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{{Short description|Military unit size designation}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Army units}}

[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Battalion or Squadron (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry (NATO APP-6).svg|thumb|right|Standard [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO symbol]] for a friendly infantry battalion]]

A '''battalion''' is a [[military unit]], typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Military-Units/Army/ | title=Military Units: Army }}</ref> A battalion is commanded by a [[lieutenant colonel]] and subdivided into several [[Company (military unit)|companies]], each typically commanded by a [[Major (rank)|major]] or a [[Captain (armed forces)|captain]]. The typical battalion is built from three operational companies, one [[weapons company]] and one headquarters company. In some countries, battalions are exclusively [[infantry]], while in others battalions are unit-level organizations. The word ''battalion'' has its origins in the Late Latin word ''battalion'', which is derived from ''battalia'', meaning "battle" or "combat." The term was used to describe a large group of soldiers ready for battle. Over time, its meaning evolved in military terminology.

The word "battalion" came into the English language in the 16th century from the [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|bataillon}}, meaning "battle squadron" (similar to the [[Italian language|Italian]] {{lang|it|battaglione}} meaning the same thing) and the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] {{lang|es|batallón}}, derived from the [[Vulgar Latin]] noun {{lang|la|battalia}} ("battle") and ultimately from the [[Classical Latin]] verb {{lang|la|battuere}} ("to beat" or "to strike"). The first use of the word in English is attested in the 1580s.<ref>{{cite book |date=1933 |editor1-last= Murray |editor1-first= James A. H. |editor2-last=Bradley |editor2-first=Henry |editor3-last=Craigie |editor3-first=W. A. |editor4-last=Onions |editor4-first=C. T. |title=The Oxford English Dictionary |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99992/page/n741/mode/2up |edition=1st |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref>

==Description==
A battalion is composed of two or more primary mission companies, which are often of a common type (e.g., infantry, tank, or maintenance), although there are exceptions, such as [[combined arms]] battalions in the U.S. Army. In addition to the primary mission companies, a battalion typically includes a headquarters staff and [[combat service support]], which may be combined into a [[headquarters and service company]]. A battalion may contain a [[Combat Support Company|combat support company]]. With all these components, a battalion is the smallest [[Military organisation|military unit]] capable of "limited independent operations".<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Piehler |editor-first=G. Kurt |title=Encyclopedia of Military Science|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-1-4129-6933-8|page=874|date=2013}}</ref>

The battalion must have a source of resupply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days. This is because a battalion's complement of ammunition, expendable weapons (e.g., [[hand grenade]]s and disposable [[rocket launcher]]s), water, rations, fuel, lubricants, replacement parts, batteries, and medical supplies normally consists of only what the battalion's soldiers and the battalion's vehicles can carry.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The commander's staff coordinates and plans operations. A battalion's subordinate companies and their platoons are dependent upon the battalion headquarters for command, control, communications and intelligence, and the battalion's service and support structure. The battalion is usually part of a [[regiment]], [[group (military unit)|group]], or [[brigade]], depending on the branch of service.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==NATO==
{| class="floatright" style="border:1px solid black; background:white;float: right;text-align: center" cellpadding="3"
|-
!  [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO map symbols]]<ref>{{cite book |title=APP-6C Joint Military Symbology |date=May 2011 |publisher=NATO |url=http://armawiki.zumorc.de/files/NATO/APP-6(C).pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921231042/http://armawiki.zumorc.de/files/NATO/APP-6(C).pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }}</ref>
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Battalion.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Unspecified or Composite All-Arms (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
|a friendly battalion<br> of unspecified composition
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Battalion.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry - Mechanized (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
| a friendly mechanised<br> infantry battalion
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Battalion.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Armour (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
| a friendly tank battalion
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Battalion.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Hostile Unit (Solid Diamond Frame)- Infantry - Motorized (NATO APP-6A).svg|80px]]
|-
| a hostile motor<br> infantry battalion
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Battalion.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Medical (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
| a friendly field ambulance
|}

