United States Army

The Army is that branch of the United States Armed Forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations.

The U.S. army is structured roughly:

army group - when required
field army
corps
division
brigade or group: Most American Army divisions are organized in three or more brigades.

See also regiment for cavalry units.

battalion or squadron: Infantry and artillery units are organized into battalions. Cavalry or armor units are formed into squadrons. A battalion-sized unit is commanded by a lieutenant colonel.
company (military unit) or battery or troop: Artillery units are formed into batteries. Cavalry units are formed into troops. A company-sized unit is usually led by a captain.
platoon
squad or section
crew or fire team

The Army is organized by function. Combat forces include Infantry, Armor, Cavalry, and Special Operations Forces. Combat support troops include Artillery, Army Aviation[?], Army Logistics[?], Army Medical Corps[?], Army Transportation[?], Army Ordnance[?], Adjutant General's Corps[?],Signal Corps[?], and the Judge Advocate Generals Corps[?].

The Officer Corps provides leadership and managerial functions, and is composed of Company Grade officers (Second Lieutenant - gold bar, First Lieutenant - silver bar, Captain - two silver bars), Field Grade officers (Major - gold oak leaf, Lieutenant Colonel - silver oak leaf, Colonel - silver eagle), and General officers (Brigadier General - one star, Major General - two stars, Lieutenant General - three stars, General - four stars). Officers receive a "Commission" assigning them to the Officer Corps by act of Congress.

The Warrant Officer Corps is largely composed of highly trained specialists in certain select areas who must have a rank commensurate with their responsibility.

The primary sources for Warrant Officers are the various Warrant Officer Training Programs at military posts and installations around the United States.

The Non-Commissioned Officer Corps[?] (or NCO Corps) is the first line of leadership for the Enlisted[?] members of the Army, and includes the ranks of Corporal (two stripes up), Sergeant (three stripes up), Staff Sergeant (three stripes up and one down), Sergeant First Class (three stripes up and two down), Master Sergeant (three stripes up and three down), First Sergeant (which holds the same enlisted pay grade as Master Sergeant, but which carries extra administrative duties - three stripes up and three down with a lozenge in the center), Sergeant Major (three stripes up and three down with a star in the center), Command Sergeant Major (three stripes up and three down with a wreathed star in the center) and Sergeant Major of the Army (of whom there is only one, and who advises the Chief of Staff of the Army on matters relating to Enlisted personnel - three stripes up and three down with a centered eagle accompanied with two stars).

Training for Non-Commissioned Officers takes place at any of the various NCO training centers around the world.

It should be noted here that it is the outstanding quality of the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks which has largely built the excellent reputation of the United States Army. Until relatively recent history, most countries depended upon their officer corps to micromanage strategy, tactics and virtually every other aspect of military operations. With the development of the NCO Corps, the United States Army took a giant step toward utilizing the skills, intelligence, adaptability and independence of its citizens during times of conflict. The confidence and esteem in which the Officer Corps holds the NCOs which serve in the United States Army is based upon hard-won combat experience. This experience has repeatedly shown that rank is no indicator of leadership ability, and that leaders will emerge during times of hardship and conflict. Many military historians have held that this is the true strength of any military organization which serves a democracy.

Enlisted ranks are Private (no rank insignia), Private Enlisted Grade 2 (one chevron pointing up), Private First Class (one stripe up and a curved stripe (a rocker below), and Specialist (which is the same Enlisted Grade as Corporal, but which requires technical leadership skills, as opposed to the combat leadership skills required of Corporal -a dark green patch with an eagle centered).

Training for enlisted soldiers usually consists of Basic Training, and Advanced Individual Training in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the world.

All members of the Army must take an oath upon being sworn in as members, swearing (or affirming) to "protect the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic." This emphasis on the defense of the United States Constitution illustrates the concern of the framers that the military be subordinate to legitimate civilian authority.

Major Commands of the United States Army

Major Commands of the US Army
Major Command and Commanders Location of Headquarters

Intelligence & Security Command (http://www.inscom.army.mil/) (INSCOM)-Major General Keith B. Alexander Fort Belvoir[?], Virginia

Criminal Investigation Command (http://www.belvoir.army.mil/cidc/) (CID)-Major General Donald J. Ryder Fort Belvoir[?], Virginia

Corps of Engineers (http://www.usace.army.mil/) (USACE)-Lieutenant General Robert B. Flowers Washington, D.C.

Medical Command (http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/) (MEDCOM)-Lieutenant General James B. Peake Fort Sam Houston[?], Texas

Army Materiel Command (http://www.amc.army.mil/) (AMC)-General Paul J. Kern Alexandria, Virginia

Training & Doctrine Command (http://www.tradoc.army.mil/) (TRADOC)-Leiutenant General Larry R. Jordan Fort Monroe[?], Virginia

Forces Command (http://www.forscom.army.mil/) (FORSCOM)-General Larry R. Ellis Fort McPherson[?], Georgia

US Army South (http://www.usarso.army.mil/) (ARSO)-Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela Fort Sam Houston[?], Texas

Special Operations Command (http://www.soc.mil/hqs/hqs_home.htm) (ARSOC)-Lieutenant General Philip R. Kesinger Fort Bragg[?], North Carolina

Military Traffic Management Command (http://www.mtmc.army.mil/) (MTMC)-Major General Ann E. Dunwoody Fort Eustis[?], Alexandria, Virginia

Space & Missile Defense Command (http://www.smdc.army.mil/) (SMDC)-Lieutenant General Joseph M. Consumano, Jr. Arlington, Virginia

8th US Army (http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/) (EUSA)-Lieutenant General Charles C. Campbell Yongsan Army Garrison[?], Seoul

Army Pacific Command (http://www.usarpac.army.mil/) (ARPAC)-Lieutenant General James L. Campbell Fort Shafter[?], Hawaii

US Army Europe, 7th Army (http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/) (AREUR)-General B. B. Bell Campbell Barracks[?], Heidelberg, Germany

Army Central Command (http://www.arcent.army.mil/index.html) (ARCENT)-Lieutenant General David D. McKiernan Fort McPherson[?], Georgia

Arny Reserve Command (http://www.army.mil/usar/) (ARC)-Lieutenant General James R. Helmly Fort McPherson[?], Georgia

Army National Guard (http://www.arng.army.mil/) (ARNG)-Lieutenant General Roger G. Schultz Washington, D.C.

Formations of the United States Army

First Army

Third Army: Army Central Command (ARCENT)

Fifth Army

Sixth Army

Seventh Army: United States Army Europe

V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany

1st Infantry Division ("The Big Red One")

1st Armored Divsion-- Wiesbaden, Germany[?]

Equipment:

159 M1A1 Abrams tanks

173 M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles

36 Paladin howitzers[?]

18 Multiple Launcher Rocket System (MLRS)[?]

18 Apache helicopters.

Eighth Army: Korea

2nd Infantry Division ("Indian Head" Division)
Commander: Major General John Wood[?]

U.S. Army Pacific Command

25th Infantry Division[?] (Light) ("Tropic Lightning")
Commander: Major General Eric T. Olson[?]

I Corps, Fort Lewis, Washington ("America's Corps")

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Light)

1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light)

III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas

1st Cavalry Division [strength: 16,700]

4th Infantry Division[?] (Mechanized)

--III Corps U.S. Army National Guard

7th Infantry Division[?] (Light) ("Bayonet" Division)
Commander: Major General Charles Campbell[?]

XVIII Airborne Corps

3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized} ("Rock of the Marne")

3rd Brigade ("Sledgehammer")-- Based at Fort Benning, Georgia[?].

1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery

1st Battalion, 15th Infantry

2nd Battalion, 69th Armor

317th Engineer Battalion

203rd Forward Support Battalion

10th Mountain Division[?] (Light} -- Based at Fort Drum, New York

1st Brigade

2nd Brigade

27th Brigade (Orions)-- New York Army National Guard

82nd Airborne Division

Division Support Command

G1, 82nd Airborne Division

1st Squadron 17th Cavalry

3rd Battalion 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment

82nd Aviation Support Battalion

82nd Advanced Airborne School

82nd FreeFall Team

82nd Airborne Military Police Division

82nd Aviation Brigade

2nd Battalion 82nd Aviation Regiment

82nd Signal Battalion

82nd Soldier Support Battalion

307th Engineer Battalion

313th Military Intelligence Battalion

319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment

1st Battalion 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment

3rd Battalion 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment

325th Airborne Infantry Regiment

2nd Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment

3rd Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

3rd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

3rd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (Screaming Eagles)-- Fort Campbell, Kentucky[?]

Equipment:

70+ Apache helicopters

100+ Blackhawk helicopters

40 Chinook helicopters

1st Corps Support Command

46th Corps Support Group

264th Corps Support Battalion

330th Movement Control Battalion

403rd Transportation Company

507th Corps Support Group

Materiel Command Field Support Center

XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery

18th Field Artillery Brigade

1st Battalion 321th Field Artillery Regiment

1st Battalion 377th Field Artillery Regiment

3rd Battalion 27th Field Artillery Regiment

2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne)

503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne)

18th Aviation Brigade (Airborne)

1-159th Aviation Regiment

18th Ordnance Company

18th Soldier Support Group

18th Personnel Services Battalion

126th Finance Battalion

20th Engineer Brigade (Combat)(Airborne)

27th Engineer Battalion

37th Engineer Battalion

35th Signal Brigade (Airborne)

50th Signal Battalion

51st Signal Battalion

327th Signal Battalion

108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade

229th Aviation Regiment (Attack)

1-229th Attack Helicopter Battalion

3-229th Attack Helicopter Regiment

525th Military Intelligence Brigade (Airborne)