Squad
[2] NATO and U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section.
"[3][4] while U.S. Army doctrine further defines a squad as a "small military unit typically containing two or more fire teams.
The standard NATO symbol for a squad consists of one single dot (●) placed above a framed unit icon.
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 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 Tables of Organization & Equipment (TO&Es) and increased the rank of the squad leader and assistant squad leader to staff sergeant and sergeant, respectively.
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.
The five riflemen of the “Charlie” team, now led by the squad leader, remained as the maneuver element.
Under the ROAD (Reorganization Objective Army Divisions) structure in 1963, the rifle squad was reduced to a ten-man organization.
[27] The term squad is also used in infantry crew-served weapons sections (number of members varies by weapon), military police (twelve soldiers including a squad leader divided into four three-man teams, with three team leaders), and combat engineer units.
Squads are also used in reconnaissance, light armored reconnaissance (scout dismounts), combat engineer, law enforcement (i.e., military police), Marine Security Force Regiment (MSFR), and Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) companies.
As of 2020, the structure has been changed to 15 men; assistant automatic riflemen are replaced with grenadiers and a new addition to Marine fireteams, anti mechanized infantry.
A squad is a term used in the US Fire and EMS services to describe several types of units and emergency apparatus.
Squads and rescues within the FDNY are part of the departments specialty operations command (SOC).
In other departments, a squad is a name given to a type of apparatus that delivers EMS and rescue services, and is staffed by firefighter/EMTs or firefighter/paramedics.
This type of service delivery is common in the greater Los Angeles area of California, and was made famous in the 1970s show Emergency!, where the fictional Squad 51 highlighted the lives of two firefighter/paramedics of the LACoFD.
In the Soviet Armed Forces a motorised rifle squad was mounted in either a BTR armoured personnel carrier or BMP infantry fighting vehicle, with the former being more numerous by the late 1980s.
[31] The squad, grupp, in the Swedish army is organized as follows during offensive missions, according to Markstridsreglemente 3 Grupp (Ground combat regulation 3 Squad): During defensive missions, the two soldiers with anti-tank launchers are armed with a Granatgevär m/48 or m/86 instead, where one is gunner and the second loader.
In accordance with Brigadreglemente Armén Pansar-/Mekskyttepluton/-grupp 90 (Army Brigade Regulation Armor-/Mechanized Rifle Platoon/Squad 90) from 2002: The squad has access to six Pansarskott m/86s, two Kulspruta 58Bs, and one Granatgevär m/48.
A Danish mechanized or armoured infantry squad (gruppe) consists of 4-5 privates, a sergeant, and sometimes a corporal - 6 members in total.
