Trooper (rank)
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- This article is about the cavalry rank. For alternative meanings see: Trooper.
A trooper (abbreviated Tpr.) is a trained soldier of private rank in a regiment with a cavalry tradition, in the British, Australian or Canadian army. Today, most cavalry units operate in the armoured role, equipped with tanks or other armoured fighting vehicles. (There are also armoured regiments without a cavalry tradition, which wouldn't use the term trooper.) Cavalry units are organized into squadrons, further divided into troops, hence a trooper is a fully-qualified member of a troop. Before finishing his military trade training, such a soldier would have been called a private, or recruit if he had yet to complete his basic military training.
In the U.S. cavalry and airborne, "trooper" is a colloquialism that has traditionally been used to identify any soldier regardless of rank as a general term. Trooper is not a specific rank in the U.S. military.
The rank of Trooper is not to be confused with trouper, a member of an acting troupe.
