United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

units, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) is a company-sized

military unit Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a State (polity), state so as to offer such military capability as a military policy, national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary ...

, found at the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

level and higher. Considered one unit, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company is essentially two elements within one company. 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 A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, secur ...

s, an HHC is made up of the headquarters staff and headquarters support personnel of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

, division, 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. Inside a battalion HHC, the headquarters staff will usually include the following key officers and primary staff: Depending on the unit, extra support officers will round out the staff, including a medical officer,

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called ju ...

(legal) officer, and a battalion chaplain (often collectively referred to as the "special staff"), as well as essential

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s and enlisted support personnel in the occupational specialties of the staff sections (S1 through S4 and the S6). The battalion

command sergeant major A command sergeant major (CSM) is a non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of a color-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is ap ...

is the 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 mess, and supply, as well as the battalion Reconnaissance Platoon of infantry scouts and snipers and a Mortar Platoon. The Headquarters element consists of the Battalion Commander, the Executive Officer, the Command Sergeant Major and supporting staff. The Headquarters Company element will be commanded by a

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by country, ...

(usually a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) who is supported by a company executive officer (usually a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

) and a company first sergeant. All personnel in the HHC fall under the administrative command of the HHC company commander, but in practice, the primary and special staff officers and noncommissioned officers operationally report 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 command 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. While the Headquarters Company Commander has administrative authority over the battalion commander's staff officers and NCOs, the Headquarters Company Commander's operational authority is limited to requirements derived from exercising the HHC's mission essential task list (METL) through related collective training requirements that facilitate the battalion commander's command post, in addition to achieving required individual training: "...ensuring that both Soldiers and equipment are in the proper state of readiness at all times".Army Command Policy. (2014). Retrieved from https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r600_20.pdf At the

and division 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 Headquarters Company is usually still a

. In keeping with the army's long-standing practice of referring to company-sized

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

units as "

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

" and company-sized cavalry units as "

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

," the headquarters company element of an artillery battalion or higher is referred to as a headquarters and headquarters battery, or HHB, and the headquarters company element of a cavalry squadron or higher is referred to 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.

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations by type Companies of the United States Army

See also

References