NATO defines a battalion as being "larger than a company, but smaller than a regiment" while "consisting of two or more company-, battery-, or troop-sized units along with a headquarters."<ref name="NATO Standardization Office">{{cite book |title=APP-6D NATO Joint Military Symbology |date=October 2017 |publisher=NATO Standardization Office |pages=3–67}}</ref> The standard [[NATO]] symbol for a battalion represented by a pair of vertical lines  above a framed unit icon.<ref name="NATO Standardization Office"/> Member nations have specified the various names they will use for organisations of this size.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Names for battalions in NATO member armed forces
|-
! Belgium<ref>APP-6D B-4</ref>
| {{lang|fr|Bataillon}}, or {{lang|fr|escadrille}}
|-
! Bulgaria<ref>APP-6D B-5</ref>
| {{lang|bg-Latn|Bataliyon}} ({{lang|bg|батальон}}), or {{lang|bg-Latn|diviziyon}} ({{lang|bg|дивизион}})
|-
! Canada<ref>APP-6D B-6</ref>
| bgcolor="#A0E0A0"| Battalion or regiment
|-
! Croatia 
| {{lang|hr|Bojna}} or rarely {{lang|hr|bataljun}}
|-
! Czechia<ref>APP-6D B-7</ref>
| {{lang|cs|Prapor, oddíl}}, or {{lang|cs|letka}}
|-
! Denmark<ref>APP-6D, B-10</ref>
| {{lang|da|Bataljon, afdeling}}, or {{lang|da|bataljons kampgruppe}}
|-
! Finland
| {{lang|fi|Pataljoona}}, or {{lang|sv|bataljon}}
|-
! France<ref>APP-6D, B-13</ref>
| {{lang|fr|Bataillon}}, or {{lang|fr|groupement}}
|-
! Germany<ref name="auto2">APP-6D, B-8</ref>
| {{lang|de|Bataillon, Abteilung, Bootsgeschwader, Schiff}}, or {{lang|de|Lehrgruppe}}
|-
! Greece<ref>APP-6D, B-15</ref>
| {{lang|el-Latn|Taghma, moira, epilarchia}}
|-
! Hungary<ref>APP-6D, B-17</ref>
| {{lang|hu|Zászlóalj}}, or {{lang|hu|osztály}}
|-
! Italy<ref>APP-6D, B-19</ref>
| {{lang|it|Battaglione, gruppo, gruppo squadroni, autogruppo}}, or {{lang|it|reparto}}
|-
!Lithuania<ref>APP-6D, B-20</ref>
| {{lang|lt|Batalionas}}, or {{lang|lt|eskadrilė}}
|-
!Netherlands<ref>APP-6D, B-23</ref>
| {{lang|nl|Bataljon, afdeling, groep, colonne}}, or {{lang|nl|commando}}
|-
!Norway<ref>APP-6D, B-24</ref>
| {{lang|no|Bataljon, stridsgruppe}}
|-
! North Macedonia
|батаљон, bataljon
|-
! Poland<ref>APP-6D, B-25</ref>
| {{lang|pl|Batalion}}, or {{lang|pl|dywizjon}}
|-
! Portugal<ref>APP-6D, B-26</ref>
| {{lang|pt|Batalhão}}, or {{lang|pt|grupo}}
|-
! Romania
| {{lang|ro|Batalion}}
|-
! Spain<ref>APP-6D, B-11</ref>
| {{lang|es|Batallón, grupo}}, or {{lang|es|grupo táctico}}
|-
! Turkey<ref>APP-6D, B-30</ref>
| {{lang|tr|Tabur}}
|-
! United Kingdom<ref name="auto3">APP-6D B-14</ref>
| bgcolor="#A0E0A0"| Battalion, regiment, field ambulance, wing, battle group, or commando
|-
! United States<ref>APP-6D B-31</ref>
| bgcolor="#A0E0A0"| Battalion, or squadron
|}

== General history ==
In the 16th and 17th centuries, a battalion represented a mass of 3,000–4,000 men, was divided into 15–20 companies, and (since the superstition of the time required odd numbers) was built so as to have 59 ranks in depth and 51 men at the front; while a [[pikemen]], or [[Spearman (military)|spearmen]],<ref name=novitsky>{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Velichko |first1=Konstantin I. |last2=Novitsky |first2=Vasily F. |author-link2=Vasily Fedorovich Novitsky |last3=Schwarz |first3=Alexey V. von |last4=Apushkin |first4=Vladimir A. |last5=Schulz |first5=Gustav K. von |url=https://archive.org/details/libgen_00300658/page/n114 |title=Военная энциклопедия Сытина |publisher=Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина |volume=18: Паукер – Порт-Артур |location=Moscow |year=1915 |pages=416-417 |language=ru |trans-title=Sytin Military Encyclopedia |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> placed in the middle, were surrounded by three ranks of [[musketeers]], other musketeers were located in separate, small quadrangles at the corners of a battalion and were often used as [[skirmisher]]s (see also [[Pike and shot]]). Russia had a [[gulyay-gorod]] for a while, an analogue of Pike and shot. The increased effectiveness of artillery fire led to the use of a shallower formation and to the division of these large masses into several battalions. Large cavalry regiments (of 10 [[Squadron (army)|squadron]]s) also began to be divided into 2 battalions.<ref name=efron/>

== British Army ==
[[File:Australian 11th Battalion group photo.jpg|thumb|[[11th Battalion (Australia)|Australian 11th (Western Australia) Battalion]], 3rd Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915]]
The term ''battalion'' is used in the [[British Army Infantry]] and some corps including the [[Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers]] and [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]]. It was formerly used in the [[Royal Engineers]] (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps]] and [[Royal Pioneer Corps]]. Other [[corps]] usually use the term "regiment" instead.

An infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment (e.g., 1st Battalion, [[The Rifles]], usually referred to as 1&nbsp;Rifles). It normally has a headquarters company, support company, and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C companies). Each company is commanded by a [[Major (rank)|major]], the officer commanding (OC), with a [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] or senior [[lieutenant]] as [[second-in-command]] (2IC). The HQ company contains [[signals (military)|signals]], [[quartermaster]], catering, [[Military espionage|intelligence]], administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains [[anti-tank]], [[machine gun]], [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]], [[pioneer (military)|pioneer]] and [[reconnaissance]] platoons. Mechanised units usually have an attached [[light aid detachment]] (LAD) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men; as of 2012, a British battalion had around 650 soldiers. With successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion (others were amalgamated to form large regiments that maintained multiple battalions, e.g., the [[Royal Anglian Regiment]]).

Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:
* [[Commanding officer]] (CO) (invariably a [[lieutenant colonel]])
* [[Second-in-command]] (2i/c) (major)
* [[Adjutant]] (captain)
* [[Quartermaster]] (QM) (LE captain)
* Quartermaster (technical) (QM(T))
* Medical officer (MO) ([[Royal Army Medical Service]] captain or major)
* Administrative officer ([[Adjutant General's Corps]] captain or major)
* [[Military Chaplain|Padre]] ([[Royal Army Chaplains Department]] chaplain 4th or 3rd class)
* Operations officer (Ops) (lieutenant)
* Intelligence officer (IO) (lieutenant or captain)
* Regimental Signals officer (RSO) ([[Royal Corps of Signals]] captain)
* [[Regimental sergeant major]] (RSM) ([[warrant officer]] class&nbsp;1)
* [[Regimental quartermaster sergeant]] (RQMS) (warrant officer class&nbsp;2)
* Regimental quartermaster sergeant (technical) (RQMS(T)) (warrant officer class&nbsp;2)
Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101&nbsp;Battalion REME).

=== Battle group ===
A battle group consists of an infantry battalion or [[Armoured regiment (United Kingdom)|armoured regiment]] with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the command of the battalion commander.

== Canadian Army ==
In the [[Canadian Army]], the battalion is the standard unit organisation for infantry and [[combat service support]] and each battalion is divided into one or more sub-units referred to as companies.
In the [[Canadian Forces]], most battalions are [[military reserve force|reserve]] units of between 100 and 200 [[soldiers]] that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. The nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by [[Lieutenant-Colonel (Canada)|lieutenant-colonel]]s, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by [[Major (Canada)|major]]s.

Those regiments consisting of more than one battalion are:
* [[The Royal Canadian Regiment]] (three [[Regular Force|regular]] and one [[Primary Reserve|reserve battalion]]s)
* [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]] (three regular battalions)
* [[Royal 22e Régiment|Royal 22<sup>e</sup> Régiment]] (three regular and two reserve battalions)
* [[The Royal Newfoundland Regiment]] (two reserve battalions)
Tactically, the Canadian battalion forms the core of the infantry battle group, which also includes various supporting elements such as armour, [[artillery]], combat engineers and [[combat service support]]. An infantry battle group will typically be commanded by the commander of the core infantry battalion around which it is formed and can range in size from 300 to 1,500 or more soldiers, depending on the nature of the mission assigned.

== Indian Army ==
A battalion in the [[Indian Army]] consists of four rifle companies. In turn, each rifle company consists three [[platoons]]. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a [[Colonel (India)|colonel]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indianarmy.nic.in/site/formTemplete/frmtempsimple.aspx?MnId=TqWSDHmc2ua6KzgEgvgO7w==&ParentID=RuQ+vVM57FirJYXrHRLBHA== | title=Structure of Army | publisher=indianarmy.nic.in | access-date=22 January 2020 | archive-date=10 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110034401/https://www.indianarmy.nic.in/site/formTemplete/frmtempsimple.aspx?MnId=TqWSDHmc2ua6KzgEgvgO7w%3D%3D&ParentID=RuQ+vVM57FirJYXrHRLBHA%3D%3D | url-status=live }}</ref> Normally a battalion is attached to a [[regiment]] of infantry, which is organised, as a general rule, of a number of battalions and the regimental centre battalion.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

== Indian Armed Police Forces ==
[[Central Armed Police Forces]] (CAPFs) and various [[State Armed Police Forces]] (SAPFs) are organised into battalions. Each battalion is commanded by officers of the rank of [[Commandant]] (equivalent to [[Lieutenant colonel|Lt. Colonel]] or [[Colonel (India)|Colonel]] in the Army). Each battalion is divided into companies and platoons. Each CAPF battalion has ~1000 personnel and consists of 4–6 companies.

Each state armed police battalion is composed of companies (typically 4–6), each further divided into platoons. These armed police battalions focus on [[internal security]], [[riot control]], [[Counterinsurgency|counter-insurgency]], and [[Auxiliary police|law enforcement support]].

== Royal Netherlands Army ==
In the [[Royal Netherlands Army]], a mechanised infantry battalion usually consists of one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry companies and one support company, which has three platoons with heavy mortars and three platoons with anti-tank missiles ([[BGM-71 TOW|TOW]]). With the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an {{lang|nl|afdeling}} (which translates to "section").

Combat companies consist of (usually mechanised) infantry, [[combat engineering|combat engineers]], or [[tank]]s. In the latter case, the unit is called an {{lang|nl|eskadron}}, which translates roughly to "squadron". There are also support battalions in the Dutch Army, which specialise on a specific task: for example, supplies and transport or communications.

The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the [[United Nations]], for the purpose of [[peacekeeping]] duties.

