What is the Army Chain of Command?

In an organization we report to our immediate superiors, who in turn report to their managers and this chain goes all the way to the CEO or the Managing Director of the company. We follow a hierarchy, a pyramid like structure and although the CEO may have many advisers, it is he who decides what course of action has to be taken.

The US army also has its own rank structure. You can think of the President of the United States as the CEO, with many high-ranking officials as advisers. The army chain of command has the soldier as the basic or the building block. A group of soldiers organized together is known as a squad.

» Squad: A squad is made up of 9 to 10 soldiers. A Sergeant or a Staff Sergeant commands the squad.

» Platoon: A platoon has typically 16 to 45 soldiers. It is commanded by a Lieutenant with a NCO as Second in Command.

» Company: It is made up of around 62 to 190 soldiers. It is commanded by a Captain with a First Sergeant as commander's NCO assistant. Three to five platoons together make up a company.

» Battalion: A battalion is made up of around 300 to 1000 soldiers. It is led by a Lieutenant Colonel with a Command Sergeant Major as principal NCO assistant. Four to six companies combined together make up a battalion.

» Brigade: A brigade is responsible for managing two to five battalions. 3000 to 5000 soldiers combine together to make up a brigade. It is commanded by a Colonel and a Command Sergeant Major as Senior NCO.

» Division: Brigades combined together make up a division. It has roughly around 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers and is commanded by a Major General.

» Corps: Two or five divisions constitute a Corps and it has around 20,000 to 45,000 soldiers. A Lieutenant General is in command of the Corps.

» Army: An army is a combination of two or more Corps. It has typically more than 50,000 soldiers.

Take a look on the army chain of command with their respected Designation and the Person in-charge.

» Commander-in-Chief - Honorable Donald John Trump

» Secretary of Defense - Honorable James Mattis

» Secretary of the Army - Honorable Esper

» Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff US Army - General Dunford

» Army Chief of Staff - General Mark A. Milley

» TRADOC Commander - General Stephen J. Townsend

» Cadet Command Commander - Major general Christopher P. Hughes

» 4th Brigade Commander - Col. Farrell Duncombe

» Sergeant Major Of The Army - SMA Daniel A. Dailey

» TRADOC CSM - Command Sergeant Major Timothy A. Guden

» Cadet Command CSM - Command Sergeant Major Kenneth J. Kraus Jr.

» 4th Brigade CSM - Command Sergeant Major Christopher W. Newsom

The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the chain of command in the army. An effective chain of command ensures that the army is prepared for any eventuality.

The people holding these important designations have been given individual powers so that there is no ambiguity about the power structure. The different ranks have specific roles and responsibilities. The US army is well structured and one of the best in the world.