List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation
Oldest active military units still in operation

List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation

Section Title: Oldest active military units still in operation
Table Section Text: None

Year	Heraldry	Name	Founder	Founding location	Current location	Notes

1248	-	King's Own Immemorial 1st Infantry Regiment	Ferdinand III of Castile	Crown of Castile	SpainMadrid, Spain	It was one of the first standing units in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, remaining in the order of battle of the Castilian and Spanish armies since its creation.

1337	Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey	King Edward III of England	England England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	In 1987, it was re-formed as a Territorial Army regiment, the Jersey Field Squadron (The Royal Militia Island of Jersey), 111th Regiment, Royal Engineers, later 73rd Regiment, Royal Engineers.

1479	-	1st Infantry Regiment	King Louis XI of France	Kingdom of France	France Sarrebourg, France	Founded in 1479-1480 by King Louis XI as Bandes de Picardie. It became the Légion de Picardie in 1558 during the Italian War of 1551-1559 and then Régiment de Picardie on May 29, 1569.

1506	Banner of the Pontifical Swiss Guard	Papal Swiss Guard	Pope Julius II	Papal States	Vatican City	The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the oldest active military units presently in existence.They are famous for their last stand which allowed Pope Clement VII to flee from Rome during War of the League of Cognac.

1509	-	9th Infantry Regiment “Soria”	Ferdinand II of Aragon	Kingdom of Naples, Crown of Aragon	SpainFuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain	Founded in 1509 as "Tercio of Napoli" or "Tercio de Zamudio". It is the second oldest regiment still used for overseas military operations.

1521	-	Life Guards	Sweden Dalarna, Sweden	Sweden Stockholm, Sweden	Life Guards, formerly Svea Life Guards, dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 "young able men" as body guards for Gustav Vasa, subsequent King of Sweden.

1534	-	Tercio of Sicily	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	Kingdom of Sicily, Spanish Empire	SpainSan Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain	It was created to protect the Spanish possessions in South Italy, where it was stationed for 2 centuries. It has participated in almost all conflits that involved Spain, and in recent years, its units have participated in international missions in Bosnia Herzegovina, Lebanon, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

1536	-	Life Regiment Hussars	Sweden Uppland and Södermanland	Sweden Karlsborg, Sweden	The Life Regiment traces back to two drafted units set up by Gustav Vasa in 1536 to lessen the dependency on foreign mercenaries.

1537	-	Honourable Artillery Company	King Henry VIII	England England	United Kingdom City of London	Officially incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. The Company fought with distinction in both World Wars and its current Regiment is the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior in the Army Reserve.

1537	-	Spanish Navy Marines	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	Kingdom of Naples, Spanish Empire	Spain Spain	The Infantería de Armada (Navy Infantry) was created by Charles V in 1537, when he permanently assigned the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles (Naples Sea Old Companies) to the Escuadras de Galeras del Mediterráneo (Mediterranean Galley Squadrons).

1537	-	6th Infantry Regiment “Saboya”	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	Duchy of Savoy, Spanish Empire	Spain Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain	It was created as the "Tercio of Savoy" in 1537. Nowadays is a mechanized infantry unit in the Spanish Army.

1537	-	3rd Infantry Regiment "Príncipe"	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	Duchy of Milan, Spanish Empire	Spain Siero, Principality of Asturias, Spain	It was created as "Tercio of Lombardy (old)" in 1537. Nowadays is an Airborne Light Infantry unit in the Spanish Army.

1539	Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers	King Henry VIII of England	England England	United Kingdom Monmouth	The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) is the most senior regiment in the British Army Reserve, having given continuous loyal service to the crown since 1539.

1556	-	2nd Dragoon Regiment (France)	Louis, Prince of Condé (1530–1569)	Kingdom of France Kingdom of France	France France	Despite the recent formation of the regiment in its current configuration, it is the oldest French cavalry regiment, dating back to 1556.

1557	Reggimento Corazzieri (Italy)	Duke Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy	Savoy Savoy	Italy Italy	Formed in 1557 as the "Guardia D'Onore". Today they are appointed as the Honor guard of the President of the Italian Republic

1566	-	4th Mountain Hunters Regiment "Galicia"	Philip II of Spain	Duchy of Milan, Spanish Empire	SpainJaca, Aragón, Spain	It was created as "Tercio de Lombardía" to protect the Spanish possessions in North Italy, and from there, it was deployed with the Army of Flanders.

1573	-	50th Infantry Regiment “Canarias”	Philip II of Spain	Canary Islands, Spanish Empire	SpainCanary Islands, Spain	It was raised as "Tercio de Las Palmas" (Militia) on Abril 28, 1573, to protect the island of Gran Canaria from pirates and other European powers, its mission for centuries.

