Army

An army can refer to all of a nation's land-based military forces or a specific large military force.

Table of contents

1 Military Land Forces 1.1 Armies of the World 1.2 See also 2 Military Unit

Military Land Forces

An army is a military organization. It can refer to any armed force, or more specifically a force primarily designed for land-based war.

Most (but not all) armed forces make considerable organizational distinction between the land-based warfare of an army, the sea-based warfare of a navy, and the air-based warfare of an air force - often splitting the three components into mostly independent forces.

This convention can vary widely between nations and can change over time. For example, the People's Liberation Army of China controls the Chinese air force and navy, which are actually called the People's Liberation Army Navy and the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The ancestor of the United States Air Force was the United States Army Air Corps.

Modern armies use infantry, armoured fighting vehicles (e.g. tanks), artillery, and aircraft (usually helicopters).

Armies of the World

• Australian Army
• British Army
• Israeli Defence Forces
• People's Liberation Army (China)
• United States Army
• Canadian Forces
• South African Army
• Norwegian Army

See also

• War
• military history
• military science
• Marine
• Military units

Military Unit

An army can also be a large military unit. When used in this sense, the army is named or numbered to distinguish it from military land forces in general - for example, 1st Army and The Army of Northern Virginia.

The hierarchy of large land force units is

• Army Group
  • Army
    • Army Corps
      • Division
        • Brigade
          • Battalion/Regiment
            • Company
              • Platoon
                • Section/Squad
                  • Soldier