The US Army is a branch of the United States armed forces and it is mainly
responsible for carrying out land-based military operations. The army came into
existence on June 14, 1775, prior to the formation of the United States, to
handle the crisis of the American Revolutionary War. In the Financial Year 2002,
the US Army had 480,000 soldiers on active duty and 555,000 in reserve (350,000
in ARNG and 205,000 in USAR).
The US Army has two broad divisions - the Regulars and the Reserves. The United
States National Guard is the regular armed force under the command of state
governments. Since the Vietnam War, the use of both the Army Reserve and the
National Guard has increased significantly.
A member of the US Army is officially called a ‘Soldier’, with
the letter ‘S’ in capital. The Army has the following structure-
1. Field Army: usually four-star level.
2. Corps: consists of two or more divisions and organic support brigades. Commanders
are at three-star level.
3. Division: commanders are generally two-star level.
4. Brigade or group: usually consists of three or more brigades commanded by
Colonel.
5. Battalion or squadron: units are organized into battalions. Cavalry units
are organized into squadrons. A Lieutenant Colonel commands a battalion-sized
unit. A Command Sergeant Major provides supports.
6. Company or battery or troop: artillery units are arranged into batteries
and cavalry units are formed into troops. A Captain leads a company-sized unit.
A First Sergeant provides support.
7. Platoon: a lieutenant leads a platoon. A Sergeant First Class provides support.
8. Section: Staff Sergeants direct the sections.
9. Squad: Sergeants lead the squads.
10. Fire team: four Soldiers form a fire team. Usually Corporals lead the fire
teams.
This structure in the US Army is based on the differences in functions. The
active combat forces in army are Armor, Infantry, Cavalry and Special Forces.
The support forces include Artillery, Aviation, Intelligence Corps, Corps of
Engineers, Quartermaster Corps, Medical Corps, Transportation Corps, Judge Advocate
General's Corps, Ordnance Corps, Adjutant General's Corps and Signal Corps.