Group (military unit)

When the Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed in 1918 from a merger of the RFC and RNAS, an officer with the rank of colonel typically commanded a group.

In the German Luftwaffe, the principal unit of action was the Gruppe (plural Gruppen); the equivalent of a French or USAAC/USAAF group.

From 1943 to 1945, RAF Bomber Command groups were composed of several stations (air bases) and were analogous to USAAF wings.

In the United States Air Force (USAF) a group consists of two or more squadrons, often functionally aligned within a wing.

Per AFI 38-101 Air Force Organization (21 April 2015) a group is a "level of command between wings and squadrons.

Groups bring together multiple squadrons or other lower echelon units to provide a broader capability."

Such groups may possess small supporting staff elements, such as standardization and evaluation or quality control, that are organized as sections.

"[citation needed] "An independent group has the same functions and responsibilities as a like-type wing but its scope and size do not warrant wing-level designation and associated overhead costs."

These groups, commanded by a colonel, do not have subordinate squadrons assigned and are not part of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF).

All of these entities maintain administrative and standardization control and are OF 5 (US pay grade O-6) captain commands roughly analogous to a USMC Marine Aircraft Group or USAF wing.

Officers in command of wing level units other than carrier air wings utilize the legacy title of "commodore" and are authorized to fly a command broad pennant from their headquarters ashore or when embarked aboard a warship as the senior officer present afloat (SOPA).

A CSG usually consists of one aircraft carrier with an embarked carrier air wing, one or two guided missile cruisers, a destroyer squadron of two or three guided missile destroyers, one or two attack submarines, and a logistics support ship, all under the command of an embarked flag officer at the OF6 (US pay grade O-7) or OF7 (US pay grade O-8) level.

Within armies and land forces, groups are units or formations that are roughly equivalent to regiments and are commanded by colonels.

Many group-sized formations have existed throughout the modern history of the British Army, especially post-Second World War.

In the Indonesian Army, the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) uses this term to identify the different divisions within the unit.