries.
United States Army
In the United States Army, infantry companies
are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are
usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element. A company is usually commanded by an Army captain, although in rare cases they may be commanded by a 1st lieutenant or a major. By tradition, the
corresponding unit of artillery is always called a "battery." Similarly, the term "troop" is used for cavalry units,
including both the horse-mounted units of history as well as modern armored cavalry and air cavalry units. Companies which are
not separate from their parent battalion, are identified by letter - for example, "A Company,
1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment". The letters are usually pronounced using the NATO phonetic alphabet or, before that, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, resulting in names such as "Bravo Company" and
"Echo Company" (formerly "Baker" and "Easy" Companies, respectively). Companies with a
separate Table of Organization and Equipment are identified by a
number, and are able to operate completely independently from any other unit's support. Company-sized units which are organized
under a Table of Distribution and Allowance are identified with a name.
Company-sized units usually consist of four to six platoons (each commanded by a Lieutenant), although there are examples of Combat Service and Combat Service Support companies that have
seven or more platoons. For example, a Transportation Terminal Service Company normally has two Ship Platoons, two Shore
Platoons, one Documentation Platoon, one Maintenance Platoon, and the Headquarters Platoon. These platoons are led by
first lieutenants, while the company is commanded by a major.
There are some special units that have platoons commanded by captains, such as some
aviation platoons and many special forces units. This is
not a punishment, but rather an honor, as those platoons usually have some special operational capacity that requires them to be
commanded by an officer with more experience than a lieutenant. A captain reports to his commander, usually the battalion
commander (a lieutenant colonel). However, there are some administrative and other
duties at battalion level and larger (brigade or division) which are also handled by captains, for example the S-1
through S-4 officers of a battalion, or some staff positions in the G shops at division
A company is typically commanded by a captain, although there are certain Combat Service and Combat Service Support companies
that are large enough, and specially configured to require the command of a major. The senior non commissioned officer of a
company is called a first sergeant, and this job is usually assigned to an NCO who holds
the first sergeant rank. At times, however, a master sergeant (E-8) or sergeant first
class (E-7) will be appointed to the job in lieu of a qualified first sergeant. In such situations, the NCO holds the duty
position title of "First Sergeant," while their military rank remains master sergeant or sergeant first class respectively.
United States Marine Corps
A Marine Corps rifle company consists of:
A weapons company has in place of the three rifle platoons, an 81 mm mortar platoon, an anti-armor platoon, and a heavy
machine gun platoon.
The following depicts the structure of a headquarters and service company: Headquarters
platoon consists of Marines from S-1, S-2, S-3, the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defense section, and the Chaplain section (one
Navy chaplain and an enlisted religious program specialist). Next is the H&S Communications platoon, consisting of Radiomen,
Wiremen, Techs, Data Marines, and the associated staff. Next is Service platoon, comprised of S-4, Motor Transportation, Food
Service, armorers, and Supply. There is also a Scout/Sniper platoon. The last platoon in H&S Company is the Battalion Medical
Platoon which provides the Battalion Aid Station, or BAS. The BAS is staffed entirely by Navy Medical Officers (two medical
doctors) and Corpsmen.
Disambiguation
Some companies were well enough known that they have been identified with their company letter. Examples include:
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
