Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of three to six battalion s plus supporting elements . It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment . Three or more brigades constitute a division . Brigades formed into divisions are usually infantry or armoured ( sometimes referred to as combined arms brigades ) , in addition to combat units they may include combat support units or sub - units such as artillery and engineers , and logistic units or sub - units . Historically such brigades have sometimes been called brigade - groups . On operations a brigade may comprise both organic elements and attached elements , including some temporarily attached for a specific task . Brigades may also be specialized and comprise battalions of a single branch , for example cavalry , mechanized , armored , artillery , air defence , aviation , engineers , signals or logistic . Some brigades are classified as independent or separate and operate independently from the traditional division structure . The typical North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( NATO ) standard brigade consists of approximately 3 , 200 to 5 , 500 troops . However , in Switzerland and Austria , the numbers could go as high as 11 , 000 troops . The Soviet Union , its forerunners and successors , mostly use " regiment " instead of brigade , and this was common ( e . g . Germany ) in much of Europe until after World War II . A brigade ' s commander is commonly a brigadier general , brigadier or colonel . In some armies the commander is rated as a General Officer . The brigade commander has a self - contained headquarters and staff . The principal staff officer , usually a lieutenant colonel or colonel , may be designated chief of staff , although until the late 20th century British and similar armies called the position ' brigade - major ' . Some brigades may also have a deputy commander . The headquarters has a nucleus of staff officers and support ( clerks , assistants and drivers ) that can vary in size depending on the type of brigade . On operations additional specialist elements may be attached . The headquarters will usually have its own communications unit . In some gendarmerie forces , brigades are the basic - level organizational unit . Origin . The brigade was invented as a tactical unit by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus . It was introduced during the Thirty Years ' War to overcome the lack of coordination between normal army structure consisting of regiment s by appointing a senior officer . The term derives from Italian " brigata , " as used for example in the introduction to " The Decameron " where it refers only to a group of ten , or Old French " brigare , " meaning " company " of an undefined size , which in turn derives from a Celtic root " briga , " which means " strife . " The so - called " brigada " was a well mixed unit , comprising infantry , cavalry and normally also artillery , designated for a special task . The size of such " brigada " was a reinforced " company " of up to two regiments . The " brigada " was the ancient form of the modern " task force . " This was copied in France by General Turenne , who made it a permanent standing unit , requiring the creation in 1667 of a permanent rank of " brigadier des armées du roi " ( literally translating to " brigadier of the armies of the king " ) which would in time be renamed simply " Général de brigade " ( but would still be referred to occasionally as " brigadier " for short ) . Individual armies . Australia . In the Australian Army , the brigade has always been the smallest tactical formation , since regiment s are either administrative groupings of battalions ( in the infantry ) or battalion - sized units ( in the cavalry ) . A typical brigade may consist of approximately 5 , 500 personnel between two mechanised infantry battalions , an armored regiment , an armored artillery regiment , and other logistic and engineering units . The brigade is usually commanded by an officer holding the rank of Brigadier , who is referred to as the " Brigade Commander . " United Kingdom . Brigades , with a field not a regional administrative role , have usually been of a named type and numbered since the 19th century ( e . g . Cavalry Brigade or Infantry Brigade ) . From after World War II brigade numbers have been unique and not by type . Brigades in divisions do not usually command their combat support and combat service support units . These remain under divisional command , although they may be permanently affiliated with a particular brigade ( as a " brigade group " ) . Historically infantry or cavalry / armoured brigades have usually been three or four combat arm battalions , but currently larger brigades are normal , made larger still when their affiliated artillery and engineer regiments are added . Until 1918 the chief of staff of a brigade was known as a Brigade Major . Before 1922 , British Army brigades were normally commanded by general officers holding the " one - star " rank of Brigadier - General ; after that date the appointment became that of Brigadier , usually held by a field officer with the substantive rank of Colonel . From 1859 to 1938 , " brigade " ( " brigade - division " 1885 – 1903 ) was also the term used for a battalion - sized unit of the Royal Artillery . This was because , unlike infantry battalions and cavalry regiments , which were organic , artillery units consisted of individually numbered batteries which were " brigaded " together . The commanding officer of such a brigade was a Lieutenant Colonel . In 1938 the Royal Artillery adopted the term " regiment " for this size of unit , and " brigade " became used in its normal sense , particularly for groups of anti - aircraft artillery regiments commanded by a brigadier . In the Second World War , a Tank Brigade comprised three tank regiments and was equipped with infantry tank s for supporting the Infantry divisions . Armoured Brigades were equipped with cruiser tank s or ( US Lend - Lease ) medium tanks and a motorised infantry battalion . The armoured divisions included one or more armoured brigades . Canada . The Canadian Forces currently have 3 Regular Force Brigade Groups , known as Canadian Mechanized Brigade Groups : 1 CMBG , 2 CMBG , which contain the regular army ' s Anglophone units , and 5e GBMC , the regular Francophone formation . These CMBGs are each composed of two mechanized infantry battalions , one light infantry battalion , one armoured regiment , one mechanized artillery regiment , one engineer regiment , one combat service and support ( CSS ) battalion , and one Military Police platoon . Co - located with each CMBG is a Field Ambulance , a Service Battalion , and a Tactical Helicopter Squadron . Regular Force CMBG strengths are 5 , 000 personnel . Canada also has 10 Primary Reserve Brigades ( Canadian Brigade Group ) , 31 CBG through 39 CBG , and 41 CBG . The CBG formations are for administrative purposes . Republic of China ( 1911 – 1947 ) . An NRA Brigade , 旅 , was a military formation of the Chinese Republic ' s National Revolutionary Army . Infantry and Cavalry Brigades were composed of two Infantry Regiment s . After the 1938 reforms the Brigade was dispensed with within the Infantry Division in favor of the Regiment to simplify the command structure . United States . In the United States Army , a brigade is smaller than a division and roughly equal to or a little larger than a regiment . Strength typically ranges from 2 , 500 to 4 , 000 personnel . During the American Civil War and continuing through World War I Army brigades contained two or more and typically five battalions , but this structure was made obsolete by an Army reorganization before World War II . More recently , the U . S . Army has moved to a new generic brigade combat team in which each brigade contains combat elements and their support units . This formation is standard across the active U . S . Army , U . S . Army Reserve , and the Army National Guard . In the United States Marine Corps , brigades are only formed for certain missions . Unlike the United States Army , the Marines have intact regimental structures . A Marine brigade is formed only for special expeditionary duty , for which it is outfitted like a smaller Marine Expeditionary Force ( MEF ) . An example is TF TARAWA ( 2d MEB ) during the Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign . The brigade commander is usually a colonel , although a lieutenant colonel can be selected for brigade command in lieu of an available colonel . A typical tour of duty for this assignment is twenty - four to thirty - six months . A brigade commander enjoys an appropriately sized headquarters and staff to assist him in commanding the brigade and its subordinate battalion units . The typical staff includes : In addition , the headquarters will include additional junior staff officers , non - commissioned officer s , and enlisted support personnel in the occupational specialties of the staff sections ; these personnel will ordinarily be assigned to the brigade ' s headquarters and headquarters company .