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In United States Army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
 units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company
Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure....
 sized military unit, found at the battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC. While a regular line company is formed of three or four platoon
Platoon

A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four Section or squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organised into a company , which typically consists of three, four or five platoons....
s, an HHC is made up of the headquarters staff and headquarters support personnel of a battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
, brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
, division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
, or higher level unit.






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In United States Army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
 units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company
Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure....
 sized military unit, found at the battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC. While a regular line company is formed of three or four platoon
Platoon

A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four Section or squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organised into a company , which typically consists of three, four or five platoons....
s, an HHC is made up of the headquarters staff and headquarters support personnel of a battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
, brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
, division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
, or higher level unit. As these personnel do not fall inside one of the regular line companies of the battalion, brigade, or division, the HHC is the unit to which they are administratively assigned. The typical personnel strength of an average HHC is 80 to 110 personnel.

Inside a battalion HHC, the headquarters staff will usually include the following key officers and primary staff officers:
  • a battalion commander, usually a lieutenant colonel
    Lieutenant Colonel

    Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the army and most Marine and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel....
  • a battalion executive officer
    Executive officer

    While executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an organization, the exact meaning of the role is variable, depending on the organization....
    , usually a major
    Major

    In many European languages, the term Major refers to a military rank, denoting seniority at one of usually various levels of rank, for example: "Sergeant-Major" denoting the most senior ranking sergeant of a large military unit; "Captain-Major", denoting a mid-level command status Officer ...
  • a personnel officer (S1), usually a captain
  • an intelligence officer (S2), usually a captain
  • an operations officer (S3), usually a major
    Major

    In many European languages, the term Major refers to a military rank, denoting seniority at one of usually various levels of rank, for example: "Sergeant-Major" denoting the most senior ranking sergeant of a large military unit; "Captain-Major", denoting a mid-level command status Officer ...
  • a logistics officer (S4), usually a captain
  • a civil affairs officer (S5), usually a captain
  • a communications officer (S6), usually a captain


Depending on the unit, extra support officers will round out the staff, including a medical officer, JAG
JAG

JAG is an United States Adventure /legal drama television show that was produced by Donald P. Bellisario, in association with Paramount Pictures CBS Paramount Television and, for the first season only, Universal Media Studios....
 (legal) officer, and a battalion chaplain
Chaplain

A chaplain is typically a priest, pastor, ordained deacon, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church , or who are unable to attend church for various reasons; such as health, confinement, or military or civil duties; Laity chaplains are also found in other settings such...
 (often collectively referred to as the "special staff"), as well as essential non commissioned officers and enlisted support personnel in the occupational specialities of the staff sections (S1 through S4 and the S6), and a battalion command sergeant major
Sergeant Major

A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth of Nations countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers....
, who is principal advisor to the battalion commander on matters regarding enlisted personnel. Additionally, the HHC will contain further personnel assigned to support and sustain the mission of the battalion headquarters, including maintenance and motor pool, field feed and mess, and supply.

The HHC itself will be commanded by a company commander
Company Commander

In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, the commanding officer of a company is a Company Commander. A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers ....
 (usually a captain) who is supported by a company executive officer (usually a first lieutenant
First Lieutenant

First Lieutenant is a military rank.The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank....
) and a company first sergeant
First Sergeant

First Sergeant is the name of a military rank used in some countries....
. All personnel in the HHC fall under the administrative command of the HHC company commander, but in practice, the primary and special staff officers report directly to the battalion commander, and while the battalion commander is administratively assigned to the HHC, he or she is the HHC company commander's higher commander and thus the HHC company commander operationally answers directly to the battalion commander. The mission of the HHC company commander is to run the administrative and soldier training aspects of the HHC, and to support the battalion primary staff by facilitating the environment in which they operate and in turn support the battalion commander in commanding the battalion.

At the brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
 and division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 level, an HHC is similarly constituted of the brigade commander or division commander, his or her staff, and the support elements, but the ranks of the staff and support personnel are typically greater to reflect the greater level of responsibility at higher echelon units. However, the company commander of a brigade or division HHC is usually still a captain.

In keeping with the long standing practice of referring to company sized artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
 units as "batteries
Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortar s, or rockets, so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems....
" and company sized cavalry
Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
 units as "troops," the headquarters company element of an artillery battalion or higher is referred as a Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, or HHB, and the headquarters company element of a cavalry regiment or higher is referred as a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, or HHT. Additionally, some high level headquarters elements for special units are not company sized and are referred to as "detachments;" as a result, these units are formally referred to as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachments, or HHD.

See also

  • Units, Formations, & Commands
    Military organization

    File:USN-JASDF ship and aircraft formations during ANNUALEX 2008 081119-N-7047S-140.jpgA military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a state as a need to offer military capability required by the national defence policy....
  • Staff Officer
  • Headquarters and Service Company
    Headquarters and Service Company

    In United States Marine Corps units, a Headquarters and Service Company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher....