Section (military unit)
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A section is a small infantry unit first introduced in the British Army. A section 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. This unit is also referred to as a squad in other armies, and the US Army uses the two terms almost interchangeably.
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[edit] British Army
Prior to the introduction of 5.56 mm caliber squad automatic weapons (SAWs) 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 3 "groups": a scout group, a rifle group and a gun group. The scout group comprised two men with rifles and/or submachine guns, who usually moved with the section commander (the corporal) close behind. In effect, the section commander was the third man in the scout group. The rifle group comprised 3-4 riflemen, and perhaps a grenade launcher (such as the M79 or M203). The last group was the gun group. This was commanded by the section 2ic (the lance corporal), and the gunner was usually the second most senior private; the most senior private would lead the rifle group.
All section tactics were basically designed to bring the gun to bear on the enemy and support the gun. The gun would be deployed on the highest ground, with the best field of fire. The rest of the section carried ammunition for the gun. It was claimed that, in sections organised in this way, the gun provided 80 per cent of the section's firepower.
This organization was abandoned in favor of fireteams when 5.56 mm assault rifles and SAWs were introduced in the late 1980s. These were the L85 IW and the longer barreled L86 LSW ("Light support weapon"). The firepower of the team has now been extended by the supplemented by the L108A1 LMG. The LSW is now seen as a more accurate version of the IW 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.
[edit] There was never a "scout group" in the British Army rifle section. The section consisted of only two groups: the rifle group and the gun group. The latter could be as few as the section 2i/c (lance corporal) and gunner.
This may explain the confusion: On patrol using a section, a section commander would put forward a scout, perhaps two, depending on terrain and circumstances. They did not form a section "group" but performed a patrol function. Each soldier had a function such as scout, pacer and check-pacer (measuring distance traveled), navigator and check navigator, etc. As far as I know this practice continues today.
[edit] Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces Land Force Command 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 "groups", which are equivalent to the British fireteam (4 troops). They are designated Group 1 and Group 2. Groups are broken down to even smaller "fireteams", consisting of normally 2 troops, possibly 3, designated Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Alpha and Bravo make up Group 1 and Charlie and Delta make up Group 2.
The section commander will have overall control of the section, and is assigned to Group 1, Alpha Team. His 2IC will be in command of Group 2, and is assigned to Delta team.
In a normal rifle section, the focus is around the pair of C9 LMGs 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.
[edit] Singapore Armed Forces
The army of the Singapore Armed Forces also uses the section, with the difference being 7 men lead by a Third Sergeant and assisted by a Corporal as 2IC. The section is divided into one 3-man component and two 2-man components. Leading is the pointman and backing up is the rear guard/scout, with the section moving in file formation, the IC being the third man in file and the 2IC the second last person. The weapons equipped include 2 LAWS, 2 SAWS and 2 marksmen, with the LAW gunners carrying either the M16S1 or SAR-21 assault rifle.
A section is roughly equivalent to a 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 overseen by a Staff Sergeant.
[edit] Other
In some air forces, a section is also a unit containing two or three aircraft, commanded by a Lieutenant. Two sections and supporting ground staff make up a flight.
