Abrigade is a major tacticalmilitary formation that typically comprises three to sixbattalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforcedregiment. Two or more brigades may constitute adivision.
Brigades formed into divisions are usually infantry or armored (sometimes referred to as combined arms brigades). In addition to combat units, they may include combat support units or sub-units, such as artillery and engineers, and logistic units. Historically, such brigades have been called brigade-groups. On operations, a brigade may comprise both organic elements and attached elements, including some temporarily attached for a specific task.[citation needed]
Brigades may also be specialized and comprise battalions of a single branch, for example cavalry, mechanized, armored, artillery, air defence, aviation, engineers, signals or logistic. Some brigades are classified as independent or separate and operate independently from the traditional division structure. The typicalNATO standard brigade consists of approximately 5,000 troops. However, in Switzerland and Austria, the numbers could start as high as 10,000 troops. The Soviet Union as well as its forerunners and successors have mostly used "regiment" instead of brigade, and this was common in much of Europe until after World War II.[citation needed]
A brigade's commander is commonly amajor general,[note 1]brigadier general,brigadier orcolonel. In some armies, the commander is rated as ageneral officer. Thebrigade commander has a self-contained headquarters and staff. The principal staff officer, usually alieutenant colonel or colonel, may be designated chief of staff. Until the late 20th century British and similar armies called the position 'brigade-major' and most British brigades have a major as the chief of staff. Some brigades may also have a deputy commander. The headquarters has a nucleus of staff officers and support (clerks, assistants and drivers) that can vary in size depending on the type of brigade. On operations, additional specialist elements may be attached. The headquarters will usually have its own communications unit.[citation needed]
Borrowed from the French cognate wordbrigade, the term originates from the Italian nounbrigata, itself derived from the Italian verbbrigare, to contend or fight.[2] The word is first attested in England in the 17th century as a term for a larger military unit than the squadron or regiment. It was first adopted when armies began to consist of formations larger than a single regiment. Previously each regiment, battalion, cavalry squadron, or artillery battery operated somewhat independently, with its own field officer (i.e., colonel, lieutenant colonel, or major) or battery commander (usually a captain) reporting directly to thefield force or "army" commander. As such a "field army" became larger, the number of subordinate commanders became unmanageable for the officer in general command of said army, usually a major general, to effectively command. In order to streamline command relationships, as well as effect some modicum of tactical control, especially in regard to combined arms operations (i.e., those involving a coordination of infantry with cavalry and/or artillery forces), an intermediate level of command came into existence.[citation needed]
The Swedish kingGustavus Adolphus improved the brigade as a tactical unit, introducing it in 1631 during a reorganization of the Swedish Army in the course of theThirty Years' War. The invention of the brigade overcame the lack of coordination inherent in the traditional army structure consisting of independent regiments of infantry and units of supporting arms (viz., cavalry and artillery) acting separately under their individual commanding officers. Gustavus Adolphus accomplished this battlefield coordination by combining battalions of infantry with cavalry troops and artillery batteries into a "battle group", viz.,brigada or "brigade" commanded by a senior colonel, or lieutenant colonel, appointed as abrigadier-general.[citation needed]
In France, MarshalTurenne (1611–1675) copied the brigade organization; he made it a permanent standing unit, requiring the creation in 1667 of a permanent rank ofbrigadier des armées du roi (literally translating to "brigadier of the armies of the king"). Unlike the Swedish brigades, French brigades at that time comprised two to five regiments of the same branch (brigade de cavalerie, brigade d'infanterie etc.). The rank, intermediate between colonel andmaréchal de camp, disappeared in 1788 and should not be confused with that ofgénéral de brigade, which is equivalent to a brigadier general. (A moderngénéral de brigade is referred to occasionally asbrigadier.)[citation needed]
In the Argentinian Army, the typical brigade comprises an HQ company, two or three battalions (called "regiments" for historical reasons) of the brigade's main branch (infantry or armoured cavalry), which give the brigade its denomination (mechanized, armoured, airborne, mountain or jungle), plus one battalion of the other branch, plus one or two artillery groups, an engineers battalion or company, a signals company, and intelligence company, an army aviation section and a logistics battalion. Mountain brigades have also a special forces (called "Mountain rangers") company. The brigade is usually commanded by a brigadier general or a senior colonel, who may be promoted to general during his tenure as brigade commander.[citation needed]
