Editing Squad (section)

====United States Army====
Historically, a "squad" in the US Army was a sub-unit of a [[Section (military unit)#United States Armed Forces|section]], consisting of from as few as two soldiers to as many as 9–10 soldiers and was originally used primarily for drill and administrative purposes (e.g., billeting, messing, working parties, etc.).<ref>Mahon 1972, pp. 20 & 56.</ref> The smallest tactical sub-unit being the section, which was also known as a half-platoon (the [[Platoon#United States organization|platoon]] itself being a half [[Company (military unit)#United States|company]]).

Depending upon the time period, the [[Squad leader|squad "leader"]] (not an official position title until 1891) could be a [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]] (the sergeant, in sections with only one [[Corporal#United States|corporal]], led the section's first squad, while the lone corporal served as assistant section leader and led the section's second squad), a corporal (in sections with two corporals), a [[Lance corporal#United States|lance corporal]] (a rank the Army had in varying numbers and conditions from at least 1821 until 1920), a [[Private first class#United States|private first class]] (PFC) (the rank existing since 1846 but not earning its one chevron – taken from the abolished lance corporal rank – until 1920). or even a "senior" [[Private (rank)#United States|private]] (there being many long-service, or "professional," privates until the post-WWII era).

In 1891, the US Army officially defined a rifle "squad" as consisting of "seven privates and one corporal."<ref>Mahon 1972, p.38.</ref> The US Army employed the eight-man rifle squad through WWI and until the late 1930s under the [[Square Division]] organizational plan, in which sergeants continued to lead sections consisting of two squads.

Under the [[Triangular division|Triangular Division]] organization plan in 1939 rifle squads were no longer organized into sections.<ref>Mahon 1972, p. 56.</ref> Instead, the squads were reorganized into a 12-man unit of three elements, or teams,<ref>Mahon 1972, p.73.</ref> Able, Baker, and Charlie, reporting directly to the [[platoon leader|platoon commander]] (an [[officer (armed forces)|officer]], usually a [[Second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]]), assisted by a sergeant assigned as the "assistant to platoon commander" (re-designated as "platoon leader" in 1940 and as "platoon sergeant" in 1943 with the officer then re-designated as "platoon leader".) The squad leader was still only a corporal but the squad was also assigned a PFC (one of the scout riflemen) as the assistant to the squad leader. This soldier could serve as either the squad leader's messenger to the platoon commander or could be used to relay orders to other squad elements, as needed. While not a [[Non-commissioned officer#United States|noncommissioned officer]] (NCO) the PFC was an experienced soldier, as prior to WWII the majority of [[Enlisted rank#United States Armed Forces|enlisted men]] remained privates for the entire term of their [[Military service|enlistment]] since [[Promotion (rank)|promotion]] opportunity was scarce. However, the obvious [[Command and control|command]] (viz., leadership and supervision) weakness of so large a squad under one NCO rapidly became obvious in light of the pre-war mobilization and was corrected in 1940 when a second NCO was added to the squad.

This adjustment raised the squad leader to a sergeant (grade 4) and the assistant squad leader to a corporal (grade 5). The "platoon leader" (with the officer still being the "platoon commander") now became a [[staff sergeant]], (grade 3). (In 1920 the enlisted rank structure was simplified and seven grades were established ranging from master sergeant as grade 1 to private as grade 7; staff sergeant being one of the new rank titles then established by combining several intermediate sergeant grades ranking above section leaders but below the company [[First sergeant#United States|first sergeant]].) This squad organization included two men serving as [[Reconnaissance|“scout (rifleman),”]] who along with the squad leader, formed the security element (i.e., reconnaissance and overwatch actions), designated as “Able.” The second element was a three-man [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|Browning Automatic Rifle]] (BAR) team consisting of an [[automatic rifle]]man, an assistant automatic rifleman and an ammunition bearer. This element formed the “[[base of fire]]” (viz., fire support in providing suppressive fires in the attack and protective fires in the defense) and was designated as “Baker.” Lastly, there were five [[Rifleman#United States|riflemen]] and the assistant squad leader, who formed the “maneuver element” (e.g., flanking and assault movements in the attack and repelling and reinforcing actions in the defense), designated as “Charlie.”

In 1942, the Army had a massive restructuring of its [[Table of organization and equipment|Tables of Organization & Equipment]] (TO&Es) and increased the rank of the squad leader and assistant squad leader to staff sergeant and sergeant, respectively. (Platoon leaders now became [[Technical sergeant#United States Army|technical sergeants]], as grade 2, and first sergeants became equal in pay grade to [[Master sergeant#United States|master sergeant]]s as grade 1.) The BAR man (automatic rifleman) and the senior rifleman of the Charlie element became corporals (grade 5) and de facto team leaders, even though not officially designated as such. (In 1943 NCO platoon leaders were re-designated as platoon sergeants and officer platoon commanders became platoon leaders.)