An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion and the [[Netherlands Marine Corps]] all have a battalion structure. Each battalion usually consists of the following:
* Battalion command
** Commander
** Second in command
* General service
** Personnel section
** Intelligence section
** Operations section
** Materiel section
** Communication section
* Command company
** Command group
** Administration group
** Medical group
** Communication group
** Supply platoon
* Three infantry companies
* Support company
** Command group
** Recon platoon
** Mortar platoon
** Anti-tank platoon

==Russia==

In the [[Russian Empire]] and almost everywhere then, its average number was 800–1,000 people. These were 4 companies. But there were battalions of 3 or 5 companies (before 1910 such were part of [[Rifleman|rifle]], [[Garrison|fortress]] and reserve units). Usually a battalion was part of a regiment (2–4 battalions); but there were also separate battalions.<ref name=efron>{{efron|Баталион}}</ref><ref name=novitsky2>{{Cite book |last1=Velichko |first1=Konstantin I. |last2=Novitsky |first2=Vasily F. |last3=Schwarz |first3=Alexey V. von |last4=Apushkin |first4=Vladimir A. |last5=Schulz |first5=Gustav K. von |url=https://archive.org/details/bmk-brz-4/page/411 |title=Военная энциклопедия Сытина |trans-title=Sytin Military Encyclopedia |publisher=Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина |volume=4: Б – Бомба |year=1911 |pages=411–412 |language=ru |author-link2=Vasily Fedorovich Novitsky |access-date=4 November 2023 |place=Moscow}}</ref>

== Soviet Armed Forces ==

=== Motorised rifle battalion ===
[[File:Soviet Motor Rifle Battalion 1980s.png|thumb|400px|Organisation of Soviet Motor Rifle Battalion late 1980s<ref>{{cite book|title=FM 100-2-3|date=June 1991|publisher=United States Army|page=4-4 (35)|url=http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll9/id/335|access-date=2016-01-15|archive-date=2015-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205175658/http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll9/id/335|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
In the [[Soviet Armed Forces]], a motorised rifle battalion could be mounted in either [[BTR (vehicle)|BTR]] [[armoured personnel carrier]]s or [[Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty|BMP]] [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s, with the former being more numerous into the late 1980s. Both consisted of a battalion headquarters of 12 personnel and three motorised rifle companies of 110 personnel each, along with a number of combat support units: a mortar battery consisting of eight 120&nbsp;mm [[120-PM-43 mortar]]s or automatic 82&nbsp;mm [[2B9 Vasilek]]s, an air defence platoon with nine [[MANPAD]]s, either the [[SA-7 Grail]], [[SA-14 Gremlin]] or [[SA-16 Gimlet]] and an automatic grenade launcher platoon with six 30&nbsp;mm [[AGS-17]] launchers. The BTR battalion also featured an anti-tank platoon with four [[AT-3 Sagger]] or [[AT-4 Spigot]] launchers and two 73&nbsp;mm [[SPG-9]] [[recoilless gun]]s; BTR units on high-readiness status sometimes had six missile launchers and three recoilless guns. Both featured the same support units as well, with a signal platoon, supply platoon, repair workshop and medical aid station. The addition of the antitank platoon meant that a BTR battalion at full strength was 525 personnel and 60 BTRs, including three command variants, while a BMP battalion consisted of 497 personnel and 45 BMPs, including three command variants.<ref>US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', 4–3</ref>

=== Tank battalion ===
[[File:Soviet Tank BN-CO 1980s.jpg|thumb|left|1980s Soviet tank battalion and company]]
Prior to the late 1980s, Soviet tank battalions consisted of three tank companies of 13 [[T-64]], [[T-72]] or [[T-80]] tanks each, along with a battalion headquarters mounted in a command tank and a headquarters and service platoon, for a total of 165 personnel and 40 tanks; battalions using the older [[T-54]], [[T-55]] or [[T-62]]s tanks had 31 or 40 additional enlisted personnel. However, forces in Eastern Europe began to standardise to a smaller formation with 135 personnel and 31 tanks total, with each tank company consisting of 10 tanks total.<ref>US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', Paragraph 4-15</ref><ref>US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', Paragraph 4-108</ref>

=== Artillery battalion ===
[[File:Soviet Artillery Battalion 1980s.jpg|thumb|1980s Soviet 122 mm artillery battalion]]
A Soviet artillery battalion in the late 1980s consisted of a battalion headquarters, a headquarters platoon, a maintenance and supply platoon and three firing batteries, each with six artillery pieces, whether the self-propelled [[2S1 Gvozdika]]s or the towed [[122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)|D-30]] [[howitzer]]s, and numbering 260 personnel or 240 personnel respectively. Rocket launcher artillery battalions consisted of a headquarters and headquarters platoon, a service battery and three firing batteries equipped with [[BM-21 Grad]]s for a total of 255 personnel.<ref>US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', Paragraph 4-3</ref><ref>US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', 4–50</ref>