In theAustralian Army, the brigade has always been the smallest tacticalformation, since regiments are either administrative groupings of battalions (in theinfantry) or battalion-sized units (in thecavalry). A typical brigade may consist of approximately 5,500 personnel between two mechanised infantry battalions, an armoured regiment, an armoured artillery regiment, and other logistic and engineering units. The brigade is usually commanded by an officer holding the rank of brigadier, who is referred to as the "Brigade Commander".[citation needed]
As of 2025[update], theCanadian Army has three Regular Force brigade groups, designated as Canadian mechanized brigade groups (CMBG):1 CMBG,2 CMBG, which contain the regular army'sAnglophone units, and5 CMBG, the regularFrancophone formation. These CMBGs each comprise
Co-located with each CMBG is afield ambulance, a tactical helicopter squadron, and a military police platoon. Regular Force CMBG's strengths are 5,000 personnel.[3] Canada also has ten Primary Reserve brigades (Canadian brigade group, CBG), 31 CBG through 39 CBG, and 41 CBG. The CBG formations are for administrative purposes.[citation needed]
On 1 January 1791, France replaced the word "Regiment" that had been associated with the former Royal regime with the term "demi-brigade".[4]
France replaced its divisions with brigades in 1999 (so for example the2nd Armored Division became the2nd Armored Brigade). It was decided in 2016 to again form two divisions (1st and3rd) made up of four and three brigades for a total of seven brigades: two armored, two "intermediate", two light brigades (alpine and parachute) and theFranco-German Brigade. There is also anairmobile brigade subordinated to the army aviation command.[citation needed]
In peacetime, brigades serve primarily as force providers. The units deployed (battlegroups and task-forces) are battalion-size units provided by the regiments composing the brigades.[citation needed]
In Indian army, a brigade consists of a HQ, threebattalions along with supporting troops. It is commanded by an army officer of the rank of Brigadier (Single star commander).[5]
In Myanmar, a rough equivalent of a Brigade is called a Tactical Operation Command. It's just a rough equivalent as a Tactical Operation Command has 3 Infantry Battalions under its command, there're no such Brigade troops or anything, instead those units such as Military Engineer, Signal, Medical etc. are supposed to be organic to the battalions (sometimes called Regiments). A Tactical Operation Command HQ only consist of 4 Officers and 4 Other Ranks. Theoritically, a Tactical Operation Command of either a Light Infantry Division or a Military Operation Command should have 97 Officers (4+31+31+31) and 2478 (4+826+826+826) Other Ranks but this as of recent events, is far from reality[6]
Tactical Operation Command Headquarters: 4 Officers, 4 Other Ranks
Tactical Operation Commander: Colonel
Chief of Staff (rough equivalent ofBrigade Major): Major (GSO II)
GS: Captain (GSO III)
AQ: Captain (GSO III)
Sergeant (Clerk) (4x)
GSO II and GSO III are called G2 and G3 in daily usages.[7][8]
The main core of the Norwegian Army is theBrigade Nord, consisting of eight battalions of which four are combat battalions (one infantry, one mechanized infantry, one artillery and one armored) and the rest are various types of support battalions.[9][needs update]
The brigade is intended to be combat ready at all times. The combat battalions have a significant portion of professional soldiers (specialists). The fairly large size of the combat ready support contingent is also intended to complement theHeimevernet (translates as "Home Defense") which is a large reserve infantry force, as well as act in a support capacity for an international cooperation force (e.g. NATO) in case of an invasion.[citation needed]
A brigade is under the command of a brigadier and comprises three or more battalions of different units depending on its functionality. An independent brigade would be one that primarily consists of an artillery unit, an infantry unit, an armour unit and logistics to support its actions. Such a brigade is not part of any division and is under direct command of a corps.[citation needed]
There are 7 independent armoured brigades, seven engineering brigades and eight air defense brigades. Independent armoured and infantry brigades are capable of extended operations without necessarily being reliant on a higher HQ for short-term logistic or intimate support. They can be used in counter-attack, exploitation of an advance, or rapid movement to reinforce formations under pressure.[citation needed]
Structured very similarly to U.S. Army BCTs, the PLAGF combined arms brigade placesmaneuver,artillery,air defense,reconnaissance,engineer andprotection, andlogistics and sustainment under a single brigade-level command. The PLAGF distinguishes three distinct types of combined arms brigades: light (motorized), medium (mechanized), and heavy (armoured). These distinctive types are more indicative of the role of the organization within its parent unit than the composition and equipment which vary and overlap between types. A light combined arms brigade may be designed as anairborne,mountain, oramphibious combined arms brigade.[citation needed]
A combined arms brigade typically comprises the following organic units wherein the maneuver battalions vary betweenmotorized,mechanized, orarmoured depending on the type of CA-BDE.[citation needed]
An NRA Brigade,旅 (lǚ), was a military formation of theChinese Republic'sNational Revolutionary Army. Infantry and cavalry brigades comprised two infantry regiments. After the 1938 reforms, the brigade was dispensed with within the infantry division in favour of the regiment to simplify the command structure.[11]
