Uniform Army Force Structure

Based on the Army Force Structure of the old American Hegemony, the Uniform Army Force Structure has been adopted all major armies of the Known Sphere, including the superpowers, the major independent states and warlords, and the Mercenary Guild. Certain specialized units, such as the Nightmare Legion and the Shadow Knights, have their own force structures.

SQUAD: Existing only in infantry units, a squad consists of nine to ten soldiers. The smallest element in Army Force Structure, a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant usually commands a squad.

PLATOON: A non-mobile armor platoon is led by a First or Second Lieutenant, with an NCO as second in command. A mobile armor platoon is commanded by a First Lieutenant and all the other pilots are Second Lieutenants. A mobile armor, vehicle, or artillery platoon is made up of four units, whereas an infantry platoon consists of two to four squads.

COMPANY: Companies consist of three to five platoons. Equivalent artillery units in Army Force Structure are called batteries. A company or battery is typically commanded by a Captain, with a Sergeant First Class as principal NCO assistant.

BATTALION: For tactical flexibility, a regiment is typically divided into two or three battalions by the regimental commander. A battalion is typically commanded by a Major.

REGIMENT: The workhorse unit of the Army Force Structure, a regiment normally consists of seven to nine companies. A regiment is commanded by a Colonel, with a Lieutenant Colonel as executive officer, and a Sergeant Major as chief regimental NCO. While typically used as part of a larger force, a regiment is capable of independent operations of limited duration and scope.

BRIGADE: A brigade typically consists of three to five regiment-sized elements. Normally commanded by a Brigadier General or the senior Colonel of the brigade (usually doubling as one of the regimental commanders), a brigade is generally employed on semi-independent operations in overall coordination with the other brigades of the division.

DIVISION: Two to four brigades form a division, which is commanded by a Major General, with a Command Sergeant Major as senior NCO. Aside from mobile armor units, divisions are numbered and named by function. Assigned missions based on their composition, the division performs major tactical operations for the corps and can conduct sustained battles and engagements.

CORPS: A corps, short for Corps d'Armee, was a brilliant tactical innovation by Napoleon Bonaparte, modified and refined since that time but still employed largely unchanged. Designed to be a self-sufficient unit capable of major independent action (including planetary assault), a corps is a tactical and operational organization consisting of a permanent staff, three divisions of mobile armor, two or more infantry divisions, supporting artillery, and enough cavalry to scout for it and perform security missions. A corps is commanded by a Lieutenant General.

FIELD ARMY: Commanded by a General of the Army or Lieutenant General, a field army combines two or more corps. As the largest deployable level of command, the field army provides the framework to coordinate major planetary and interplanetary combat operations. A field army is the ranking combat component in a unified command, and a field army's operational and support responsibilities are assigned by the theater commander.

ARMY GROUP: An army group is an administrative entity that plans and oversees major campaigns in a given theater, and that coordinates two or more field armies. Until the Second Unification War, army groups had not been formed since World War II. An army group is commanded by a General of the Army.