The military is full of confusing terms, and those poor folks in uniform have to memorize all this stuff (on top of things like General Orders and the lyrics to “Anchors Aweigh.”) The Army divides their units up differently than the Navy and the Marines, so while one branch of the service might have a regiment, another will have a fleet.

In the Army, squads are made up of up to a dozen people. Squads can be combined to form a platoon, which consist of 20 to 40 soldiers. Put three to five platoons together, and you’ve got a company. Companies grouped together form battalions, and battalions are grouped together to make a regiment. A regiment can consist of up to 5,000 soldiers, but we’re not done combining yet. Slap together two or more regiments, and you’ve got yourself a division. You’ve probably heard the various divisions being referred to by number on the news, such as 101st Airborne Division, etc. The Army may not always be logical, but it is sequential, and its various divisions started at number one and continued on as they were created. During peacetime, many divisions were deemed no longer necessary and were deactivated. The active divisions kept their assigned numbers rather than being shuffled around to fill in the gaps that were left.