Brigades, with a field not a regional administrative role, have usually been of a named type and numbered since the 19th century (e.g. cavalry brigade or infantry brigade). Since the end of World War II, brigade numbers have been unique and not by type. Brigades in divisions do not usually command their combat support and combat service support units. These remain under divisional command, although they may be permanently affiliated with a particular brigade (as a "brigade group"). Historically, infantry or cavalry/armoured brigades have usually comprised three or four combat-arm battalions, but currently larger brigades are normal, made larger still when their affiliated artillery and engineer regiments are added.[citation needed]
Until 1918, the chief of staff of a brigade was known as abrigade major. Before 1922, British Army brigades were normally commanded by general officers holding the rank of brigadier-general (equivalent to a "one-star" rank in the US Army); after that date, the brigade commander was an appointment for officers with the rank of brigadier, which were then classified as field officers not general officers. This is universally the case today.[citation needed]
From 1859 to 1938, "brigade" ("brigade-division" 1885–1903) was also the term used for a battalion-sized unit of theRoyal Artillery. This was because, unlike infantry battalions and cavalry regiments, which were organic, artillery units consisted of individually numberedbatteries that were "brigaded" together. The commanding officer of such a brigade was alieutenant colonel. In 1938, the Royal Artillery adopted the term "regiment" for this size of unit, and "brigade" became used in its normal sense, particularly for groups of anti-aircraft artillery regiments commanded by a brigadier.[12]
In the Second World War, a tank brigade comprised three tank regiments and was equipped withinfantry tanks for supporting the infantry divisions. Armoured brigades were equipped withcruiser tanks or (USLend-Lease) medium tanks and a motorised infantry battalion. The armoured divisions included one or more armored brigades.[citation needed]
In theUnited States Army, a brigade is smaller than adivision and roughly equal to or a little larger than aregiment. During theAmerican Civil War infantry brigades contained two to five regiments with the idea being to maintain a unit with a strength of 2,000 soldiers[13] and were usually commanded by a brigadier general or a senior colonel. During World War I the division consisted of two brigades of two regiments each.[citation needed]
More recently, the U.S. Army hasmoved to a new genericbrigade combat team (BCT) in which each brigade contains combat elements and their support units. After the2013 reform, BCT personnel strength typically ranges from 4,400 personnel for infantry BCTs, to 4,500 personnel forStryker BCTs, to 4,700 personnel for armoured BCTs. This formation is standard across the active U.S. Army,U.S. Army Reserve, and the ArmyNational Guard.[citation needed]
The brigade commander is usually a colonel, although alieutenant colonel can be selected for brigade command in lieu of an available colonel. A typical tour of duty for this assignment is 24 to 36 months.Separate brigades, viz., brigades not permanently assigned to adivision, were commanded by brigadier generals.[14]
A brigade commander has a headquarters and staff to assist them in commanding the brigade and its subordinate units. The typical staff includes:[citation needed]
Along with the marine infantry regiments, the MEU, (while smaller than an army brigade), are the USMC organizational equivalents of army brigades. The MEU consists of three battalion-equivalent-sized units and a command element (a battalion landing team, a marine medium tilt-rotor squadron (reinforced), a combat logistics battalion, and a MEU headquarters group). The marine infantry regiments, combined with the marine artillery regiments, comprise the bulk of the marine divisions. An example of a MEB isTask Force Tarawa (2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade) during theOperation Iraqi Freedom campaign.[citation needed]
^"INDEX",Building the Tatmadaw, ISEAS Publishing, pp. 247–254, 2009-12-31,doi:10.1355/9789812308498-014,ISBN978-981-230-849-8, retrieved2024-06-22{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)Found on page 80/95 (depending on how you count)"While the MOC is equivalent to the LID, as both command ten battalions, the ROC is much smaller in size, with merely four battalions; thus it is the regiment level with a brigadier general as commander. It is a position between LID/MOC commander and Tactical Operation Command (TOC) commander, who commands only three infantry battalions with a small TOC HQ of Coordination officer, GS, AQ and 4 sergeant (clerks). Yet, the ROC commander enjoys financial, administrative, and judicial authority while the MOC commander does not have judicial authority."
^Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.
^Maj-Gen Sir John Headlam,The History of the Royal Artillery, Vol II (1899–1914), Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1937.
^John J. McGrath (2004).The Brigade: A History-Its Organization and Employment in the U.S. Army. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 17.
^ The Brigade: A History: Its Organization and Employment in the US Army, Chapter 6, The Early Modern Brigade, 1958–1972, ROAD Brigades and Airmobile Brigades, p. 63 and Appendix 1, Divisional Versus Separate Brigades, p. 159.[1] . Retrieved 21 December 2016.
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