Squad

Squad
Chain of Command of the British Army
Latvian platoon at Camp Lejune.jpg
Unit Soldiers Commander
Fireteam 4 NCO
Squad/Section 8–13 Squad leader
Platoon 26–55 Platoon leader
Company 80–225 Captain/Major
Battalion 300–1,300 (Lieutenant) Colonel
Regiment/Brigade 3,000–5,000 (Lieutenant) Colonel/
Brigadier (General)
Division 10,000–15,000 Major General
Corps 20,000–45,000 Lieutenant General
Field army 80,000–200,000 General
Army group 400,000–1,000,000 Field Marshal
Army Region 1,000,000–3,000,000 Field Marshal
Army theater 3,000,000–10,000,000 Field Marshal
Standard NATO military map symbol for a friendly infantry squad.

In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer (NCO)[1] that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition (Australian Army, Canadian Army, and others) this organization is referred to as a section. In most armies a squad consists of eight to thirteen soldiers[2], and may be further subdivided into fireteams.

Contents

Organization

United States

In the United States Army, a squad is composed of two fireteams of four or five soldiers each, as well as a squad leader who is a Staff Sergeant. A Military Police squad is composed of three teams of three. In the United States Marine Corps, a squad is typically composed of three fireteams of four Marines and a squad leader who is typically a Sergeant or Corporal. In the US Air Force Security Forces a squad is made up of three fire teams of 4 members each led by a Senior Airman or Staff Sergeant and either a Staff Sergeant or Tech Sergeant squad leader.

Fire Service in the United States

A squad is a term used in the US Fire and EMS services to describe several types of units and/or emergency apparatus. Oftentimes, the names "Squad" and "Rescue Squad" are used interchangeably, however the function of the squad is different from department to department. In some departments, a "Squad" and a "Rescue" are two distinct units. This is the case in New York City, where the FDNY operates 7 squads. These special "enhanced" engine companies perform both "truck" and "engine" company tasks, as well as Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) mitigation and other specialty rescue functions. FDNY's five "Rescue" companies primarily mitigate technical and heavy rescue incidents, and operate as a pure special rescue unit. Squads and Rescues within the FDNY are part of the departments Specialty Operations Command (SOC).

In other departments, a squad is a name given to a type of apparatus that delivers Emergency Medical Services, and is staffed by firefighter/EMT's or firefighter/paramedics. This type of service delivery is common in the greater Los Angeles area of California, and was made famous in the 1970s show Emergency!, where the fictional Squad 51 highlighted the lives of two firefighter/paramedics of the LACoFD.

Chinese National Revolutionary Army to 1949

The squad, 班, or section was the basic unit of the National Revolutionary Army (the Republic of China), and would usually be 14 men strong. An infantry squad would ideally have 1 light machine gun and 10 rifles

Leadership

A squad is led by an NCO known as a Squad Leader. His/her second in command is known as an Assistant Squad Leader. In Britain and the Commonwealth, these appointments are known as Section Commander and Section 2IC ("second in command"), respectively.

Typical ranks for squad leaders are:

  • Australian Army: Corporal
  • Austrian Army: Wachtmeister
  • Brazilian Army: In the Brazilian Army, a Squad (Esquadra, in Portuguese) is led by a Corporal, with 3-10 soldiers. It is the smallest unit in the infantry and cavalry, equivalent to a U.S. Army Fireteam. Grupo de Combate (in Portuguese) is a subdivision of the platoon and commanded by a 3rd Sergeant, same to U.S. Army squad.
A Romanian squad of a TAB-77 APC. This is a typical Soviet arrangement, with a PK general purpose machine gun and a RPK light machine gun in the center and two soldiers with AK-47 assault rifles and one RPG-7 grenade launcher on the flanks. Another soldier provides liaison or extra firepower where needed.

Other military uses

A squad can also be an ad hoc group of soldiers assigned to a task, for example, a firing squad.

The Canadian Forces Manual of Drill and Ceremonial defines a squad as "a small military formation of less than platoon size which is adopted to teach drill movements. (escouade)"[3] However, the Manual provides direction for drill movements to be taught in "movements," "parts," or "stages."[3] The format of the commands in the manual has given rise to a prevalent belief in the CF that these stages are called "squads." This groupthink has such strength that phrases such as "for ease of learning, this movement is broken down into 'squads,'" are commonly used during periods of drill instruction. In actuality, were the lesson being given to a platoon, company or parade, the word "squad" would be replaced by the appropriate formation. Thus, these stages, parts, or movements should not be referred to as "squads."

See also

References


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  • squad — W3 [skwɔd US skwa:d] n [Date: 1600 1700; : French; Origin: escouade, from escadre, from Italian squadra square , from Vulgar Latin exquadra; SQUARE2] 1.) a group of players from which a team will be chosen for a particular sports event ▪ the… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • squad — squad; squad·der; squad·rol; squad·ron; squad·roned; …   English syllables

  • Squad D — is the title of a short story by Stephen King, which he wrote in the late 70s, but which remains unpublished to date. Main Plot Josh Bortman is the only surviving member of Squad D – he was in hospital on the day the other nine members ran afoul… …   Wikipedia

  • Squad — ist das englische Wort für Gruppe, Kader oder Mannschaft. In der United States Army entspricht die Squad einer Untereinheit, die aus 8–12 Soldaten besteht und von einem Sergeant kommandiert wird. Jeweils 2 bis 4 Squads bilden ein Platoon. Das… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • squad — [ skwad ] noun count ** 1. ) a department in a police force that deals with a particular type of crime: the drugs squad 2. ) a small group of soldiers who do a particular job: the bomb squad 3. ) a sports team a ) BRITISH a large group of players …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • squad — [skwäd] n. [Fr escouade < Sp escuadra or It squadra, a square, both < VL * exquadrare, to form into a square: see SQUARE, vt.] 1. a) a small group of soldiers assembled for inspection, duty, etc. b) the smallest military tactical unit,… …   English World dictionary

  • Squad D — ist der Titel einer Kurzgeschichte von Stephen King, die dieser Ende der 70er Jahre schrieb, die aber bis heute unveröffentlicht blieb. Inhalt Josh Bortman ist das einzige Mitglied des Squad D (Trupp D), das noch am Leben ist. Er befand sich im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • squad|dy — squad|die or squad|dy «SKWOD ee», noun, plural dies. British Informal. a member of a military or police squad …   Useful english dictionary

  • Squad — (skw[o^]d), n. [F. escouade, fr. Sp. escuadra, or It. squadra, (assumed) LL. exquadrare to square; L. ex + quadra a square. See {Square}.] 1. (Mil.) A small party of men assembled for drill, inspection, or other purposes. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Squad — Squad, n. Sloppy mud. [Prov. Eng.] Tennyson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • squad — index assemblage, band Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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