== Sweden ==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2024}}
A Swedish battalion during the mid-17th century up to the mid-18th century was the smallest tactical unit in combat. The 600-man unit was formed, temporarily, at the inception of a battle by joining four-foot companies from a foot regiment of eight companies. The commander of the regiment, an {{lang|sv|[[överste]]}} ([[colonel]]), led the first battalion and his deputy, an {{lang|sv|[[överstelöjtnant]]}} ([[lieutenant colonel]]), the second battalion.<ref name="vonSchantz2002">{{cite book |last=von Schantz |first=Patrik |title=Swedish Military Administration, 1680–1760 |publisher=Uppsala University Press |year=2002 }}</ref> Battalion commanders and all other officers marched in front of the formation. [[Non-commissioned officers]] (''underofficers'') marched beside and behind to prevent [[desertion]], and to replace officers who were killed. In addition to his principal duties, senior officers, such as {{lang|sv|[[Major (rank)|majorer]]}}, the {{lang|sv|överstelöjtnant}} and {{lang|sv|överste}}, also commanded a company. So that the {{lang|sv|överste}} could focus on the operations of his regiment and first battalion, command of his company was delegated to a {{lang|sv|kaptenlöjtnant}}. During battle, each officer, except the {{lang|sv|[[fänrik]]ar}}, was in charge of a portion of his company. ''Underofficer'' (NCO) ranks consisted of {{lang|sv|[[furir]]}}, {{lang|sv|förare}}, {{lang|sv|[[fältväbel]]}}, {{lang|sv|[[Sergeant (Sweden)|sergeant]]}} and {{lang|sv|[[rustmästare]]}}.<ref name="nelsson2010">{{cite journal |last=Nelsson |first=Bertil |year=2010 |title=Officer and NCO Structure in the Swedish Carolean Army |journal=Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies |volume=5 |pages=45–68}}</ref>

== Swiss Army ==
With the major reform of its armed forces in 2004, the [[Swiss Army]] abandoned the old regimental system and adopted a combat team approach centred on battalions as the building blocks of mission-oriented task forces. Battalion sizes vary between branches.

== United States Armed Forces ==

=== United States Army ===
{{main|Battalion (United States Army)}}
In the [[United States Army]], a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two to six batteries, companies, or troops.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Military Units: Army |url=https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Military-Units/Army/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}</ref> They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (Battery&nbsp;A, Company&nbsp;A, Troop&nbsp;A, etc.).<ref name=":0" /> Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battalion {{!}} Military Unit Structure & Organization {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/battalion |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

A U.S. Army battalion includes the battalion commander ([[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]]), [[executive officer]] ([[Major (United States)|major]]), [[command sergeant major]] (CSM), headquarters staff and usually three to five companies, with a total of 300 to 1,000<ref name=DoDsize>{{cite web|title=Military Units: How Each Service Is Organized|url=https://www.dodlive.mil/2017/05/17/military-units-how-each-service-is-organized/|author=Katie Lange|publisher=[[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] News, [[Defense Media Activity]]|access-date=2019-02-01|quote=Battalion: Consists of 4–6 companies and can include up to about 1,000 soldiers.|archive-date=2019-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215182330/http://www.dodlive.mil/2017/05/17/military-units-how-each-service-is-organized/|url-status=live}}</ref> (but typically 500 to 600) soldiers.<ref name=Britannica1>{{cite web|title=Battalion|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/battalion|publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]|access-date=2019-02-01|quote=In the early 21st century the typical U.S. Army battalion was a unit of between 500 and 600 officers and enlisted personnel divided into a headquarters company and three rifle companies.|archive-date=2018-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711020036/https://www.britannica.com/topic/battalion|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War]], an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described below), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 1–6 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.

During [[World War II]], most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of three rifle companies and a heavy weapons company.<ref name=Britannica2>{{cite web|title=Battalion|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/battalion|publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]|access-date=2019-02-01|quote=After World War I the "square" infantry battalion of four companies was superseded by the "triangular" battalion of World War II and the Korean War, usually composed of three rifle companies, a heavy-weapons company and a headquarters company.|archive-date=2018-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711020036/https://www.britannica.com/topic/battalion|url-status=live}}</ref> That is, rifle companies A, B, C along with heavy weapons Company&nbsp;D were part of the 1st battalion, rifle companies&nbsp;E, F, G and heavy weapons Company&nbsp;H constituted the 2nd battalion, and rifle companies I, K, L and heavy weapons Company&nbsp;M were in the 3rd. There was no J&nbsp;Company: the letter ''J'' was traditionally not used because in 18th- and 19th-century old-style type, the capital letters ''I'' and ''J'' looked alike and were therefore easily confused with one another. It was common for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the [[Normandy Landings]] and the [[Battle of the Bulge]], in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary.

The U.S. Army also created [[independent tank battalion]]s to attach to infantry divisions during World War II in order to give them fire support.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: [[headquarters and headquarters company]] (HHC) and A, B and C&nbsp;Companies, plus a combat support company (CSC), with a scout platoon, 107&nbsp;mm (4.2 inch) heavy mortar platoon, along with other elements that varied between organisations. These included heavy anti-tank [[TOW missile]] platoons, [[ground surveillance radar]] sections and [[man-portable air-defense system]] sections. Beginning in the early 1980s, some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the headquarters company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organisation (ground surveillance radar and air defence), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (E&nbsp;Company). In the late 1980s, there was a fourth "line" company added (D&nbsp;Company) in most infantry and tank battalions.

In this older structure, U.S. Army mechanised infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, task-organised companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized [[task force]] (TF).