1613	-	Skaraborg Regiment (infantry)	King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden	Sweden Kingdom of Sweden	Sweden Sweden	In 1942 converted to Skaraborg Regiment (armoured); in 2000 changed back to Skaraborg regiment

1614	-	Guard Hussar Regiment (Denmark)	King Christian IV of Denmark	Denmark Denmark	Denmark Denmark	Unit amalgamated with and perpetuates Zealand Life Regiment, which was disbanded on 1 January 2001

1618	-	Portuguese Marine Corps	Portugal Kingdom of Portugal	Portugal Portugal	Consists of 2 battalions

1636	-	181st Infantry Regiment (United States)	Massachusetts Bay Colony	Massachusetts Massachusetts United States	Part of the Massachusetts National Guard

1636	-	182nd Infantry Regiment (United States)	Massachusetts Bay Colony	Massachusetts Massachusetts United States	Part of the Massachusetts National Guard

1636	-	101st Field Artillery Regiment	Massachusetts Bay Colony	Massachusetts Massachusetts United States	The 101st Artillery Regiment is the oldest Artillery unit of the US Army; was founded the same time as the 181st Infantry Regiment

1636	-	101st Engineer Battalion	Massachusetts Bay Colony	Massachusetts Massachusetts United States	The 101st Engineer Battalion was founded at the same time as the 181st Infantry Regiment

1638	-	211th Military Police Battalion	Massachusetts Bay Colony	Massachusetts Massachusetts United States	The 211th Military Police Battalion goes back to 1741; the 772nd Military Police Company of this Battalion was founded in 1638.

1641	15th Infantry Regiment (Portugal)	Portugal Kingdom of Portugal	Portugal Portugal

1642	-	Scots Guards (third regiment of foot guards)	King Charles the First	Scotland	United Kingdom	Raised in 1642 to form a personal body guard to King Charles I when he campaigned in Ireland; became part of English Army in 1661

1648	-	1st Danish Artillery Battalion	Denmark	Denmark	Current formation from 2014; traces origins back to 1648

1649	-	12th Cavalry Regiment "Farnesio"	Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege	Spanish Netherlands, Spanish Empire	SpainSantovenia de Pisuerga, Castile and León, Spain	It was created on March 7, 1649, in the Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege. Nowadays is a reconnaissance cavalry regiment stationed in Castile and León, Spain.

1650	-	Coldstream Guards	George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle	Commonwealth of England Commonwealth of England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	Raised in 1650; became part of the English Army in 1661

1652	-	276th Engineer Battalion (United States)	Virginia Virginia United States	United States United States	The 1953 US Army Lineage Book Infantry traces the 176th Infantry Regiment origins to 1652; 176th Infantry was a predecessor unit of the 276th Engineer Battalion

1656	-	5th Dragoon Regiment (France)	Kingdom of France Kingdom of France	France France	Created under the Ancien Régime in 1656, last disbanded in 2003 and reactivated in 2015.

1656	Grenadier Guards	England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	Senior Regiment of the Guards Division

1656	-	10th Cavalry Regiment “Alcántara”	Philip IV of Spain	Spanish Netherlands, Spanish Empire	SpainMelilla, Spain	It was created in Brussels on February 19, 1656, as "Tercio de Nestién". Nowadays is an armored cavalry regiment stationed in the Spanish north African city of Melilla.

1657	-	Jutland Dragoon Regiment	Field marshal Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein	Denmark Denmark	Denmark Denmark

1658	-	Royal Life Guards (Denmark)	King Frederick III of Denmark	Denmark Denmark	Denmark Denmark	Both a Guard/Ceremonial unit of the Danish Monarch and Infantry Regiment of the Danish Army

1659	-	1° Reggimento "Granatieri di Sardegna" (Italy)	Duke Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia	Savoy Savoy	Italy Italy	Formed April 18, 1659 as the "Reggimento delle Guardie"

1660	Life Guards (United Kingdom)	Charles II	England England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	Senior Regiment of the British Army

1663	-	31st Infantry Regiment "Asturias"	General Junta of the Principality of Asturias	Principality of Asturias, Spanish Empire	SpainEl Goloso, Madrid, Spain	It was first raised as "Tercio de Asturias" in the autonomous region of Asturias on February 3, 1663, again in 1690, and again and definitely in 1706.

1664	-	Royal Marines	King James II	England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	Now roughly small brigade size.

1665	-	Korps Mariniers	Premier Johan de Witt	Dutch Republic Dutch Republic	Netherlands Netherlands	Founded as Regiment de Marine. Now roughly small brigade size.

