A combat team is temporary grouping of military organizations of differing types to accomplish a defined mission or objective. Usage varies between commonwealth nations, where the term applies to a sub-unit level grouping, and the United States, where the term is found at unit and formation levels.

Commonwealth Armies' Combat Teams

In commonwealth nations combat team is a temporary combined-arms grouping of based on a combat sub-unit (an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

armoured Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat ...

sub-unit) with attached supporting arms. In Canadian Army doctrine, a combat team is a sub-unit grouping based on an infantry

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

or a

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

squadron with elements of the other arm attached as well as other supporting elements such as

combat engineers A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

and artillery observers. A square combat team is the combination of both an infantry company and an armoured squadron with supporting elements attached. The British Army uses the term "combat team" interchangeably with "company group" or "task group." Canadian Combat Team Live Fire Wainwright

Canadian Combat Team Live Fire Wainwright

US Army and Marine Combat Teams

In US Armed Forces usage, "combat team" is not defined as a term by itself but it is found in inside larger labels for combined arms formations such as regimental combat team and

brigade combat team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic Military deployment, deployable Military unit, unit of maneuver in the United States Army, U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver Brigade (United States Army), b ...

. US Army doctrine has at least once referenced an armoured battalion combat team. As a result of the US Army transforming to

triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...

s between 1940 and 1942, infantry brigades were replaced by infantry regiments. Through the Second World War, the US Army would form Regimental Combat Teams, consisting of an infantry regiment with additional attached combat and support elements tailored to a specific mission, whenever there was a requirement for an independent infantry formation smaller than division. By the end of the Second World War, infantry regiments that were not part of a division and been reorganized as regimental combat teams, and many division commanders had re-organized their infantry regiments as regimental combat teams. The regimental combat team continued to be used by the US Army through the Korean War and until the adoption of the pentomic division in 1957. The United States Marine Corps also used the regimental combat team structure through the Second World War but it referred to these as brigades, and it was only in the 1990s that reinforced USMC regiments became known as regimental combat teams. The US Army defines a brigade combat team as a "combined arms organization consisting of a brigade headquarters, at least two maneuver battalions, and necessary supporting functional capabilities." In 2003, almost all US Army manoeuvre brigades were reorganized as brigade combat teams. In Commonwealth nations, the term brigade group is generally used to describe a similar organization. NTC Rotation 15-09 starts off with a bang 150822-Z-ZJ128-002

NTC Rotation 15-09 starts off with a bang 150822-Z-ZJ128-002

References

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External links

CANADIAN ARMY PODCAST - S1E7 - Combat Team Commander's Course
Military units and formations by size Ad hoc units and formations