Talk:Squad leader

The image shows a formation of two squads or half platoon. Isn't still squad denoted with only one dot on top of a square? Moreover,the description of the image itself is absurd. This is not a symbol of an infantry platoon, it is a symbol of a rifle half platoon.

--2.69.142.127 (talk) 16:07, 12 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Have the TO&E/TO (USA/USMC) for the rifle squad recently changed? According to USA and USMC documents that I have researched, the correct numbers are still 9 and 13, respectively. If this has recently changed, so be it, but I would appreciate a source, as I have not found 10 and 14, as recently changed in the article. Thank you and Semper Fi! CobraDragoon (talk) 21:52, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Having received no response to my above post, I have reverted the number of men per rifle squad to 9 and 13, respectively, for USA and USMC rifle squads. According to the applicable doctrinal and organizational documents that I have researched, these numbers are still current. While each service experiments with differing numbers from time to time and individual units and/or one's own experience may have been that squad composition is otherwise, I believe that the current "official" numbers remain 9 and 13 for "regular" (i.e., meaning "normal," usual, or standard) line infantry units. It is, of course, quite possible (and rather expected) to find rifle squads of differing composition in units such as those performing formal training (such as in initial entry training or service school courses) test and evaluation, research and development, opposing force/ "aggressor" training, special operations (although the Army Rangers use a 9 man squad), or other special purpose/exigent/one-time situations. If the additional man per squad, is intended to represent the Army medic or Navy hospital corpsman (USMC) that normally accompanies a rifle squad in combat, then one might conclude that 10 and 14 are indeed correct. However, the medical personnel are not organic to the rifle squads and their parent platoons and companies, but rather are attachments from the battalion medical platoon contained with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (USA) or Headquarters and Service Company (USMC). If one were to include other such attachments (such as machine gun or assault weapons teams, mortar forward observers, etc.), then we could have a rifle squad with upwards of 20 members. If my information is not current/correct, then by all means please let me know and I will support correcting the data as quickly as possible. CobraDragoon (talk) 13:38, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]