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A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four squads, sections, or patrols.Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 20–50 troops, [1] although specific platoons may range from 10 [2] to 100 people. [3]
In 1917, a fourth platoon was added to the company, increasing its size to 256 officers and men, including six officers (a captain as commanding officer, a first lieutenant as executive officer, and two first lieutenants and two second lieutenants as platoon commanders).
Often used in conjunction with platoons at the company level. 12–24 soldiers. Squad: Composed of two teams and is typically led by a staff sergeant or sergeant. 9 soldiers. Team: The smallest unit. A fire team consists of a team leader (usually a sergeant or corporal), a rifleman, a grenadier, and an automatic rifleman.
The platoon guide, usually a sergeant, serves as the assistant platoon sergeant. A rifle platoon is capable of integrating attachments from the weapons platoon (e.g., assault squad or machine gun squad) and may include a two-man mortar forward observer team attached from the battalion's 81-mm mortar platoon.
As with most support units in any army, the size of a weapons platoon is generally smaller than that of its light infantry equivalent. For example, a typical light infantry platoon consists of 30 to 40 men divided in three or four squads (or sections) of 9–13 men, whereas a weapons platoon substitutes the squads with smaller groups for mortar teams, machine gun crews, anti-tank teams etc.
Military units and formations of the United States by size (14 C) Pages in category "Military units and formations by size" The following 39 pages are in this category, out of 39 total.
As military forces around the world are constantly changing in size, no definitive list can ever be compiled. All of the 172 countries listed here, especially those with the highest number of total soldiers such as the two Koreas and Vietnam , include a large number of paramilitaries, civilians and policemen in their reserve personnel.
The platoon leader leads one section and the platoon sergeant leads the other. Some branches, such as Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery, use the term section to denote a squad-sized unit that may act independently of each other in the larger platoon formation. (I.e., the Firing Platoon consists of several gun sections, which are the ...