A force structure is the
combat
Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...
-capable part of a
military organisation which describes how military personnel, and their
weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
s and equipment, are organised for the operations, missions and tasks expected from them by the particular
doctrine
Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...
of the
service or demanded by the environment of the
conflict.
Force structuring considers the allocation of
officers and other service men and women, their skills, and the relationship between their
military unit
Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hiera ...
s required to provide mutual support during
military operations as a
military capability
Military capability is defined by the Australian Defence Force as "the ability to achieve a desired effect in a specific operating environment". It is defined by three interdependent factors: combat readiness, sustainable capability and force struc ...
of the armed forces in part or as a whole. The totality of the force structure committed to any given military operation, mission or task is called an
order of battle
Order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed force. Various abbr ...
.
Another important part of the force structure planning is how the command structure is organised within the order of battle will not reflect the force structure, but the forces
command hierarchy and their relative deployment within the
Theatre of Military Operations, during
operational manoeuvre, or in the
Tactical Area of Responsibility.
The adaptability of any force's force structure is usually tested in wartime to reflect changing nature of warfare, and therefore
military doctrine, it usually entails for the participants. Force structure is also often shaped by forces of necessity when there is a lack of trained personnel, experience or appropriate equipment.
David Glantz in his ''When Titans Clash'' provides an example of how the Red Army after three years of retreats, massive losses, steep learning curves, maturation and regaining the initiative identified this process of change in force structure by ''The 1944 Field Regulations of the Red Army'', or ''Ustav'', formalised their experiences of 1943, including the artillery and the air offensives for the ground forces. Importantly, the 1944 ''Ustav'' "stressed the importance of maneuver, surprise, and initiative, three hallmarks of interwar German and Soviet theory". This reflected a continuation of the a steady growth in mechanised force structure pursued by the Red Army since the 1930s, and when "
Khalkhin-Gol demonstrated the viability of Soviet theory and force structure".
Currently changes in force structure can be caused not only by changes in forms of warfare and doctrine, but also rapid change in technology and budgetary considerations based on the wider national economy.
References and notes
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Military organization