Starting in 2005–2006, the U.S. Army's mechanised and tank battalions were reorganised into [[Brigade combat team#Combined Arms Battalion (×3)|combined arms battalions]] (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanised infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two tank companies and a forward support company attached from the battalion's parent brigade support battalion.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each [[Brigade combat team#Armored brigade combat team|armored brigade]] (formerly designated 'heavy brigade') is now composed of three CABs (versus the two CABs of a former heavy brigade), one reconnaissance squadron, one artillery battalion, one brigade engineer battalion (BEB) and one brigade support battalion (BSB).

=== United States Marine Corps ===
{{see also|List of United States Marine Corps battalions}}
A [[United States Marine Corps]] battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an [[executive officer]] (the second-in-command, usually a major), the [[sergeant major]] and the executive staff (S-1 through S-4 and S-6). The battalion headquarters is supported by a [[headquarters and service company]] (battery). A battalion usually contains two to five organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery) and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments – three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments – three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments – one to three combat logistics battalions). In the U.S. Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in "[[Marine Expeditionary Brigade]]" (MEB). An MEB is one of the standard [[Marine Air-Ground Task Force]]s (MAGTF), is commanded by a [[brigadier general]] or [[major general]], and consists of command element, a [[ground combat element]] (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an [[aviation combat element]] (a reinforced Marine aircraft group including rotary wing, fixed wing and tiltrotor aircraft) and a combat logistics element (a Marine combat logistics regiment, which includes naval construction forces [Seabees] and naval medical elements).

In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or "rifle" battalion typically consists of a headquarters and service company, three rifle or "line" companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under World War II, with company letters D, H and M not normally used but rather held in reserve for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed.

United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organised into Battalion Landing Teams (BLTs) as the ground combat element (GCE) of a [[Marine Expeditionary Unit]] (MEU). A standard U.S. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an [[artillery battery]] and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armoured reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance Marines and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organisation. Often [[Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company]] (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to the battalion, to coordinate [[naval gunfire support#United States|naval gunfire support]].

=== United States Navy ===
The [[United States Navy]] has [[Seabee (US Navy)|construction battalions]] and [[Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (United States)|navy cargo handling battalions]]. They are structured roughly analogous to an Army or Marine Corps battalion with staff and commanding officers of similar grade and experience.

== Myanmar ==
In Myanmar (Army, People's Defence Force and various EAOs), battalions (or regiments), called Tat Yinn (တပ်ရင်း), are the main maneuver units.<ref>{{Cite news |script-title=my:မြန်မာစစ်တပ်ကို ခွဲခြမ်းစိတ်ဖြာခြင်း အပိုင်း (၁) |url=https://burma.irrawaddy.com/article/2023/06/22/335712.html |script-quote=my:လက်ရှိ မြန်မာ၏ တိုက်ခိုက်ရေးအင်အားကို တွက်ချက်ပါက အခြေခံအားဖြင့် မြေပြင်စစ်ဆင်ရေးတာဝန်ယူရသည့် ကြည်းတပ်၏ ခြေလျင်၊ ခြေမြန်တပ်ရင်းများ၏ စစ်အင်အားကို အဓိကထား၍ တွက်ချက်လေ့ရှိကြ၏။ |trans-quote=Currently in Myanmar, when estimating the strength of the army (or any armed organisation in that matter), the method is to count their infantry/light infantry battalions which are their main combat units |work=[[The Irrawaddy]] |language=my |date=2023-06-22}}</ref>

As for structure, infantry battalions were structured with 27 officers and 750 other ranks back in 1966 under a structure organisation named of {{lang|my|ကဖ/၇၀(၈)/၆၆}}. This was revised in 1988 to 814 men and then revised again in 2001 as 31 officers and 826 other ranks under a structure organisation named {{lang|my|ကဖ/၇၀-ဆ/၂၀၀၁}}.<ref name="Tatmadaw_2009">{{cite book |chapter=INDEX |date=2009-12-31 |title=Building the Tatmadaw |pages=247–254 |publisher=ISEAS Publishing|doi=10.1355/9789812308498-014 |isbn=978-981-230-849-8 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |website=[[Facebook]] |script-title=my:"ကျားတော့ကျား၊ ဒါပေမဲ့ စက္ကူကျား"(ဆောင်းပါး) (အပိုင်း၁-ဖွဲ့စည်းရေး) |url=https://www.facebook.com/MizzimaDaily/photos/a.320351647999747/5576685825699610/?paipv=0&eav=AfbIBUJyHijCHFzesDEapjb7eizSpZPZnjnVzZM2G8e0RmGybBBN4HNE_6uPi6vLH18&_rdr|quote=၁၉၈၈ ခုနှစ်မတိုင်ခင် ကာကွယ်ရေးဦးစီးချုပ်ရုံး(ကြည်း)ရဲ့ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံ (ကဖ-၇၀(၈)၆၆)အရ ကြည်းတပ် တိုက်ခိုက်ရေးခြေလျှင်/ခြေမြန် တပ်ရင်း တစ်ခုရဲ့ အင်အားပြည့် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံကို အရာရှိ ၂၇ ဦးနဲ့ အခြားအဆင့် ၇၅၀၊ စုစုပေါင်း ၇၇၇ ဦးအထိ ရှိရမယ်ဆိုပြီး သတ်မှတ် ပြဋ္ဌာန်းထားခဲ့ပါတယ်။<br/>ဗိုလ်သန်းရွှေလက်ထက် ၂၀၀၁ ခုနှစ်မှာ ပြင်ဆင်ပြောင်းလဲခဲ့တဲ့ တပ်ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံ ကဖ ၇၀ ဆ ၂၀၀၁ မှာတော့ ခြေလျင်/ခြေမြန် တပ်ရင်း တစ်ရင်းရဲ့ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံကို အရာရှိ ၃၁ ဦးနဲ့ အခြားအဆင့် ၈၂၆ ဦး၊ စုစုပေါင်း ၈၅၇ ဦးအထိ ရှိရမယ်ဆိုပြီး ပြင်ဆင်ပြဋ္ဌာန်းခဲ့တာ တွေ့ရပါတယ်။ |trans-quote=Before 1988, Infantry/Light Infantry Battalions were organised with an authorised strength of 27 Officers and 750 Other Ranks. Totaling at 777 men under the organisional structure name of (ကဖ-၇၀(၈)၆၆). However it was changed after 1988 as 814 men unit<br/>Under Than Shwe's regime, the authorised strength was changed again as 31 officers and 826 other ranks under the organisional structure name of ကဖ ၇၀ ဆ ၂၀၀၁}}{{user-generated source|date=June 2024}}</ref>

