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Section Nato

Standard NATO military map symbol for a friendly infantry section.

A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company (equivalent to a platoon).

Commonwealth[]

Australian Army[]

Under the new structure of the infantry platoon, sections are made up of eight men divided into two four-man fireteams. Each fireteam consists of a team leader (corporal/lance-corporal), a scout with enhanced optics, a grenadier with a M203 and a LSW operator with F89 Minimi light support weapon.

Typical fire team structure:

Position Armament
Team leader F88 Steyr
Scout F88 Steyr w/enhanced optic (e.g. 3.4× Wildcat)
Grenadier F88 Steyr w/M203 under-barrel grenade launcher
Machine gunner F89 Minimi

At the start of World War I, the Australian Army used a section that consisted of 27 men including the section commander, which was a non-commissioned officer holding the rank of sergeant.[1]

During World War II a rifle section was made of ten soldiers with a corporal in command with a lance-corporal as his second-in-command. The corporal used a M1928 Thompson submachine gun while one of the privates used a Bren gun. The other eight soldiers all used No.1 Mk.3 Lee-Enfield rifles with a bayonet and scabbard. They carried two or three No.36 Mills bomb grenades each. Post–World War II and indicative for the Vietnam War a rifle section consisted of ten personnel comprising: a command & scout group (three persons – two sub-machineguns/M16A1 and a L1A1 SLR); gun group (three persons – a M60 machine gun and two L1A1 SLRs) and rifle group (four persons – L1A1 SLRs).[2][3]

British Army[]

The British Army section now consists of eight soldiers made up of a Corporal as section commander, a Lance-Corporal as his second-in-command ("2IC") and six privates. Three sections together form a platoon. In conventional warfare, the section is split into two four-man fireteams ("Charlie" and "Delta"), commanded by the corporal and lance-corporal respectively. The "Rifle Section" of the Second World War was formed of 10 men; a Corporal as the section leader with six privates with Lee Enfield rifles forming a rifle group, and a light machine gun group of a Lance-corporal, a gunner with the Bren gun and a "loader" carrying a spare barrel and extra ammunition.

From the switch from .303 to 7.62mm NATO in the 1950s until the introduction of 5.56 mm calibre weapons in the late 1980s, the typical section was armed with and organized around the 7.62 mm L7 GPMG (general purpose machine gun). The section was typically divided into two "groups": a rifle group and a gun group.

The rifle group comprised the Section Commander (Corporal) with an L1A1 SLR, the Anti-Tank gunner with the 84mm Carl Gustav and 9mm SMG, the Anti-Tank No 2 with spare 84mm rounds and an L1A1 and two riflemen with L1A1s . The gun group was commanded by the section 2IC (Lance Corporal) with an L1A1, and comprised the gunner with the GPMG and the gun No 2 with an L1A1.

All section tactics were basically designed to bring the gun to bear on the enemy and support the gun; once the gun had suppressed the enemy ("winning the firefight") the rifle group would assault and destroy the enemy position with the gun providing fire until the last safe moment.

This organization was abandoned in favour of fireteams when 5.56 mm assault rifles and SAWs were introduced in the late 1980s. These were the L85 IW and the longer-barrelled L86 LSW ("Light support weapon"). The firepower of the team has now been extended by the L110A1 LMG. The LSW is now generally used as a designated marksman's rifle and the LMG is the belt fed weapon for laying down suppressing fire. Each fire team has two IW, one with an underslung grenade launcher, one LSW and one LMG. An infantry section now consists of:

Charlie Fireteam:

  • Corporal, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L110A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.

Delta Fireteam:

  • Lance Corporal, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L85A2 5.56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L110A1 5.56mm light machine gun.
  • Rifleman, armed with an L86A2 5.56mm light support weapon.

