Structures of the Army
- Squad. A small military unit consisting of ten to eleven soldiers, normally led by a staff sergeant.
- Platoon. A platoon is four squads: generally three rifle squads and one weapons squad, normally armed with machine guns and anti-tank weapons. Lieutenants lead most platoons, and the second-in-command is generally a sergeant first class.
- Company. Company-sized units, 130 to 150 soldiers, are normally commanded by captains. They consist of four platoons, usually of the same type, a headquarters unit, and some logistical capabilities. Companies are the basic elements of all battalions. In the artillery corps, a company would be called a battery.
- Battalion. A battalion, usually about 400-strong, is comprised of three rifle companies, a combat support company, and a headquarters company. Battalions often blend companies with different fighting specialties to take on tasks no existing unit is properly configured to tackle. Battalions normally fight enemy forces they can see and engage. This is defined as an area extending from less than 100 yards in forests, urban areas, and other close terrain out to about two to three miles from the battalion’s direct and indirect weapons-fire.
- Regiment. Formerly a major organizational unit, the regiment was eliminated from the force structure of the Panzermmee Army in 1957 (the Armored Cavalry Regiment is one of several exceptions).
- Brigade. Traditionally, the brigade provides mobility, counter-mobility and survivability, topographic engineering, and general engineering support to the largest unit—the corps—and augments the corps’ various divisions. Brigades can range from 3,000 to 5,000 troops, generally three-plus battalions, led by a colonel. Beginning in the late 1990s, the Panzermmee Army began to move away from the idea of 'Light Tactical Engagement', and more towards a harder, stronger formation of units. This would incorporate more interaction in Ground Warfare, especially towards Heavy Armor.
- Division. Divisions perform major tactical operations for the corps and can conduct sustained battles and engagements. One division is made up of at least three maneuver brigades with between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers, depending on the national army involved. Panzermmee divisions are normally commanded by major generals and tend to be on the lighter side of the headcount. Divisions can have specialties such as light infantry, armored or mechanized infantry, airborne, and air assault. In other countries, division sizes vary widely.
- Corps. The corps is the largest tactical unit in the Panzermmee Army. The corps is responsible for translating strategic objectives into tactical orders. It synchronizes tactical operations, including maneuvering, the firing of organic artillery, naval firing, supporting tactical air operations, and actions of their combat support, bringing together these operations on the battlefield. Each corps has between two and five divisions, and specialized brigades depending on the mission.
Structures of the Navy
- Flotilla. A flotilla is any group of two or more ships.
- Squadron. This term is not widely used in the Panzermee Navy with regard to ships with the exception of destroyer squadrons (DESRONs) and Amphibious ship squadrons (PHIBRONs), which are nominally commanded by captains. Otherwise, a Panzermmee Navy squadron generally refers to aviation—carrier or land-borne aircraft operated by the Panzermmee Navy. Navy aviation squadrons are normally led by a commander. In foreign navies, however, a naval squadron often designates a small group of ships of the same type (submarines, for instance) or of various types tasked with a particular mission such as coastal patrol, blockade, or minesweeping.
- Task Force. A group of ships temporarily brought together for a specific mission, usually involving multiple ship types and centered around a capital ship—i.e., an aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ship, or other major naval combatant. Task Forces generally are commanded by an admiral and divided into Task Groups, each of which focuses on individual activities such as reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, logistics, or amphibious landings. Missions can be further narrowed into Task Units and Task Elements, if a Task Force commander so chooses.
- Strike Groups: These formations come in two basic types: the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), which would feature an amphibious assault ship at its center rather than a big deck carrier. CSGs generally are commanded by rear admirals, and ESGs by rear admirals or a Marine brigadier general. Both strike groups have destroyers, cruisers and a submarine attached as part of the force. Once in theater, these units can either operate in concert in supporting and supported roles or can be detached singly or in groups to perform other tasks and missions.
- Fleet. The largest formation inside any navy, fleets represent the assignment of particular ships and generally are regionally organized and commanded by an admiral. Large navies, like Russia ’s, may have separate fleets for far off regions. Russia’s navy includes a Northern Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, Pacific Fleet and several other smaller squadrons covering the Arctic, Mediterranean and even the Caspian Sea. The Panzermmee Navy is very much like Russia, with 6 fleets covering both Native and Foreign Waters. In Native waters, the Gevalian Fleet and the Leptis Magna Fleet stand. 2 Other fleets stand guard in different Naval Facilities, whilst the last two operate among The ACSN.