1665	-	2nd Infantry Regiment "La Reina"	Dona Maria Anna of Austria	Crown of Castile, Spanish Empire	SpainCórdoba, Andalucia, Spain	It was created as "Queen Body Guards", by the Governor Queen Dona Maria Anna of Austria, by Royal Decree of August 22, 1665, during the minority of Charles II of Spain, for the guard of the Real person of the King.

1668	-	12th Cuirassier Regiment (France)	Kingdom of France Kingdom of France	France France	Raised as a regiment under the name of the Régiment Dauphin - Cavalerie or, in English, Dauphin's Regiment (Cavalry).

1672	-	102nd Infantry Regiment (United States)	Connecticut Connecticut United States	Connecticut Connecticut United States	Part of the Connecticut National Guard

1672	-	192nd Military Police Battalion	Connecticut Connecticut United States	Connecticut Connecticut United States	Part of the Connecticut National Guard

1673	-	113th Infantry Regiment (United States)	New Jersey New Jersey United States	New Jersey New Jersey United States	Taken in Service in 1775; traces orgians back to 1673 Militia; part of the New Jersey National Guard

1685	-	Henry Cornewall's Regiment of Foot	England England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	In 1751 numbered 9th Regiment of Foot; in 1881 Norfolk Regiment; in 1935 the Royal Norfolk Regiment; now A Company/1st Battalion "Royal Norfolks" of the Royal Anglian Regiment

1685	-	3rd The King's Own Hussars	England England	United Kingdom United Kingdom	Now part of the Queen's Royal Hussars

1707	3rd Cavalry Regiment, Dragões de Olivença (Portugal)	Portugal Kingdom of Portugal	Portugal Portugal	Created under the designation of "Regimento de Cavalaria Ligeira de Olivença"

1709	6th Cavalry Regiment, Dragões D'Entre Douro e Minho (Portugal)	Portugal Kingdom of Portugal	Portugal Portugal	Created under the designation of "Regimento de Dragões de Trás-os-Montes"

1709	-	8th Cavalry Regiment "Lusitania"	Jaime Miguel de Guzmán de Avalos y Spinola	Crown of Castile, Spanish Empire	Spain Marines, Valencian Community, Spain	It was created as "10th Regiment of Dragons" on December 18, 1709. Nowadays is a light armoured cavalry unit in the Spanish Army.

1716	Royal Artillery	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	United Kingdom United Kingdom

1716	Royal Engineers	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	United Kingdom United Kingdom

1720	-	1st Parachute Hussar Regiment	Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny	Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Hungary	France France	It is an airborne cavalry unit in the French Army, founded in 1720 by Hungarian noble Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny.

1736	-	Georgia Hussars	James Oglethorpe	Georgia Colony	State of Georgia	Part of the 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia National Guard

1741	Artillery Company of Newport	King George II	Colony of Rhode Island	Rhode Island State of Rhode Island	An independent chartered command of the Rhode Island Militia.

1751	Punjab Regiment	East India Company	-	Pakistan Pakistan	Oldest regiment in subcontinent region.

1756	169th Military Police Company	King George II	Colony of Rhode Island	Rhode Island State of Rhode Island	An active unit of the Rhode Island National Guard with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

1756	-	The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC)	Robert Rogers	United Kingdom British America	Canada Toronto, Canada	Founded as Rogers Rangers

1764	-	66th Infantry Regiment "América"	Charles III of Spain	Viceroyalty of New Spain, Spanish Empire	SpainBerrioplano, Navarre, Spain	It was first deployed in the Presidios of the north frontiers of New Spain, in territory of the present United States of America.

1768	-	Royal Nepalese Army	King Prithvi Narayan Shah	Gorkha Kingdom	Kingdom of Nepal	Nepal unification campaign was a turning point in the history of the Nepalese army.,

1774	-	First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry	Abraham Markoe	Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania	PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA	Founded before the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the Troop served as George Washington's bodyguards and fought at the American Revolutionary War battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown.

1775	-	Company A, 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment (New York)	New York (state) New York City, United States	United States New York City, United States	Descended from the 8th Company 1st New York Regiment 1775-1777; Part of the New York National Guard

1776	-	1st Battalion 5th Field Artillery Regiment	Alexander Hamilton	Continental Congress	United States United States	Oldest unit in the regular US Army

1782	-	65e régiment d'infanterie	Kingdom of France France	France France

1789	-	1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery (United States)	New York (state) New York United States	New York (state) New York United States	Part of the New York National Guard

1794	-	152e régiment d'infanterie	France France	France France

1798	Baloch Regiment	East India Company	-	Pakistan

Sentence(s)

Svea Life Guards dates to the year 1521 when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for Gustav Vasa, thus making the Life Guards one of the world's oldest regiments.

final_sentence: Svea Life Guards dates to the year 1521 when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for Gustav Vasa, thus making the Life Guards one of the world's oldest regiments.