Editing Regiment (section)

==Commonwealth armies==
In the [[British Army]] and armies modelled on it (such as the [[Australian Army|Australian]], the [[New Zealand Army|New Zealand]], the [[Canadian Army|Canadian]], the [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani]], [[Bangladesh Army|Bangladeshi]], [[Myanmar]] and the [[Indian Army|Indian]] armies), the term ''regiment'' is used in two different ways: it can mean an administrative identity and grouping, or a tactical unit. In the former [[Dominion of Newfoundland]], "Regiment" was used to describe the entirety of the fighting armed forces, the [[Royal Newfoundland Regiment]].

In the Commonwealth countries listed above, the large administrative regiment has been the normal practice for many years. In the case of India, "large regiments" of four to five battalions date from 1923 and, since the 1950s, many of these have expanded even further. As an example, the [[Punjab Regiment (India)|Punjab Regiment]] of the Indian Army has expanded from four battalions in 1956 to its present strength of 20, while, in the [[Pakistan Army]], several regiments have over 50 battalions.

In Canada, the regiment is a formation of one or more units; existing almost exclusively for reasons of heritage, the continuance of [[battle honour]]s and ''esprit de corps''. The three regular force infantry regiments each consist of three regular force battalions of approximately 600 soldiers, in addition to one or more reserve battalions. Canadian battalions are employed tactically and administratively within [[brigade group]]s.

In Australia, there is but one administrative infantry regiment in the regular army: the [[Royal Australian Regiment]], consisting of all seven regular infantry battalions in the Army. The [[Australian Army Reserve]] also has state-based infantry regiments which administer the reserve infantry battalions.

In Pakistan, the word regiment is an administrative grouping. While individual battalions may have different roles (for example different battalions of the [[Frontier Force Regiment]] may be mechanized infantry, paratroop infantry, or mountain troops), the regiment is considered to encompass all of them.

===British Army===
{{Main list|List of British Army regiments (1881)|List of British Army regiments (1962)|List of British Army Regiments (2008)}}

[[File:Scots_Guards_Badge.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Regimental badge of the [[Scots Guards]].]]
The modern British regimental system came about as a result of the 19th century [[Cardwell Reforms]].

In the [[British Army]], for most purposes, the regiment is the largest "permanent" organisational unit. Above regimental level, the organisation is changed to meet the tasks at hand. Because of their permanent nature, many regiments have long histories, often going back for centuries: the oldest British regiment still in existence is the [[Royal Jersey Militia]], established in 1337 although historically the Jersey Militia are referred to as a regiment it is disputed that they are in fact a corps. The [[Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)]], formed in 1572, was the oldest [[infantry]] regiment. It now forms part of the [[Princess of Wales Royal Regiment]].<ref>These claims are contested on various points of precedence; see [http://regiments.org/about/faq.htm FAQ: Regiments, in general] and especially: [http://regiments.org/about/faq/oldest.htm FAQ: Oldest Regiment in the British Army] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113045242/http://regiments.org/about/faq.htm |date=January 13, 2008 }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, there existed until recently a number of administrative "divisions" in the infantry that encompassed several regiments, such as the Guards Division, the former Scottish Division (now a single regiment), or the Light Division (now also compressed into a multi-battalion single regiment). The reduction and consolidation of British infantry regiments that began in the late 1950s and concluded in 2006 has resulted in a system of administrative regiments each with several battalions, a band, a common badge and uniform etc.

In the British regimental system, the tactical regiment or battalion is the basic functional unit and its commanding officer more autonomous than in continental systems. Divisional and brigade commanders generally do not immerse themselves in the day-to-day functioning of a battalion – they can replace the commanding officer but will not micro-manage the unit. The [[regimental sergeant major]] is another key figure, responsible to the CO for unit discipline and the behaviour of the NCOs.

It should, however, be noted that amalgamations beginning in the late 1950s and ending in 2006 have diluted the British regimental system through the now almost universal adoption of "large regiments" for the infantry of the Army. As of 2014, only thirteen line infantry regiments survive, each comprising up to six of the former battalions that previously had separate regimental status. Only the five Guards regiments retain their historic separate identities. Similarly, as of 2015, only eight of the regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps (cavalry plus Royal Tank Regiments) survive.

====Armour====
[[armoured warfare|Armoured]] regiments in Canada since the end of the [[World War II|Second World War]] have usually consisted of a single tactical regiment. During the 1960s, three Canadian regiments had both regular and militia components, which were disbanded shortly after unification in 1968. Currently, one regiment is organised with two tactical regiments, 12<sup>e</sup> Régiment blindé du Canada and 12<sup>e</sup> Régiment blindé du Canada (Milice) are both part of the administrative regiment [[12e Régiment blindé du Canada|12<sup>e</sup> Régiment blindé du Canada]].

