The Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), was the method of assigning unit designations to

units Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...

of some of the

combat arms Combat arms (or fighting arms in non-American parlance) are troops within national armed forces who participate in direct tactical ground combat. In general, they are units that carry or employ weapons, such as infantry, cavalry, and artillery ...

branches of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, including

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 ...

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

, and

Armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

, from 1957 to 1981.

Air Defense Artillery The Air Defense Artillery Branch is the Anti-aircraft warfare, air defense branch of the United States Army, specializing in the use of anti-aircraft weapons (such as surface-to-air missiles) to conduct anti-aircraft warfare operations. In the ...

was added in 1968. CARS was superseded by the

U.S. Army Regimental System The United States Army Regimental System (USARS) is an organizational and classification system used by the United States Army. It was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) to provide each soldier with contin ...

(USARS) in 1981, although the term "Regiment" was never appended to the official name or designation of CARS regiments, and was not added to USARS regiments until 2005.

History

Before the adoption of CARS, there was no satisfactory means of maintaining the active life of the combat arms organizations. Whenever the nation entered periods of military retrenchment, units were invariably broken up, reorganized, consolidated, or disbanded. During periods of mobilization, large numbers of new units were created. Changes in weapons and techniques of warfare produced new types of units to replace the old ones. As a result, soldiers frequently served in organizations with little or no history, while units with long combat records remained inactive. In the late 1950s requirements for maneuverable and flexible major tactical organizations demanded highly mobile divisions with greatly increased firepower. For this purpose the regiment was deemed too large and unwieldy and had to be broken up into smaller organizations. (Most artillery and armored regiments had already been broken up for flexibility and maneuverability during World War II.) When the U.S. Army division was reorganized under the

Pentomic Pentomic (cf. ''Greek pent(e)-'' +'' -tome'' "of five parts") was a structure for infantry and airborne divisions adopted by the US Army between 1957 and 1963 in response to the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons on future battlefields. I ...

structure in 1957, the traditional

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

al organization was eliminated, raising questions as to what the new units were to be called, how they were to be numbered, and what their relationship to former organizations was to be. On 24 January 1957 the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

approved the CARS concept, as devised by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, which was designed to provide a flexible regimental structure that would permit perpetuation of unit history and tradition in the new tactical organization of divisions, without restricting the organizational trends of the future.

Units that participated in CARS

* There were 61 Regular Army infantry regiments and 18 Army Reserve infantry regiments, plus the 1st Special Forces, in the Combat Arms Regimental System. * There were 30 Regular Army armor/cavalry regiments in the Combat Arms Regimental System. The only Regular Army combat units not organized under CARS were the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

, 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 14th Armored Cavalry Regiments. * There were 82 Regular Army artillery regiments in the Combat Arms Regimental System – 58 field artillery regiments and 24 air defense artillery regiments. * Except for the 18 Army Reserve infantry regiments, those regiments organized under CARS had elements in both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve. In the Army National Guard, each state has its own regiments. The number of CARS regiments varied as troop allotments change. The 1st Special Forces has elements in all three components –

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

, Army Reserve and

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

. The criteria for the majority of the regiments selected were two factors: age (one point for each year since original organization) and honors (two points for each campaign and American decoration). Those regiments with the most points were selected for inclusion in the system.

CARS implementation phases

* Phase I: Reorganization of Regular Army regiments (1957) * Phase II: Reorganization of Army Reserve regiments (1959) * Phase III: Reorganization of Army National Guard regiments (1959) * Phase IV: Mobilization planning (1957–present) * Phase V: Organization of regimental headquarters (subsequently suspended indefinitely)

Organization

Each

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 ...

, battery or

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

in the

(as originally organized) was reorganized as the headquarters and headquarters element of a new battle group,

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

, or squadron in the new regiment. The new battle group, battalion, or squadron's organic elements (lettered elements, such as "Company A") were constituted and activated as new units. Each of the old companies, batteries, or troops of the former regiment also had the capability of becoming a separate company, battery, or troop in the new regiment. The regimental headquarters was transferred to

Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. The DA is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is organized. It is led ...

control. (For detailed charts of typical regiments reorganized under CARS, see below Illustrations of organization under CARS) The lowest numbered or lettered active element of the regiment normally has custody of the regimental properties. If, however, the lowest numbered or lettered active element is unable to care for the properties, they may be transferred to the next lowest numbered or lettered active element. If a numbered or lettered element of the regiment is activated lower than the one having custody of the regimental properties, the properties will not necessarily be transferred.

Difference between a brigade and a regiment

In a regiment not organized under CARS, there is a fixed number of organic elements organized into battalions or squadrons. For example, the infantry regiment of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

contained twelve companies A through M (minus J – not used) divided into three battalions (of four companies each), plus supporting elements such as the service company. A

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

, on the other hand, is a flexible organization; it has no permanent elements. A brigade may have several different kinds of units assigned to it, such as: three light infantry battalions or two mechanized infantry and an armor battalion or one light, one mechanized and one armor battalion; plus support units. The usual number of maneuver battalions was three; however, this was a guideline not a rule (ex: the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam had four airborne infantry battalions). In tactical structure, therefore, it is very similar to the Regimental Combat Team of World War II and

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Its maneuver (infantry and armor) elements were not required to be from the same regiment. Since they were flexible, except for the

headquarters and headquarters company In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) is a company-sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. Considered one unit, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company is essentially two elements within ...