Some units currently operating in Afghanistan have reintroduced the GPMG as a Section gun, on the scale of one per fire team, meaning that only two L85A2s are carried per Section and both are fitted with the UGL. This practice may be altered following the introduction of the L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle, officially bringing 7.62mm weapons back to Section level in recognition that the 5.56mm round has proved inadequate in Afghanistan. The L86A2 LSW is now almost entirely unused by Infantry Sections, due to the implementation of the L110A1 (FN Minimi) and L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle. The GPMG is now used at section level and the lead (vallon) soldier will generally be equipped with both his L85A2 Rifle and the L128A1 Combat Shotgun (Benelli M4) in addition to a Vallon mine detector. The makeup of a British Infantry section and it's weaponry (at least currently on recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan) is now generally: one soldier with GPMG (FN MAG), one soldier with L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle, 2 Men with L110A1 LMGs, 2 Men with L85A2 Assault Rifles with 40mm UGLs fitted, one soldier (Section Commander/Corporal) with L85A2 Assault Rifle and one soldier (Vallon/Lead Man/Scout) with Mine Detector, L85A2 Assault Rifle and L128A1 Combat Shotgun. The 2IC (Lance-Corporal/Delta Fire Team Commander) will generally be one of the UGL gunners and will be in command of the GPMG. LMG and GPMG gunners are now generally also equipped with the Glock 17 Gen. 4 sidearm although this is not always the case.

Note that the L86 LSW is very much still in use in CS and CSS units however.

Canadian Forces[]

The Canadian Army also uses the section, which is roughly the same as its British counterpart, except that it is led by a sergeant, with a master corporal as second-in-command. The section is further divided into assault groups, which are equivalent to the British fireteams (4 soldiers). They are designated Assault Group 1 and Assault Group 2. Assault groups are broken down to even smaller fireteams, consisting of normally 2 soldiers, possibly 3, designated Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Alpha and Bravo make up Assault Group 1 and Charlie and Delta make up Assault Group 2.

The section commander will have overall control of the section, and is assigned to Assault Group 1, Alpha Team. His 2nd in command will be in command of Assault Group 2, and is assigned to Delta team.

In a normal rifle section, the focus is around the pair of C9 LMGs(Light Machine Gun) that are carried by Bravo and Delta teams, one in each team. This results in a formation of Bravo, Alpha, Charlie, Delta, with Bravo and Delta providing fire support with the C9s, Alpha as the command element and Charlie as the assault team.

Danish Army[]

In the Danish Army, the section consists of two squads, usually commanded by a Sergeant First Class. Sections are usually highly specialized support units providing heavy weapons support, EOD support etc.

French Army[]

In the French Army, a section is the sub-division of a company (equivalent to a platoon) in traditional foot arms (e.g. infantry, engineering). In traditionally horse-mounted arms of the French Army (e.g. armour), the sub-division of a company is a platoon (peloton). The French equivalent of the British Army section is called a "Combat Group". French squads are divided into a 300-meter fireteam each armed with a FAMAS 5.56 mm assault rifle and carrying an AT4 anti-tank weapon and a 600-meter fireteam with a FN Minimi another FAMAS and a personal grenade launcher.

Singapore Army[]

Singapore Army's infantry section consists of 7 men led by a Third Sergeant and assisted by a Corporal as 2IC. The section is divided into one 3-man "group", which includes the section commander. There are two other 2-man groups. The weapons carried include 2 light anti-tank weapons, 2 section automatic weapons (SAW), and two grenade launchers.

United States Army[]

A section in the US Cavalry is roughly equivalent to an infantry squad in the United States Army. Some corps, such as Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery, use the term section to denote a squad-sized unit in which the fire teams may act independently of each other in the larger platoon formation. The section is used as an administrative formation and may be bigger than the regular squad formation often overseen by a Staff Sergeant.

Other[]


In some air forces, a section is also a unit containing two or three aircraft, commanded by a Lieutenant. In the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, this would have been called a rotte, while the Red Air Force would have called it a zveno or para. Two sections and supporting ground staff make up a flight, known as a staffel in the Luftwaffe. A section is also the name for a shift or team of police officers in various police forces, particularly in the Commonwealth. The term is no longer used in the British police, in which it originated and where it was the group of officers headed by a Sergeant.

See also[]

References[]

  1. Ryan, Alan (2003). Putting Your Young Men in the Mud: Change, Continuity and the Australian Infantry Battalion. Land Warfare Studies Centre Working Papers. Working Paper No. 124. Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory: Land Warfare Studies Centre. p. 11. ISBN 0-642-29595-6. 
  2. "Military Organisation and Structure – Army: Detailed Structure". Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/structure/army_detailed_structure.asp. Retrieved 20 May 2011. 
  3. "PART 5 – Battalion Organisational Structure 1965 – 1972". .4RAR Museum. http://www.4rarmuseum.com/Unit%20Organisation.htm. Retrieved 20 May 2011. 

External links[]

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The original article can be found at Section (military unit) and the edit history here.
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