I'd like some help understanding the different ways groups of personnel are organized in the Armed Forces.
 
Words like:
Company
Division
Batallion
Battery
Squadron
Regiment
Brigade. . .

Are foreign to me.

I have some concept of how many men are in a Platoon, but this is a Hollywood lesson only, and I realize that the Silver Screen often distorts reality for the sake of drama.

I have no real concept of how many people are in each, or of how the levels of hierarcy are organized.  

I know, I sound like an idiot, but I'd like to get rid of at least one source of my ignorance.
These words so often appear in news reports, and if you could help me to have a better understanding of how many people are involved when "X number of batallions" from a division are committed to action, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Company
Lowest level of command, normally commanded by a Capt, consisting of 2 or more Platoons, but normally 3 with a supporting platoon.

Battery
The term used for an artillery/air defense unit equivalent to a company

Battalion
Organization above a company, normally 2 or more companies or batteries with support organization and command and control, commanded by a LtCol.

Squadron
an Aviation/Cavalry term equivalent to a Battalion

Regiment
Echelon above a Battalion (Squadron for Cav), commanded by a COL, consist of 2 or more Battalions, support and command and control.  In foreign militaries Regts are equivalent of Battalions

Brigade
Army term for Regimental sized unit for active forces (Regts still exist in the army for the Rangers and Cavalry, but in general Regt in the army refer to historical unit designation, that have little relevance today).  In Marine parlances a BDE is a Combined arms unit consisting of a Regt combat/landing team (based on infantry), plus air and support.

Division
Made of multiple BDE/Regts commanded by a MajGen, range in size from 5000(foreign about 10000 for US) -20000 troops, normally a complete contain organization, with support units, artillery, maneuver and command and control

Thanks guys, very much.

raf, I'll continue to wade through that site.  An incredible amount of information!

Thanks again.

Marine Corps Ground Combat Element (GCE) structure is as follows:

From a purely Infantry point (not including the support elements) of view;

Marine Division consists of three Infantry Regiments. An Infantry Regiment consists of three Infantry Battalions. Infantry Battalion consists of three Rifle Companies. A Rifle Company consists of three Rifle Platoons. A Rifle Platoon consists of three Rifle Squads. And, finally a Rifle Squad consists of three four man rifle teams.

If you include the support elements attached to each it gets more complicated:

Marine Division: largest GCE in USMC. Consists of:
Infantry Regiment (x3)
HQ Batt
Artillery Regiment
Recon Batt.
Tank Batt
Light Armored Recon Batt
Assault Amphib Batt
Combat Engineer Batt

Infantry Regiment. Consists of:
Infantry Battalion (x3)
Headquarters and Service Company
Artillery Battalion

Infantry Battalion. Consists of:
Rifle Company (x3)
Headquarters and Service Company
Weapons Company

Rifle Company. Consists of:
Company HQ
Rifle Platoon (x3)
Weapons Platoon

Rifle Platoon. Consists of:
Rifle Squad (x3)
HQ

Rifle Squad. Consists of:
Four man fire team (x3)

Headquarters and Service Company. Consists of:
Comm Platoon
Battalion HQ
Service Platoon
Medical Platoon
Chaplain section
Scout/Sniper Platoon

Weapons Company. Consists of:
Mortar Platoon
Anti-Armor Platoon
Heavy Guns Platoon
Company HQ

Hope this helps. unfortunately, I'm not completely familiar with the exact # of Marines each element consists of..

To truly comprehend the coordination and killing power the USMC is capable of you need to research the composition of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF). In short its a well coordinated Air, Ground, and Support element task force. Higly mobile and deadly in its efficiency. But thats a topic all to itself....

That's awesome, ChrisLe.  Yes, it really does help.  I've printed that, and the other posts out; and I'll take a long look to get a better understanding, and then try to find a way to memorize at least the [i]major[/i] categories:

Let's see:
DRBCPST. . . I think I can find a word for each of those to keep the hierarchy straight. . .

Thanks again, everybody.

[And I will take a look into the MAGTF]

Unfortunately, doc, your data for the organization of Marine Division is slightly off.
The DS artillery Battalion is not part of an infantry Regiment, unless a RLT is formed.  Although 3 Battalions are standard, West Coast Regiments, have four Battalions, with the fourth on rotational deployment to the West Pac, while East Coasts Regiments have 3 Battalion, with normally 2 on deck with either 1 Deployed to UDP, on the MEU or lock on to the MEU.  A GCE can be larger than a division, in fact the only time the MEF has been deployed for combat, SWA, the GCE for I MEF was both 1st and 2nd and element of 3rd and 4th MarDivs

No problem with this puppy.

Navy
Submarine Service
Sub crew
sub sailor


(Alright, alright so I don't know a fleet from a brigade !)

STLRN

I came pretty close for a squid [:D][:D]

Thks for the update. I'm an East Coaster and took the info directly from 2MD's Table of Organization as it stood 6 months ago.  Unfortunatley, I spent all of my time down at CLNC fighting the relentless "chigger battalions" that abound. Never was lucky enough to be stationed in lovely Cali...

Is there someone who can translate this jargon for me?

A little help....

RLT= Regimental Landing Team (26th Marine Regt. was an RLT)

BLT=Battalion Landing Team (1st,2nd and 3rd Battalions)(all of the Battalions) of the 26th Marine Regiment were all BLT's.

WestPac=West Pacific=Okinawa,Vietnam,Japan.

A RLT is the Marine version of the Regimental Combat Team, a task organized force of an infantry regiment, a Direct Support (DS) artillery Battalion, normally a company of Amtrack, a Company Tanks, a Company of LAR and a portion of the Recon Battalion.

A BLT is the same but based on a infantry Battalion, with a Battery of artillery, a Plt of Amtracks, a reinforced Plt of LAR and a Plt of tanks.

A MEU (SOC) is a Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Ops Capable) built around a BLT, a command element, a command element, an air combat element of a composite squadron, and a MEU services support group.  It is the smallest of the standing MAGTFs, and there are always 1 deployed in both the Med and the pacific. Prior to going all units of the MEU go on a six month lock on period in which they certified as special operations capable by demonstrating the ability to accomplish 22 standard tasks.

A MEF is the largest of the standard MAGTFs, it is built around a GCE of at least a division, a ACE of at least a wing and a Force Service Support Group.

SWA, is Southwest Asia (Iraq, Kuwait, etc)

UDP is the Unit Deployment Program, in which whole units, infantry battalions, cannon batteries, companies of LAR and AMTRACs and squadrons do a rotating deployment in which they swab gear with another unit in Okinawa.

Armor:  1 platoon = 4 tanks
       1 company = 4 platoons
       1 batallion = 4 companies
       1 Brigade   = 2 batallions of tanks + Infantry, REMF's, aviation, and other assets.

At least it was like that in my unit, but I understand that it was atypical.

Thanks gentlemen.  
Haven't had time to look at the last three posts in detail, but I'll print those out also, and will take a look tomorrow.