What Is a Brigade?
The brigade is one of the fundamental large-scale military formations. In modern times, brigade is more common in armies based on American or Western European models than those based on Soviet/Russian models, but the concept of the brigade dates back to the Thirty Years War and has given rise to its own rank. The "Brigadier" or "Brigadier General" originated as the general officer in command of a brigade.
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Definition
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Strictly speaking, a brigade is an organization consisting of two or more regiments. However, in organizations that do not have regiments, it is made up of two or more battalions.
"Brigaded"
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Whenever two or more regiments or battalions have been combined into an improvised command, it is typical to say they have been "brigaded" together.
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Rank
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The rank of one star general has its origins in the brigade formation, with the British calling this rank simply as "brigadier," and most others use "brigadier general" or the equivalent. However, modern American brigades are led by a colonel.
Above the Brigade
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Brigades can themselves be combined into larger units. Any formation of two or more brigades is called a division.
Brigade Operations
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Brigades typically represent the smallest maneuver unit, or unit that is meant to engage in independent operations.
Brigade Combat Team
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The U.S. Army has evolved the brigade into a brigade combat team, which combines battalions of different types with smaller supporting units into a combined arms formation.
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- Photo Credit Department of Defense
