Battalion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. Several battalions are grouped to form a regiment.
The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms (e.g. some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead). There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such as a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization.
A battalion is generally the smallest military unit capable of independent operations (i.e. not attached to a higher command), although many armies have smaller units that are self-sustaining. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group or a brigade, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalion will ordinarily be homogeneous with respect to type (e.g. an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions. Every battalion will also include some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company.
The term is Italian in origin, appearing as battaglione. The French changed the spelling to bataillon, whereupon it directly entered into German.
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[edit] British Army
The term battalion is used in the infantry, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Intelligence Corps only. It was formerly used for a few units in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead.
An infantry battalion is numbered ordinally within its regiment (e.g. 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets, usually referred to as 1st Royal Green Jackets). It normally has a Headquarters Company, Support Company, and three Rifle Companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C Companies). Each company is commanded by a Major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a Captain as Second-in-Command (2i/c). The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. Mechanised units usually have an attached Light Aid Detachment (LAD) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment.
Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:
- Commanding Officer (CO) (invariably a Lieutenant-Colonel)
- Second-in-Command (2i/c) (usually a Major)
- Adjutant (Captain or Major)
- Quartermaster (QM) (Captain or Major)
- Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) (Royal Army Medical Corps Captain or Major)
- Regimental Administrative Officer (RAO) (Adjutant General's Corps Captain or Major)
- Padre (Royal Army Chaplains Department Chaplain 4th or 3rd Class)
- Regimental Intelligence Officer (RIO) (Lieutenant or Captain)
- Regimental Signals Officer (RSO) (Lieutenant or Captain)
- Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) (Warrant Officer Class 1)
- Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS) (Warrant Officer Class 2)
- Chief Clerk
- Drum Major (or Bugle Major in light infantry battalions)
- Pipe Major (in Scots and Irish regiments only)
Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g. 101 Battalion REME).
[edit] United States Army and Marine Corps
In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two or more batteries, companies or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.), normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (Battery A, Company B, Troop C, etc.), and depend on the regiment for all administrative functions.
An American battalion includes the battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel -- in the Marine Corps, sometimes a Colonel), his staff, and headquarters, the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) (or Sergeant Major in the Marine Corps), and usually 3-5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 soldiers or Marines. A regiment is made of between one and six organic battalions (Marine Corps: Marine infantry regiments - three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments - three to five battalions of artillery; Marine logistics regiments - two or more logistics battalions), while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions (Marine Corps: Brigade designation used only in "Marine Expeditionary Brigade" [MEB] - MEB consists of one [or rarely two] Marine infantry regiments with supporting arms, Marine aviation, Marine logistics, and Naval Construction Force (SEABEEs) support).
During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of four companies. That is, companies A, B, C, and D were part of the 1st battalion, companies E, F, G, and H constituted the 2nd battalion, and I, K, L, and M in the 3rd. There was no J company. It wasn't uncommon for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, battalions and even companies were moved around as necessary.
From the 1960s through approximately 2005, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion has had four companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) (Marine Corps: Headquarters and Service Company [H&S Co.]); A, B, and C Companies (Marine Corps: Marine Infantry Regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under WW II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in "reserve" for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed). In addition to the battalion staff, the HHC also included a scout platoon (Marine Corps: scouts are organic to the H&S Co.'s Scout/Sniper platoon) and a mortar platoon.
In this older structure, United States Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, cross-post companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF).
Starting in 2005-2006 with Transformation, US Army mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into Combined Arms Battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two armor companies, an engineer company, and a forward support company. This new structure eliminated the need to cross-post (or as it is more commonly referred to, cross-attach) companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each heavy brigade is composed of two CABs, an armored reconnaissance squadron, a fires battalion (field artillery), a special troops battalion (STB), and a brigade support battalion (BSB).
United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into Battalion Landing Teams (BLT's) as the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). A "standard" Marine infantry battalion is typically reinforced with an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored vehicles, reconnaisance Marines, and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization.
During the American Civil War, an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each. After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.
The United States Navy has also had Construction Battalions since World War II.
[edit] Tactical Operations at the Battalion Level
Tank and mechanized infantry battalion task forces apply their combat power to—
- Conduct sustained combat operations in all environments with proper augmentation and support.
- Conduct offensive operations.
- Conduct defensive operations.
- Accomplish rapid movement and limited penetrations.
- Exploit success and pursue a defeated enemy as part of a larger formation.
