Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of about 100-200 soldiers.In the United States military, it refers to a group of 150-300 soldiers formed into three to six platoons, and typically commanded by a captain. Several companies form a battalion.
In the US and Canadian militaries (at least), individual companies are identified by letter - "B company", "company K", and so forth. The letters are often pronounced using the NATO phonetic alphabet or formerly the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, resulting in names such as Charlie Company and Easy Company, some of which have become familiar.
- Able Company
- Alpha Company
- Baker Company
- Bravo Company
- Charlie Company
- Dog Company
- Delta Company
- Easy Company
- Echo Company
- Fox Company
- Foxtrot Company
- George Company
- Golf Company
- How Company
- Hotel Company
- Item Company
- India Company
- Jig Company
- Juliet Company
- King Company
- Kilo Company
- Love Company
- Lima Company
- Mike Company
- November Company
- Oscar Company
British Army
The British Army also identifies its rifle companies by letter (usually, but not always, A, B and C) within the infantry battalion. Companies of other corps are individually numbered. The designation 'company' is used in the infantry, Intelligence Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Military Police and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, as well as the Royal Marines.
The cavalry, Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals, Army Air Corps, Special Air Service and Royal Logistic Corps currently use the designation of 'squadron' instead. The Royal Artillery uses 'battery'.
The Royal Engineers and Royal Corps of Signals also once used 'company', as did the defunct Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps. The old Royal Corps of Transport used 'squadron'.
British companies are usually commanded by a major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a captain as Second-in-Command (2i/c). Until after the Second World War, the company commander of an infantry company was usually a captain, although companies of other corps were often under majors even then. The company headquarters will also include a Company Sergeant-Major (CSM) and a Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS).
See also: Military structure