Even though the authorised strength of the structure changed, the core of the battalion structure remains roughly the same with battalion/regimental HQ housing command elements (OC, 2IC, adjutant, quartermaster, RSM, RQMS, R.P sergeant etc.), an HQ company (containing support platoons such as engineer, signal, medical etc.) and 4 rifle companies (for example: No. (1) Rifle Company, No. (2) Rifle Company, No. (3) Rifle Company and No. (4) Rifle Company).<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H11gx1ThK4E |date=2016-08-03 |last=Cin Pu {U, D, N, R} |access-date=2024-06-23 |via=YouTube |script-title=my: ေ၀လည္းေမႊး ေႀကြလည္းေမႊး}}</ref> The 4 rifle companies and the HQ company are for combat troops whereas the battalion/regimental HQ is for command elements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-02 |script-title=my:မြန်မာစစ်တပ် ဘာကြောင့် အားနည်းသွားသလဲ |url=https://www.bbc.com/burmese/articles/cy6w571xdgvo |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=BBC News မြန်မာ |language=my |script-quote=my:တပ်ရင်းတစ်ရင်းမှာ သေနတ်ကိုင်တပ်ခွဲလို့ ခေါ်တဲ့ ရှေ့တန်းထွက်တဲ့တပ်ခွဲ နဲ့ ဌာနချုပ်တပ်ခွဲလို့ ခေါ်တဲ့ နောက်တန်းမှာနေတဲ့ တပ်ခွဲဆိုပြီး ခွဲခြားထားပါတယ်။ |trans-quote=A regiment/battalion has 4 rifle companies and a headquarters company with support elements as their fighting force and the regimental/battalion headquarters meant to stay at the cantonment.}}</ref>

According to some observers, the average manpower of the battalions has substantially declined: from 670+ in 1988, 350+ in 1998, to 250+ in 2008.<ref name="Tatmadaw_2009"/> A leaked document reported in the international media revealed that in late 2006, the Tatmadaw had 284 battalions with fewer than 200 personnel, and 220 battalions with between 200 and 300 personnel.<ref name="Tatmadaw_2009"/>