- Conduct security operations (advance, flank, or rear guard) for a larger force.
- Conduct stability operations and support operations as part of a larger force.
- Conduct operations with light infantry forces.
[edit] Tactical Telecommunications at the Battalion Level and Below
Communications at the tactical level is essential in succeeding in full spectrum operations on the modern battlefield. Tactical communications means the sharing of information between small combat units (typically the squad, platoon, company, and battalion). The efficient sharing of information sharing enables small units to locate and target the enemy quickly and accurately. At the battalion level, the ability to share information links shooters (the fire team leader and his men) and the battalion commander and his staff.
The Army’s maneuver battalions employ wired and wireless systems to communicate tactically and maintain command and control. Typically, wired systems are used in static or defensive positions. Conversely, radio systems are generally used in mobile and offensive operations. Army communications systems at all levels must be secure and have a low probability of intercept and attack.
Prior to the mid-1990s, tactical communications were normally transmitted "in the clear." Communications security was achieved transmitted by applying the standards of brevity and a signal operating instruction. The signal operating instruction (SOI) was a manual carried by leaders and radio operators that standardized small unit frequencies, call-signs, and code-words (for rudimentary encryption). Units maintained 2 copies of the SOI: a training version and a "go-to-war" version. Since the fielding of the SINCGARS system, however, the SOI has generally faded from Army use.
The following is a brief overview of systems currently available to the typical Army maneuver battalion:
TA-1 field telephone
The TA-1 is a lightweight, sound powered field telephone and does not require batteries. The user signals by squeezing a pump button on the handset which generates signaling current. The TA-1 is a half duplex (push to talk, release to listen) system. Signal (65-80Vac @ 20Hz) and voice transmission (300-4000Hz) range is approximately 4 miles with WD-1/TT wire. This phone is intended to be used in a field wire network connected directly to other phones or through a battery powered switchboard.
TA-312 field telephone
The TA-312 field telephone can be used in a point-to-point wire system or in any two-wire ring-down subscriber position of a telephone communications system. The TA-1 is a half duplex (push to talk, release to listen) system. Can be used in common battery, local battery, or common-battery signaling operation modes. Signal (90-100Vac @ 20Hz) and voice transmission (300-3200Hz) range is approximately 22 miles with WD-1/TT wire. Requires two BA-30 batteries or an external 3Vdc power source.
AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR)
Replaces the AN/PRC-126 and ICOM squad radios and gives small unit leaders (team, squad, and platoon leaders) ability to communicate securely (via frequency hopping and encryption) with larger, primarily vehicle mounted systems (SINCGARS platforms). The MBITR, at 30.6 oz, is a compact, lightweight, hand-held radio. The MBITR operates between 30-512MHz.
After the fielding of the SINCGARS but prior to the arrival of the MBITR, communications at platoon level and below were generally unsecure. Therefore, brevity and codewords (signaling operating instruction or SOI) were employed to deter the enemy’s ability to eavesdrop and triangulate. With the arrival of the MBITR, a dismounted platoon leader was now able to securely communicate with both his company commander and his squad leaders.
Single Channel Ground Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)
Currently, the Single Channel Ground Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is the cornerstone of Army battalion and below (platoon and company) tactical communications infrastructure. Prior to the fielding of the MBITR, the AN/PRC-119F was the smallest frequency hopping radio available to the Army maneuver battalion. The SINCGARS radio set is capable of operating either in single channel or frequency hopping mode. The latest version of this radio in use by the Army is the Advanced Lightweight SINCGARS SIP (ASIP) RT-1523(E). The SINCGARS system of radios is highly modular and can be configured in many different ways: AN/PRC-119F (manpack), AN/VRC-89 (one short range, one long range radio), AN/VRC-92 (dual long range radios), and many others.
The ASIP version of the venerable SINCGARS radio contains several major improvements. The most significant of these improvements is the reduction in size and weight, both extremely important characteristics at the small unit level. The ASIP radio is a 50% smaller and 33% lighter version (9 lbs with battery, handset, and antenna) of its predecessor.
SINGCARS systems are used in the maneuver battalion’s combat vehicles including the HMMWV, M1A2SEP tank, and Bradley Fighting Vehicle variants. SINCGARS radios use frequency modulation in the VHF band (30 to 87.975MHz). The SINCGARS radio is capable of both voice and data transmission (up to 16kbps). Voice transmission range varies between 0 and 40km depending on power source and amplification.
