Solving the structural mystery of the Soldiers of Company B

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to [e-mail].  

UNITED STATES

02.14.2022

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Dear Doc Jargon,

My next-door neighbor and I have a lot in common. Between us we’ve discovered our husbands share a lot of the same interests also. I’m excited about the possibility of a new friendship but getting our guys together is proving to be more difficult than I thought. We know they’d feel more like going and exploring the area together if they at least have met first. My neighbor says her spouse is in Company B. But my husband is in Company B and he has never met her spouse. His company isn’t that big. How can they not know each other?

Signed,

Confused about the Soldiers of Company B

Dear Confused,

You are not alone in being confused about the Army structure. Lots of people who have not spent much time in the Army, and even some who have, find it hard to understand until they can see it laid out on a chart or have it explained. Let me try to help you.

Within the 1st Infantry Division there are four brigades, within each brigade are battalions and in each battalion there are companies. One exception is the Combat Aviation Brigade where battalions can be called squadrons and a company-level unit can be referred to as a troop or a battery. Also, battalion-level organizations can be called regiments in some brigades. Some of these names are used because they pay tribute to that unit’s originating heritage.

As for companies, each battalion within a brigade has company-sized units and from one battalion to another there could be a Company B within each. So, if your spouses are in different battalions, or brigades, they could each be in a Company B, but that company may be under a different commander and brigade.

I hope you get the guys together and explore some of your shared interests. Nothing gets you through the ups and downs of life in the Army like having good friends who experience the same issues.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the
U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to
[e-mail].

• Date Taken: 02.14.2022
• Date Posted: 02.14.2022 13:11
• Story ID: 414603
• Location: US