Military organization (BattleTech)
Note: The following military organization tables is mostly a formal format, as most commands use combined-armed tactics. All unit organization is formatted to show grouping name and number of units, both of smaller groups and total number of units that form the Squad, Platoon, Lance, etc, etc.
Inner Sphere House Unit Organization
Within the fictional BattleTech universe, despite differences in culture, society, and religion, the Houses of the Inner Sphere all use the same military structure. This conformity enables commanders in an instant to calculate a decision, which, in combat, can mean the difference between life or death. Also, such shared organization among commands has been useful to generals and advisors since the beginning of organized warfare.
Infantry
- Squad : (7 troops)
- Platoon : 4 Squads (28 troops)
- Company : 3 Platoons (84 troops)
- Battalion : 3 Companies (252 troops)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions (756 troops)
Battle Armor
- Squad : (4 troops)
- Platoon : 3 BA Squads (12 troops)
Armor
- Lance : (4 Vehicles)
- Company : 3 Lances (12 Vehicles)
- Battalion : 3 Companies (36 Vehicles)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions (108 Vehicles)
BattleMech
- Lance : (4 BattleMechs)
- Company : 3 Lances (12 BattleMechs)
- Battalion : 3 Companies (36 BattleMechs)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions (108 BattleMechs)
Aerospace
- Lance : (2 Aerospace Fighters)
- Squadron : 3 Lances (6 Aerospace Fighters)
- Wing : 3 Squadrons (18 Aerospace Fighters)
- Regiment : 3 Companies (54 Aerospace Fighters)
Mercenary Military Unit Organization
Mercenary commanders, in BattleTech fiction, conform to structures nearly as set as their House brethren. One exception is the Wolf's Dragoons who structure their units more like the Clans. Merc forces, which rarely exceed a regiment in strength, often field over-strength companies to give themselves an advantage against the Inner Sphere and Clan forces. To deceive Clan commanders, Merc commanders often reshape their entire structure. Such attempts usually have little effect in the field, though, as the Clans regard mercenary commanders as mere criminals and treat them as such.
Infantry
- Squad : (7 troops)
- Platoon : 4 Squads (28 troops)
- Company : 3 Platoons+Command Lance (84 troops)
- Battalion : 3 Companies+Command Lance (252 troops)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions+Command Lance (756 troops)
Battle Armor
- Squad : (4 troops)
- Platoon : 3 BA Squads (12 troops)
Armor
- Lance : (4 Vehicles)
- Company : 3 Lances (12 Vehicles)
- Battalion : 3 Companies+Command Lance (40 Vehicles)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions+Command Lance (132 vehicles)
BattleMech
- Lance : (4 BattleMechs)
- Company : 3 Lances (12 BattleMechs)
- Battalion : 3 Companies+Command Lance (40 BattleMechs)
- Regiment : 3 Battalions+Command Lance (124 BattleMechs)
Aerospace
- Lance : (2 Aerospace Fighters)
- Squadron : 3 Lances (6 Aerospace Fighters)
- Wing : 3 Squadrons+Command Lance (20 Aerospace Fighters)
Clan Unit Organization
Nicholas Kerensky formed the Clans from former SLDF forces with his father on the first Exodus. Finding the survivors of another civil war, Kerensky took them to a new world and formed the Clans, restructuring their entire life style completely, and claimed that the version of unit organization was tainted. This came to be believed that this would cause the Clans to descend into war with each other. The military structure of the Clans, to outsiders, seems very impossible to understand. All Clan formations are organized in Points of five, or a "Star"..
Infantry (Unarmored)
- Point : (25 unarmored)
- Star : 5 Points (125 unarmored)
- Binary : 2 Stars (250 unarmored)
- Trinary : 3 Stars (375 unarmored)
- Cluster : 4-5 Binaries or Trinaries (1000/1250 or 1500/1875)
- Galaxy : 2-5 Clusters (Varies based on Binaries or Trinaries and composition of both.)
Infantry (Armored) (Battlearmor)
- Point : (5 armored)
- Star : 5 Points (25 armored)
- Binary : 2 Stars (50 armored)
- Trinary : 3 Stars (75 armored)
- Cluster : 4-5 Binaries or Trinaries (200/250 or 300/375)
- Galaxy : 2-5 Clusters (Varies based on Binaries or Trinaries and composition of each.)
Aerospace or Armor
- Point : (2 Aerospace units)
- Star : 5 Points (10 Aerospace units)
- Binary : 2 Stars (20 Aerospace units)
- Trinary : 3 Stars (30 Aerospace units)
- Cluster : 4-5 Binaries or Trinaries (80/100 or 120/150)
- Galaxy : 2-5 Clusters (Varies based on Binaries or Trinaries and composition of each.)
BattleMechs
- Point : (1 BattleMech)
- Star : 5 Points (5 BattleMechs)
- Binary : 2 Stars (10 BattleMechs)
- Trinary : 3 Stars (15 BattleMechs)
- Cluster : 4-5 Binaries or Trinaries (40/50 or 60/75)
- Galaxy : 3-5 Clusters (Varies based on Binaries or Trinaries and composition of each.)
Special Unit Structure These two group structures are rarely used except for the security of ilKhans, Khans, and ovKhans, or other important figures.
- Nova : 1 BattleMech or Aerospace Fighter Star with 1 infantry Star
- Supernova : 1 BattleMech or Aerospace Fighter Binary with 2 infantry Stars
ComStar and Word of Blake Unit Organization
ComStar and the Word of Blake use an idiosyncratic organization based on the multiples of 6, just as their exiled Star League counterparts, the Clans, would base their units off a structure of five. Officially called an "X", each Level is roughly the same as a Platoon, Company, Battalion, Division, or even a Regiment, but some have names of varying levels of formality. The ComGuards, ComStar's military branch, and the Word of Blake Militia share a Common Heritage and hence organization; in both militaries the structures of higher levels of organization deviate from the formal pattern. Both militaries use the combined arms tactics and a simplistic command structure to keep as low a level of organization as possible to ensure that despite the loss of the upper command echelon, combat units would not break down entirely. It is of note that neither the Word of Blake Militia nor the ComGuards use a formal organization above Level 4 and is simply led as the Militia from this level up.
- Level 1: a single BattleMech, armored vehicle or aerospace fighter, or single infantry squad
- Level 2: six Level 1 units; referred to as a demi-company.
- Level 3: six Level 2 units; referred to as a battalion.
- Level 4: six Level 3 units; referred to as a division.
- Level 5: six Level 4 units; referred to as an Army. Most an administrative group, they were deployed as field units only at Tukayyid.
- Level 6: six level 5 units; almost completely absent from ComGuard military organization, however the first deployment charts for the ComGuards in the Twenty Year Update included Theaters.