One administrative armoured regiment of the [[British Army]] consisted of more than one tactical regiment.  The [[Royal Tank Regiment]] until 2014 had two (1 and 2 RTR), and once had many more.  They were all amalgamated into a single regiment.

====Artillery====
All of a nation's [[artillery]] units are considered part of a single administrative regiment, but there are typically several tactical artillery regiments. They are designated by numbers, names or both. For example, the tactical regiments 1st Regiment, [[Royal Canadian Horse Artillery]], 7th Toronto Regiment, RCA and many others are part of the single administrative regiment The [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery]]. In Britain, the [[Royal Artillery|Royal Regiment of Artillery]] works in the same way.

====Infantry====
Administrative [[infantry]] regiments are composed of one or more [[battalion]]s. When a regiment has only one battalion, the battalion may have exactly the same name as the regiment. For example, The [[North Saskatchewan Regiment]] is the only battalion in the administrative regiment of the same name. When there is more than one battalion, they are distinguished by numbers, subsidiary titles or both. In Britain, every infantry battalion bears a number, even if it is the only remaining battalion in the regiment (in that case it is the 1st Battalion, with the exception of [[The Irish Regiment of Canada]], which has a 2nd Battalion only). Until after the [[World War II|Second World War]], every regiment had at least two battalions. Traditionally, the regular battalions were the 1st and 2nd Battalions, the [[militia]] (later Special Reserve) battalion was the 3rd Battalion, and the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Army Reserve]] battalions were the 4th Battalion, the 5th Battalion and up. A few regiments had up to four regular battalions and more than one militia battalion, which disrupted the numbering, but this was rare. For this reason, although the regular battalion today (if there is only one) will always be the 1st Battalion, the TA battalions may have non-consecutive numbers.

In practice, it is impossible to exercise all the administrative functions of a true regiment when the regiment consists of a single unit. Soldiers, and particularly officers, cannot spend a full career in one battalion. Thus in the Armoured Corps, the traditional administrative "regiment" tends to play more of a ceremonial role, while in practice, its members are administered by their corps or "branch" as in the Artillery. Thus soldiers and officers can serve in many different "regiments", changing hat badges without too much concern during their career. Indeed, in the artillery, all regiments wear the same badge.

====Corps====
The [[British Army]] also has battalion-sized tactical regiments of the [[Royal Engineers]], [[Royal Corps of Signals]], [[Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)|Army Air Corps]], [[Royal Logistic Corps]], and [[Royal Military Police]].

=== Indian Army ===
{{Main article|List of regiments of the Indian Army}}

Upon its inception, the [[Indian Army]] inherited the British Army's organisational structure, which is still maintained today. Therefore, like its predecessor, an Indian infantry regiment's responsibility is not to undertake field operations but to provide battalions and well-trained personnel to the field formations. As such, it is common to find battalions of the same regiment spread across several brigades, divisions, corps, commands, and even theatres. Like its British and Commonwealth counterparts, troops enlisted within the regiment are immensely loyal, take great pride in the regiment to which they are assigned, and generally spend their entire career within the regiment.

Most Indian Army infantry regiments recruit based on certain selection criteria, such as region (for example, the [[Assam Regiment]]), caste/community ([[Jat Regiment]]), or religion ([[Sikh Regiment]]). Most regiments continue the heritage of regiments raised under the British Raj, but some have been raised after independence, some of which have specialised in border defence, in particular the [[Ladakh Scouts]], the [[Arunachal Scouts]], and the [[Sikkim Scouts]].

Over the years there have been fears that troops' allegiance lay more with their regiments and the regions/castes/communities/religions from which they were recruited, as opposed to the Indian union as a whole. Thus some "all India" or "all class" regiments have been created, which recruit troops from all over India, regardless of region, caste, community, or religion: such as the [[Brigade of the Guards]] (which later converted to the mechanised infantry profile) and the [[Parachute Regiment (India)|Parachute Regiment]].

The Indian Army has many regiments, majority of them infantry, with single-battalion cavalry and artillery regiments. These are a legacy of the British Indian army during the years when the British ruled India before 15 August 1947. Each infantry regiment may have one or more battalions, while cavalry, armour and artillery regiments are single-battalion formations. There are regimental headquarters (called as a centre) for each regiment.

Each regiment of infantry is commanded by a colonel and assisted by a lieutenant colonel.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indianarmy.nic.in/site/formTemplete/frmtempsimple.aspx?MnId=TqWSDHmc2ua6KzgEgvgO7w==&ParentID=RuQ+vVM57FirJYXrHRLBHA== | title=STRUCTURE OF ARMY | publisher=indianarmy.nic.in | access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref>

=== Irish Army ===
The [[Irish Army]] field artillery units are called regiments. They are divided into batteries and together the regiments form the Artillery Corps. Air Defence units are organised as a single regiment with individual batteries stationed around the country.