{{As of|2024|01}}, most battalions/regiments of the army are reported to have less than 150 men.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-02 |script-title=my:မြန်မာစစ်တပ် ဘာကြောင့် အားနည်းသွားသလဲ |url=https://www.bbc.com/burmese/articles/cy6w571xdgvo |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=BBC News မြန်မာ |language=my |script-quote=my:လက်ရှိအခြေအနေမှာ စစ်တပ်ရဲ့ တပ်ရင်းတစ်ရင်းမှာ စစ်အင်အား ၂၀၀ အောက်သာရှိပြီး အများစုက အင်အား ၁၅၀ အောက်သာ ရှိတယ်လို့ ဦးရဲမျိုးဟိန်း ရဲ့ စာရင်းမှာဖော်ပြပါတယ်။|trans-quote=As of currently, regiments/battalions in the army have the strength of just around 200 men and most of them only have below 150 men}}</ref> Within these battalions, only around 80 men are fit for actual combat.<ref>{{Cite news |script-title=my:စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ စစ်အင်အား အကျပ်အတည်း ဆိုက်နေပြီ |url=https://burma.irrawaddy.com/opinion/viewpoint/2022/09/14/254509.html |work=[[The Irrawaddy]] |date=2022-09-14 |script-quote=my:၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်က ပျမ်းမျှ စစ်ထွက်အင်အား ၁၅၀ ခန့်ရှိသေးသော်လည်း ၂၀၂၂ ခုနှစ် နှစ်လည်ပိုင်းမှစ၍ အချို့တပ်များ စစ်ထွက်အင်အား ၈၅ ယောက်ပင် မပြည့်တော့ပေ။ ပြန်လည်၍ မဖြည့်တင်းနိုင်ခဲ့ရာ စစ်ထွက်အင်အား ၈၅ ယောက် အနည်းဆုံးရှိရန် ညွှန်ကြားနေသည်ကို တွေ့ရ၏ |trans-quote=In 2021, while there were around 150 men per battalion, most of them were fit for combat whereas since late 2022, each battalion had less than 85 men that are fit for combat}}</ref> Due to such manpower shortages, the army has been reportedly drawing out 30,000 men from combat support service battalions as of late 2023 (signal, supply and transport battalions for example).<ref>{{Cite news |script-title=my:မြန်မာစစ်တပ်ကို ခွဲခြမ်းစိတ်ဖြာခြင်း အပိုင်း (၁) |url=https://burma.irrawaddy.com/article/2023/06/26/335786.html |work=[[The Irrawaddy]] |language=my |date=2023-06-26 |script-quote=my:တပ်တွင်း သတင်းအရင်းအမြစ်များ အဆိုအရ ၂၀၂၃ ခုနှစ် နှစ်ဆန်းပိုင်းမှစ၍ လက်ရုံးတပ်များမှ တပ်အင်အား ၃ သောင်းခန့်ထုတ်နုတ်ပြီး တိုက်ခိုက်ရေးတပ်ရင်းများသို့ ဖြည့်တင်းရန် စီစဉ်နေသည်ဟု သိရပါသည်။ |trans-quote=As of reports within the military, since early 2023, army has been drawing out around 3000 men from combat support service battalions and sending them as reinforcements to infantry/light infantry battalions}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |work=[[The Irrawaddy]] |date=2023-06-26 |language=my |script-title=my:မြန်မာစစ်တပ်ကို ခွဲခြမ်းစိတ်ဖြာခြင်း အပိုင်း (၂) |url=https://burma.irrawaddy.com/article/2023/06/26/335786.html |script-quote=my:စစ်တပ်တွင် ခြေလျင်၊ ခြေမြန်တပ်ရင်း ၅၄၂ ရင်းကို ပံ့ပိုးပေးနေသည့် လက်ရုံးတပ်ဖွဲ့များ၊ စစ်ဝန်ထမ်းတပ်ဖွဲ့များမှာ –<br/>၁။ လေကြောင်းရန်ကာကွယ်ရေး တပ်ရင်းတပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၅၈ ရင်း၊<br/>၂။ စစ်ဖက်ရေးရာလုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၁၇ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၃။ ကပစ စက်ရုံ၊ အလုပ်ရုံ – ၂၆ ရုံ၊<br/>၄။ စစ်ကျောင်းများ – ၃၈ ကျောင်း၊<br/>၅။ ကကနယ်တပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၆ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၆။ ဆက်သွယ်ရေးတပ်ရင်း၊ တပ်ဖွဲ့၊ အလုပ်ရုံ – ၅၁ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၇။ ကကပြည်တပ်ဖွဲ့/သင်တန်းကျောင်း – ၃၇ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၈။ ဆေးတပ်ဖွဲ့၊ ဆေးရုံ၊ ဆေးတပ်ရင်း – ၅၉ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၉။ အင်ဂျင်နီယာတပ်ရင်းတပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၆၄ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၁၀။ ထောက်ပံ့ရေး၊ ပို့ဆောင်ရေးတပ်ရင်းတပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၃၆ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၁၁။ ကကနက် တပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၄၁ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၁၂။ လျှပ်စစ်တပ်ဖွဲ့၊ သင်တန်းကျောင်း – ၃၉ ဖွဲ့၊<br/>၁၃။ အထွေအထွေတပ်ဖွဲ့ – ၁၃ ဖွဲ့၊ စစ်သံရုံး – ၁၇ ရုံး၊<br/>၁၄။ ကာကွယ်ရေးဦးစီချုပ်ရုံးအပါအဝင် စစ်ရုံး ၂၁ ရုံးတို့ ဖြစ်သည်။ |trans-quote=In the army, combat support and combat support battalions established to support 542 Infantry/Light Infantry Battalions are<br/>1. 58 Air Defence Battalions<br/>2. 17 Military Security Affair Battalions (military intelligence)<br/>3. 26 Defence Industries<br/>4. 38 Military Training Institutions<br/>5. 6 Public Relation Battalions<br/>7. 51 Signal Units (including battalions and specialised companies as well as advanced signal battalions specialised for intercepting radio frequencies and messages)<br/>8. 59 Medical Units (including Field Medical Battalions and Hospitals)<br/>9. 64 Military Engineer Battalions<br/>10. 36 Supply and Transport Units (Battalions and specialised companies)<br/>11. 41 Military Equipment Companies<br/>12. 39 Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Battalions<br/>13. 13 General Duty Companies and 17 Military embassy units<br/>14. Office of Commander in Chief (War Office)}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Battalion (Sweden)]]
* [[Indonesian Army infantry battalions]]
* [[March battalion]]
* [[Military organization]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/French_infantry.html French Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars]
* [https://archive.today/20121212013304/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army-usawc/bchandbook.htm ''The Battalion Commander's Handbook''], 1996, by Major General Richard A. Chilcoat, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania

{{Authority control}}
{{Military units}}

[[Category:Battalions|*]]
[[Category:Military units and formations by size]]