Military organization

A military organization is the way a country's armed forces are set up to keep the nation safe. It helps the country defend itself when it needs to. This setup usually uses ranks and levels, which makes it easier to give orders and organize soldiers.

Some countries also have paramilitary forces. These are groups that are part of the armed forces but not part of the main military. They often have special jobs, like helping with security or disasters.

Even groups that are not part of the official military, like insurgent forces, sometimes try to copy how militaries are organized. This helps them plan and work together better.

History

The use of formal ranks began with the Roman Army. The Roman Army was organized into groups called legions, each with about 5000 soldiers. These legions were led by a legate and split into smaller units called centuries, led by centurions.

Today, governments manage their military through special departments, called a ministry of defence or department of defense. These departments oversee parts of the military, including those that fight and those that support them.

Executive control, management and administration

In many countries, leaders chosen by the people control the military. These leaders, often called ministers of defence, make important decisions about the military. In places like the United States, the president is the top leader, with a defence minister helping.

There are also special groups inside the military that focus on different jobs, like giving advice or creating new tools. Each group has its own teams to handle specific tasks.

Military branches

Most countries have three main parts in their armed forces, called military branches: the army, the navy, and the air force.

Some countries also have special groups, like a cyber force, space force, or special forces. In some places, groups like border guards or coast guards are part of the military. In other places, they are separate and work more like police. Smaller countries often have just one group that includes all their military forces.

Commands, formations, and units

"Military formation" redirects here. For the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces, see Tactical formation.

In many armies, especially in Europe and North America, the basic parts of a military are called commands, formations, and units.

A command is a group of units and formations led by one officer. Commands are usually based in special offices that report to the government or top military leaders. Some countries have separate commands for different parts of their army, like land, air, sea, and medical services.

A formation is a mix of different types of soldiers and equipment that work together as one group. Examples of formations include divisions, brigades, battalions, and wings.

A unit is a group of soldiers who usually come from one part of the army, like infantry or tanks. Smaller groups within a unit are called sub-units. In some places, the words "unit" and "formation" are used the same way. For example, in some armies, a squadron can mean a group of ships, a group of planes, or a smaller part of a land unit, depending on the country.

Table of organization and equipment

A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is a document made by the U.S. Army. It shows how groups of soldiers are organized and what tools and weapons they need. This includes big groups like divisions and smaller ones.

The document also explains what jobs these groups have and how they are doing. A general TOE applies to a type of group, like all infantry units, so every infantry group follows the same rules.

Modern hierarchy

See also: Command hierarchy

Army

The following table shows some ways armies around the world organize their soldiers. Many armies use ideas from the British or American ways of doing things.

Sometimes steps in the order of groups are missed. For example, in NATO forces, they often go from a smaller group called a battalion straight to a bigger group called a brigade. Only very big countries have the largest groups. Different countries may use old names, which can be confusing.

During World War II the Red Army used a similar way of organizing soldiers.

Navy

Navies organize their ships in flexible ways depending on what they need. Ships can group together for different jobs, and these groups can change quickly.

Big navies like those of large countries are led by an admiral. Smaller navies might be led by a rear-admiral, commodore, or captain.

Big ships like aircraft carriers are usually led by a captain. Smaller ships like submarines and destroyers are also led by captains or commanders. Even smaller ships like frigates are led by commanders. The smallest warships, corvettes, are led by commanders or lieutenant-commanders. Very small ships might be led by lieutenants or even lower ranks.

In the past, navies had very fixed ways of grouping ships, but today, navies like the U.S. Navy use groups like the carrier strike group for specific tasks.

Air force

Air forces organize themselves in different ways in different countries. Some, like the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force, use commands, groups, and squadrons. Others, like the old Soviet Air Force, use a system more like the army. The Royal Canadian Air Force uses Air divisions between wings and the whole air command. Like the RAF, Canadian wings are made up of squadrons.

Task force

A task force is a special group made for a specific mission. It is created for a short time to do a particular job. During big wars, like the Second World War, armies made such groups. For example, the German made groups called Kampfgruppe, and the U.S. Army had Combat Teams and the Navy had Task Forces. The Soviet Union also used groups called Operational manoeuvre group during the Cold War. In British and Commonwealth armies, smaller groups called battlegroup were common.

In NATO, there are special kinds of task forces. A Joint Task Force (JTF) brings together different parts of one country's military. A Combined Task Force (CTF) brings together parts from different countries. A Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) mixes parts from different military services and different countries.