A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad-sized unit of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company (equivalent to a platoon).
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Australian Army
Under the new structure of the infantry platoon, sections are made up of 8 men divided into 2 four man fire-teams. Each fire team consists of a team leader(Corporal/Lance Corporal), a scout with enhanced optics, a grenadier with a 40mm grenade launcher attachment and a LSW operator with F89 Minimi light support weapon.
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.
Prior to the introduction of 5.56 mm calibre light machine guns 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 3 "groups": a scout group, a rifle group and a gun group.
The scout group comprised two men with rifles or submachine guns, who usually moved with the section commander (the corporal) close behind. In effect, the section commander was the third man in the scout group. The rifle group comprised 3-4 riflemen, and perhaps a grenade launcher (such as the M79 or M203). The last group was the gun group. This was commanded by the section 2ic (the lance corporal), and the gunner was usually the second most senior private; the most senior private would lead the rifle group.
All section tactics were basically designed to bring the gun to bear on the enemy and support the gun. The gun would be deployed on the highest ground, with the best field of fire. The rest of the section carried ammunition for the gun.
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 seen as a more accurate version of the IW 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:
Fireteam Charlie:
- Corporal, armed with a L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
- Rifleman, armed with a L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
- Rifleman, armed with a L108A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
- Rifleman, armed with a L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.
Fireteam Delta:
- Lance Corporal, armed with a L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
- Rifleman, armed with a L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
- Rifleman, armed with a L108A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
- Rifleman, armed with a L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces Land Force Command also uses the section, which is roughly the same as its British counterpart, except that it is led by a sergeant, with a master corporal as second-in-command. The section is further divided into assault groups, which are equivalent to the British fireteams (4 soldiers). They are designated Assault Group 1 and Assault Group 2. Assault groups are broken down to even smaller fireteams, consisting of normally 2 soldiers, possibly 3, designated Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Alpha and Bravo make up Assault Group 1 and Charlie and Delta make up Assault Group 2.
The section commander will have overall control of the section, and is assigned to Assault Group 1, Alpha Team. His 2IC will be in command of Assault Group 2, and is assigned to Delta team.
In a normal rifle section, the focus is around the pair of C9 LMGs that are carried by Bravo and Delta teams, one in each team. This results in a formation of Bravo, Alpha, Charlie, Delta, with Bravo and Delta providing fire support with the C9s, Alpha as the command element and Charlie as the assault team.
French Army
In the French Army, a section is the sub-division of a company (equivalent to a platoon) in traditional foot arms (e.g infantry, engineering). In traditionally horse-mounted arms of the French Army (e.g armour), the sub-division of a company is a platoon (peloton). The French equivalent of the British Army section is called a "Combat Group".
Singapore Army
Singapore Army's infantry section consists of 7 men led by a Third Sergeant and assisted by a Corporal as 2IC. The section is divided into one 3-man "group", which includes the section commander. There are two other 2-man groups. The weapons carried include 2 light anti-tank weapons, 2 section automatic weapons (SAW), and two grenade launchers.
United States Army
A section in the US Cavalry is roughly equivalent to an infantry squad in the United States Army. Some corps, such as Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery, use the term section to denote a squad-sized unit in which the fire teams may act independently of each other in the larger platoon formation. The section is used as an administrative formation overseen by a Staff Sergeant.
Other
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In some air forces, a section is also a unit containing two or three aircraft, commanded by a Lieutenant. In the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, this would have been called a rotte, while the Red Air Force would have called it a zveno or para. Two sections and supporting ground staff make up a flight, known as a staffel in the Luftwaffe.
A section is also the name for a shift or team of police officers in various police forces, particularly in the Commonwealth. The term is no longer used in the British police, in which it originated and where it was the group of officers headed by a Sergeant.
See also
External links
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