Brigade

NATO Map Symbols

a friendly brigade

a hostile brigade

a friendly infantry brigade

a friendly combined-arms brigade

a hostile armored brigade

a hostile engineer brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Brigades formed into divisions are usually infantry or armored. 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.
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 typical NATO 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.
A brigade's commander is commonly a major general, brigadier general, brigadier or colonel. In some armies, the commander is rated as a general officer. The brigade commander has a self-contained headquarters and staff. The principal staff officer, usually a lieutenant 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 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.
In some gendarmerie forces, brigades are the basic-level organizational unit.

Origin

Borrowed from the French cognate word brigade, the term originates from the Italian noun brigata, itself derived from the Italian verb brigare, to contend or fight. 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 or battery commander reporting directly to the field 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, an intermediate level of command came into existence.
The Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus improved the brigade as a tactical unit, introducing it in 1631 during a reorganization of the Swedish Army in the course of the Thirty 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 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 a brigadier-general.
In France, Marshal Turenne copied the brigade organization; he made it a permanent standing unit, requiring the creation in 1667 of a permanent rank of brigadier des armées du roi. Unlike the Swedish brigades, French brigades at that time comprised two to five regiments of the same branch. The rank, intermediate between colonel and maréchal de camp, disappeared in 1788 and should not be confused with that of général de brigade, which is equivalent to a brigadier general.

By country

Argentina

In the Argentinian Army, the typical brigade comprises an HQ company, two or three battalions of the brigade's main branch, which give the brigade its denomination, 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 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.

Australia

In the Australian Army, the brigade has always been the smallest tactical formation, since regiments are either administrative groupings of battalions or battalion-sized units. 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".

Canada

, the Canadian Army has three Regular Force brigade groups, designated as Canadian mechanized brigade groups : 1 CMBG, 2 CMBG, which contain the regular army's Anglophone units, and 5 CMBG, the regular Francophone formation. These CMBGs each comprise

One headquarters and signal regiment
Two mechanized infantry battalions
One light infantry battalion
One armoured regiment
One mechanized artillery regiment
One engineer regiment
One combat service support battalion.

Co-located with each CMBG is a field ambulance, a tactical helicopter squadron, and a military police platoon. Regular Force CMBG's strengths are 5,000 personnel. Canada also has ten Primary Reserve brigades, 31 CBG through 39 CBG, and 41 CBG. The CBG formations are for administrative purposes.

France

On 1 January 1791, France replaced the word "Regiment" that had been associated with the former Royal regime with the term "demi-brigade".
France replaced its divisions with brigades in 1999. It was decided in 2016 to again form two divisions made up of four and three brigades for a total of seven brigades: two armored, two "intermediate", two light brigades and the Franco-German Brigade. There is also an airmobile brigade subordinated to the army aviation command.
In peacetime, brigades serve primarily as force providers. The units deployed are battalion-size units provided by the regiments composing the brigades.

India

In Indian army, a brigade consists of a HQ, three battalions along with supporting troops. It is commanded by an army officer of the rank of Brigadier.

Japan

in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force are combined arms and are similar to divisions. There are eight brigades in the JGSDF, with some of them formed from former divisions. A brigade in the JGSDF consists of 3,000–4,000 soldiers and is led by a major general.

1st Airborne Brigade, at Camp Narashino in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture
5th Brigade, at Camp Obihiro in Obihiro, responsible for the defense of North Eastern Hokkaidō
11th Brigade, at Camp Makomanai in Sapporo, responsible for the defense of South Western Hokkaidō
12th Brigade, at Camp Soumagahara in Shintō, responsible for the defense of Gunma, Nagano, Niigata and Tochigi prefectures.
13th Brigade, in Kaita, responsible for the defense of the Chūgoku region.
14th Brigade, in Zentsūji, responsible for the defense of Shikoku.
15th Brigade, in Naha, responsible for the defense of Okinawa Prefecture
Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki; amphibious force equipped to deploy from ships, where needed.
Myanmar

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. 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 and 2478 Other Ranks but this as of recent events, is far from reality
Tactical Operation Command Headquarters: 4 Officers, 4 Other Ranks
Tactical Operation Commander: Colonel
Chief of Staff : Major
GS: Captain
AQ: Captain
Sergeant
GSO II and GSO III are called G2 and G3 in daily usages.

Norway

The main core of the Norwegian Army is the Brigade Nord, consisting of eight battalions of which four are combat battalions and the rest are various types of support battalions.
The brigade is intended to be combat ready at all times. The combat battalions have a significant portion of professional soldiers. The fairly large size of the combat ready support contingent is also intended to complement the Heimevernet which is a large reserve infantry force, as well as act in a support capacity for an international cooperation force in case of an invasion.