, no two brigades need be alike, whereas all regiments were fixed with organic elements provided for under basic tables of organization and equipment.

Battle honors

Each battalion or squadron of a CARS regiment has a replica of the

regimental colors In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 year ...

with the number of the battalion or squadron in the upper fly. The streamers attached to the colors were those for the regiment, as determined when the regiment was reorganized under CARS, plus those subsequently earned by the battalion or squadron. Those campaigns and decorations actually earned by the battalion or squadron were shown on the streamers by earned honor devices. Regimental honors were listed on the battalion or squadron Lineage and Honors Certificates, with the earned honors being marked by asterisks. Separate batteries, troops, and companies of CARS regiments display only those honors they actually earned, not the regimental ones. Campaign participation credit for these guidon-bearing units are displayed by silver bands and decorations streamers. (See ARs 672-5-1, 840-10 and 870-5 for further details.) Personnel wear the distinctive insignia for their regiment and the shoulder sleeve insignia of their division or other tactical organization to which they were assigned. (See AR 670-5 for further details.) The Adjutant General controls the designations of elements to be activated and coordinates his selections with the Center of Military History.

Regiments organized under Combat Arms Regimental System

Armor

* 13th Armor * 32nd Armor * 33rd Armor * 34th Armor * 35th Armor * 37th Armor * 40th Armor * 63rd Armor * 64th Armor * 66th Armor * 67th Armor * 68th Armor * 69th Armor * 70th Armor * 72nd Armor * 73rd Armor * 77th Armor * 81st Armor

Air Defense Artillery

Cavalry

* 1st Cavalry * 4th Cavalry * 5th Cavalry * 6th Cavalry * 7th Cavalry * 8th Cavalry *

9th Cavalry The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat d ...

* 10th Cavalry *

12th Cavalry The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Lancers Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of ...

Field Artillery

79th Field Artillery The 79th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. First constituted 1916 in the Regular Army. History Pershing 2nd Missile Battalion, 79th Artillery The 2nd Missile Battalion, 79th Artillery was org ...

* 80th Field Artillery * 81st Field Artillery * 82nd Field Artillery * 83rd Field Artillery * 84th Field Artillery * 92nd Field Artillery * 94th Field Artillery * 103rd Field Artillery * 201st Field Artillery * 319th Field Artillery * 320th Field Artillery * 321st Field Artillery * 333rd Field Artillery * 377th Field Artillery

Infantry

Regular Army regiments

* 1st Infantry * 2nd Infantry * 3rd Infantry * 4th Infantry * 5th Infantry * 6th Infantry * 7th Infantry * 8th Infantry * 9th Infantry * 10th Infantry * 11th Infantry * 12th Infantry * 13th Infantry * 14th Infantry * 15th Infantry * 16th Infantry * 17th Infantry * 18th Infantry * 19th Infantry * 20th Infantry * 21st Infantry * 22nd Infantry * 23rd Infantry * 26th Infantry * 27th Infantry * 28th Infantry * 29th Infantry * 30th Infantry * 31st Infantry * 32nd Infantry *

33rd Infantry The 33rd Infantry Regiment was an American unit stationed in the Panama Canal Zone and Caribbean from 1916-56. Though providing troops for various other United States Armed Forces, American military formations, the regiment had no battle honors ...

* 34th Infantry * 35th Infantry * 36th Infantry * 38th Infantry * 39th Infantry * 41st Infantry * 46th Infantry * 47th Infantry * 48th Infantry * 50th Infantry * 51st Infantry * 52nd Infantry * 54th Infantry * 58th Infantry * 60th Infantry * 61st Infantry * 75th Ranger * 87th Infantry * 187th Infantry * 188th Infantry * 325th Infantry * 327th Infantry * 501st Infantry * 502nd Infantry * 503rd Infantry * 504th Infantry * 505th Infantry * 506th Infantry * 508th Infantry * 509th Infantry * 511th Infantry

Army Reserve regiments

* 59th Infantry * 305th Infantry * 306th Infantry * 307th Infantry * 314th Infantry * 315th Infantry * 322nd Infantry * 345th Infantry * 357th Infantry * 358th Infantry * 359th Infantry * 381st Infantry * 383rd Infantry * 409th Infantry * 410th Infantry * 411th Infantry * 442nd Infantry

Special Forces Regiment

* 1st Special Forces

Illustrations of organization under CARS

Chart 1 – Typical Infantry Regiment under CARS

Chart 2 – Typical Armor/Cavalry Regiment under CARS

Chart 3 – Typical Field Artillery Regiment under CARS

Chart 4 – Typical Air Defense Artillery Regiment under CARS

Citations

{{reflist

General references

* John K. Mahon and Romana Danysh, CMH 60-3: ''Infantry, Part I: Regular Army, The Pentomic Concept and the Combat Arms Regimental System'' * Department of the Army Regulations