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Other usesRefimprove|date=October 2008Army unitsA troop is a military unit , originally a small force of cavalry , subordinate to a Squadron (cavalry)|squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section (military unit)|section or platoon . Exceptions are the Royal Horse Artillery and the US Cavalry , where troop refers to an infantry Company (military unit)|company or artillery battery .
A cavalry soldier of Private (rank)|private rank is called a Trooper (rank)|trooper (abbreviated Tpr. , not to be confused with trouper ).
A related sense of the term troop refers to soldiers collectively, as in the troops ; see Troop (disambiguation) .
Troops in various forces
Today, a troop is defined differently in different armed forces.
In the Australian army a troop is the equivalent of a platoon sized element in units of certain corps, those being:
In addition the SASR|Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) , which is part of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps , also uses the term troop to refer to its platoon size elements. However SASR is the only Royal Australian Infantry unit to use the troop designation. SASR troops are also unusual as they are commanded by a captain - most troop/platoon sized elements are commanded by a Lieutenant. In all cases the organisation which use troop to refer to their platoon size element refer to the company sized element as a squadron and the battalion sized element as a regiment. Privates in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps|RAAC and SASR are also hold the rank "Trooper" instead of private, this is not the case for any other Corps/Units whose platoon sized elements are called Troops.
Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps : Three or four armoured fighting vehicle s commanded by a subaltern (rank)|subaltern , i.e. effectively the same level element as an infantry platoon. A unit of two to four guns or launchers, or an equivalent headquarters unit. In the Royal Horse Artillery, a troop used to be the equivalent to a battery in other artillery units.
Royal Engineers , Royal Corps of Signals , Royal Logistic Corps , Special Air Service and Honourable Artillery Company : A unit equivalent in size to a platoon in other corps, divided into sections or Patrols.
Other army corps do not use the term.
In the Royal Marines , a troop is the equivalent to an army platoon.
In the Canadian Army , a Troop is the equivalent of a platoon within the Armoured, Artillery, Engineer, and Signals branches. Two to four Troops are comprise the main elements of a squadron.
In the United States Army , in the cavalry branch, a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry company, commanded by a captain and consisting of 3 or 4 platoons, and subordinate to a squadron ( battalion ). Companies were renamed troops in 1883. http://www.25thida.com/4thcav.html
In the Russian Imperial Army (Cavalry) troop was equivalent to eskadron (Russian squadron) or sotnia ( Cossacks formations).
Troops in civilian organizations
In the United States, State police (United States)|State Police forces are often regionally divided into Troops. This usage came about from these organizations modeling themselves off the US Army, and especially the older cavalry units. For this same reason the State Police and Highway Patrol personnel of most states are known as "Trooper" rather than "Officer".
In Scouting , a troop is a unit made up of Scouts or Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting|Guides from the same locality under a Scout Leader|leader .
References
Wiktionarypar|troop|trooperreflist Category:Military units and formations by size