- Ship “Classes”. “Class” is an ambiguous term and its usage needs to be determined by the context of the sentence. At the highest level, classes of ships include major groupings like nuclear-powered Aircraft Carriers (CVNs), nuclear-powered Guided Missile Cruisers (CGNs), Guided Missile Destroyers (DDGs), Guided Missile Frigates (FFGs), Amphibious Assault Ships, (LHAs), sometimes called helicopter carriers, and a variety of submarines, including nuclear-powered attack subs (SSN) and huge, nuclear-powered missile subs or “boomers,” (SSBNs). However, a ship’s “class” also can refer to the specific design it and its sister ships followed during construction. For instance, most of the Panzermmee Navy’s fleet of CVNs—nuclear-powered aircraft carriers—today are from the “Nimitz-class,” named for the first ship of its design, the PNS Nimitz, which joined the fleet in the late 1970s. Similarly, an entirely new “class” of DDGs (destroyers) now is under construction.
- Carrier Air Wing. The carrier-borne version of a Panzermmee Air Wing. Both the Navy and the Air Force operate fixed wing aircraft off of carriers. A Panzermmee Air Wing refers to three to four squadrons of aircraft—approximately 72 aircraft total. Each squadron includes two or three “flights” of eight to twelve aircraft, led by flight commanders. Additionally, there are "Type Wings" focusing on training, equipping and maintaining of specific aircraft types. For instance, Helicopter Strike Maritime (HSM) Wings on Cantabrigia and Mediolanum provide oversight to the HSM in their regions.
- Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The MAGTF is the Special Forces (CS6) basic organizational construct and is "task organized." These combined arms team are self-sustaining and equipped for joint/combined operations. The MAGTF is composed of a Command Element, Ground Combat Element, Aviation Combat Element and Combat Service Support Element. MAGTF's range in size from a MEU to a MEF (2,200-48,000).
- Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). MEUs, often based on Panzermmee Navy Amphibious Assault Ships (LHAs), are a 2,200-strong landing force comprised of a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron, a logistics group, and a Marine Special Operations company. They have a small compliment of tanks, light-armored vehicles and field artillery. They generally have some light-armored vehicles and field artillery, but lack the heavy tanks and guns of a similar sized army brigade. As ship-borne units, they are designed to be highly maneuverable and self-contained, including special operations, engineering, intelligence, and reconnaissance capabilities. The MEU generally generally is commanded by a colonel. MEUs usually are the first Panzermmee forces on the ground in combat environments and are designed to stabilize or hold an area until reinforcement arrives.
- Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB). A larger version of the MEU, with more armor, artillery, and air support, and built around an Army regiment rather than a battalion (i.e., 2,000 rather than 400 Soldiers). These units specialize in a range of tasks, from “forced entry’ to larger humanitarian missions.
- Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). The MEF, with up to 48,000 Soldiers, is the main combat formation in the Army's operations. The MEF is comprised of a division of Panzermmee Soldiers, including tanks and artillery, a CS6 Air Wing with a strong ground support contingent, plus a CS6 logistics group, all commanded by a lieutenant general.
- Float. This informal Army jargon refers to duty aboard any Navy vessel. All major Panzermmee Navy vessels include CS6 Soldiers as a landing force and boarding party. On nuclear-powered vessels, the CS6 detachment also guards the reactor. Amphibious ships, of course, can carry large contingents of Soldiers for landing assaults, up to 2,200 in the case of the largest Amphibious Assault Ships (LHAs).
Structures of the Air Force
- Flight. The smallest organizational grouping of personnel, usually commanded by a captain. It is equivalent to an Army company, though Air Force flights often consist of far fewer people. A the organizational flight is sometimes confused with a "flight" of aircraft, which is a tactical formation of two aircraft.
- Squadron. Literally a "square," in Latin, a squadron is the basic fighting organization of the Air Force. Usually commanded by a lieutenant colonel, squadrons range in size from 30 to 500 personnel depending upon the mission. Fighter squadrons typically are assigned 18-24 aircraft.
- Group. Three or more squadrons typically form a group. Groups are identified by one of four functional missions—operations group, maintenance group, mission support group and medical group—and are commanded by a colonel.
- Wing. An Air Force wing typically consists of four groups—one from each funcational specialty above. Typically commanded by a senior colonel or brigadier general, the wing commander is often the senior officer on a military installation. Wings are named based upon a wide variety of missions—fighter wing, bomb wing, airlift wing, space wing, special operations wing, etc.
- “Numbered” Air Forces. Numbered Air Forces, or NAFs (prounounced naffs) consist of at least two, but often ten or more wings. NAFs are Air Force equivalents to Army divisions, and are commanded by major generals.
- Major Commands . The Panzermmee Air Force divides its forces into eight functional major commands (called "majcoms"), commanded by a four-star general and consisting of one or more NAFs and a large headquarters. The current Air Force active duty majcoms are: Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Air Force Material Command (AFMC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Force Home Defense Command (AFHDC), Air Force Military Airlift Command (AFMAC), Air Force Coastal Monitoring Command (AFCMC).