Squad In military terminology , a squad is a small military unit led by a non - commissioned officer ( NCO ) that is subordinate to an infantry platoon . In countries following the British Army tradition ( Australian Army , Canadian Army , and others ) , this organization is referred to as a section . In most armies , a squad consists of eight to fourteen soldier s , and may be further subdivided into fireteam s . Organization . United States . In the United States Army , a squad is composed of two fireteam s of four soldiers each , as well as a squad leader who is a Staff Sergeant . A Military Police squad is composed of three teams of three . In the United States Marine Corps , a squad is typically composed of three fireteams of four Marines and a squad leader who is typically a Sergeant or Corporal . In the US Air Force Security Forces a squad is made up of three fire teams of four members each led by a Senior Airman or Staff Sergeant and either a Staff Sergeant or Tech Sergeant squad leader . USSR . In the Soviet Armed Forces a motorised rifle squad was mounted in either a BTR armoured personnel carrier or BMP infantry fighting vehicle , with the former being more numerous by the late 1980s . BTR rifle squads consisted of a Squad Leader / BTR Commander , Senior Rifleman / Assistant Squad Leader , a Machine Gunner armed with an RPK - 74 , a grenadier armed with an RPG - 7 , a Rifleman / Assistant Grenadier , a Rifleman / Medic , a Rifleman , a BTR Driver / Mechanic and a BTR Machine Gunner . BMP rifle squads consisted of a Squad Leader / BMP Commander , Assistant Squad Leader / BMP Gunner , a BMP Driver / Mechanic , a Machine Gunner armed with an RPK - 74 , a grenadier armed with an RPG - 7 , a Rifleman / Assistant Grenadier , a Rifleman / Medic , a Senior Rifleman and Rifleman all armed with AKM s or AK - 74 s ( the Rifleman in one squad of every platoon was instead armed with an SVD sniper rifle ) . In both squads the vehicle ' s gunner and driver stayed with the vehicle while the rest of the squad dismounted . Fire Service in the United States . A squad is a term used in the US Fire and EMS services to describe several types of units and / or emergency apparatus . Oftentimes , the names " Squad " and " Rescue Squad " are used interchangeably , however the function of the squad is different from department to department . In some departments , a " Squad " and a " Rescue " are two distinct units . This is the case in New York City , where the FDNY operates seven squads . These special " enhanced " engine companies perform both " truck " and " engine " company tasks , as well as Hazardous Materials ( Hazmat ) mitigation and other specialty rescue functions . FDNY ' s five " Rescue " companies primarily mitigate technical and heavy rescue incidents , and operate as a pure special rescue unit . Squads and Rescues within the FDNY are part of the departments Specialty Operations Command ( SOC ) . In other departments , a squad is a name given to a type of apparatus that delivers Emergency Medical Services , and is staffed by firefighter / EMT ' s or firefighter / paramedics . This type of service delivery is common in the greater Los Angeles area of California , and was made famous in the 1970s show Emergency ! , where the fictional Squad 51 highlighted the lives of two firefighter / paramedics of the LACoFD . Chinese National Revolutionary Army to 1949 . The squad , 班 , or section was the basic unit of the National Revolutionary Army ( the Republic of China ) , and would usually be 14 men strong . An infantry squad from an elite German - trained division would ideally have one light machine gun and 10 rifles , but only one of the three squads in a non - elite Central Army division would have a light machine gun . Furthermore , the regular provincial army divisions had no machine guns at all . Leadership . A squad is led by an NCO known as a Squad Leader . His / her second in command is known as an Assistant Squad Leader . In Britain and in the Commonwealth , these appointments are known as Section Commander and Section 2IC ( " second in command " ) , respectively . Typical ranks for squad leaders are : Other military uses . A squad can also be an ad hoc group of soldiers assigned to a task , for example , a firing squad . The Canadian Forces Manual of Drill and Ceremonial defines a squad as " a small military formation of less than platoon size which is adopted to teach drill movements . ( escouade ) " However , the Manual provides direction for drill movements to be taught in " movements , " " parts , " or " stages . " The format of the commands in the manual has given rise to a prevalent belief in the CF that these stages are called " squads " . This groupthink has such strength that phrases such as " for ease of learning , this movement is broken down into ' squads ' " , are commonly used during periods of drill instruction . In actuality , were the lesson being given to a platoon , company or parade , the word " squad " would be replaced by the appropriate unit . Thus , these stages , parts , or movements should not be referred to as " squads " .