After WWII, in 1948, the Army decided to "downsize” the rifle squad to a nine-man organization (as well as realign its enlisted grade structure), as post-war analysis had shown that the 12-man squad was too large and unwieldy in combat.<ref>Mahon 1972, pp. 72–73</ref> The squad leader was again called a sergeant (but retained the grade 3 pay grade and insignia of the rank of a staff sergeant, which was then eliminated.) The two scouts of the Able element were eliminated with the idea that all of the riflemen should be able to perform the scouting duties and would therefore all share in the associated inherent risk of that position. The Baker element's ammunition bearer was also eliminated, leaving the two-man BAR team as the base of fire, supervised by the assistant squad leader (again called a corporal), but remaining as a grade 4, since the rank of sergeant (three chevrons) was then eliminated. (PFC became grade 5, private was grade 6, and recruit was grade 7; PFCs wore one chevron and privates and recruits both wore none.) The five riflemen of the “Charlie” team, now led by the squad leader, remained as the maneuver element.

Also, in 1948, the rank title of the platoon sergeant changed from technical sergeant (which was eliminated) to [[Sergeant first class#United States|sergeant first class]] (SFC) (grade 2) and the rank title of first sergeant was again eliminated, being retained only as an occupational title for the senior NCO of a company. In 1951 the pay grades were reversed, with master sergeant becoming E-7 (vice the previous grade 1) and sergeant first class becoming E-6, so that the squad leader became a sergeant (E-5) and the assistant squad leader, a corporal (E-4). (With PFC, PVT, and RCT being E-3, E-2, and E-1, respectively.)
   
In the 1956 the Army began reorganizing into its "[[Pentomic]]” plan under the [[Pentomic#Organization|ROCID]] (Reorganization of Current Infantry Divisions) TO&Es. The rifle squad was reorganized into an eleven-man organization with a sergeant (E-5) as squad leader and two five-man [[Fire team#United States|fire teams]].<ref>Mahon 1972, p. 91</ref> Each fire team consisted of a corporal (E-4) team leader, an automatic rifleman, an assistant automatic rifleman, a [[Grenadier#United States|grenadier]], and a scout-rifleman. The assistant squad leader position was eliminated, with the senior fire team leader now filling this role as needed.

In 1958, with the addition of the E-8 and E-9 pay grades, the ranks of the squad and fire team leaders changed again, now to staff sergeant (E-6) and sergeant (E-5), respectively. The 1958 restructuring restored the traditional sergeant and staff sergeant rank insignia of three chevrons and three chevrons over an inverted arc, respectively. (Platoon sergeant became a separate rank title, and along with SFC, became E-7; first sergeants and master sergeants became pay grade E-8. Also, the rank of sergeant major was revived as E-9, with a new distinctive rank insignia consisting of the three chevrons and three inverted arcs of a master sergeant/first sergeant but replacing the first sergeant's [[Lozenge (shape)#Military insignia|lozenge]] with a star.)

Under the [[History of the United States Army#Cold War|ROAD]] (Reorganization Objective Army Divisions) structure in 1963, the rifle squad was reduced to a ten-man organization. This iteration of the rifle squad retained the two fire teams but eliminated the two scouts (one in each fire team), instead providing the squad leader with one extra rifleman, who could be used to reinforce either fire team or assist the squad leader as required.  An exception was in mechanized infantry units, where an additional rifleman (increasing the squad to eleven members) was assigned as the driver of the squad's [[M113]] [[armored personnel carrier]].<ref>Mahon 1972, pp. 102–103, 106.</ref> (Also, in 1968, the separate rank title of platoon sergeant was eliminated, leaving SFC as the only E-7 rank.)

Currently, US Army rifle squads consist of nine soldiers, organized under a squad leader into two four-man fire teams. The squad leader is a staff sergeant (E-6) and the two fire team leaders are sergeants (E-5). Mechanized infantry and Stryker infantry units are equipped with [[M2 Bradley|M2A3 Bradley]] [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s and [[M1126 infantry carrier vehicle|M1126 Stryker]] infantry carrier vehicles, respectively. Unlike the ROAD era mechanized infantry units, none of the vehicle crewman (M2A3 – three, M1126 – two) are counted as part of the nine-man rifle squad transported by the vehicles.<ref>U.S. Army Field Manual, Figure 1-5: Infantry fire team and Figure 1-6: {{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-21-8/fm3-21-8.pdf |title= The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad |access-date=April 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602052948/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-21-8/fm3-21-8.pdf |archive-date=June 2, 2012 |publisher=Department of the Army |date=March 28, 2007}}</ref> The term squad is also used in infantry crew-served weapons sections (number of members varies by weapon), [[Military Police|military police]] (twelve soldiers including a squad leader divided into four three-man teams, with three team leaders), and [[combat engineer]] units. Cavalry scout squads consist of six men divided into two teams (each with a team leader and two scouts) while [[Dismounted reconnaissance troop|infantry scout squads]] consist of eight men divided into two three-man teams (each with two scouts and one radio operator) plus a team leader and assistant team leader.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horning |first=LTC John |last2=Kelly |first2=CPT Jake |last3=Andrade |first3=SFC Brian |last4=Ellis |first4=SFC Brian |date=2019 |title=A Different Approach to the Scout Squad for the Mounted Force |url=https://www.moore.army.mil/armor/earmor/content/issues/2019/Fall/4Horning-Kelly-Andrade-Ellis19.pdf |website=moore.army.mil |publisher=[[Armor (magazine)|Armor]]}}</ref>