Which unit is typically comprised of multiple sections and is commanded by a company-grade officer?

• A. Squad
• B. Section
• C. Platoon
• D. Company/battery

Answer: (D)

In this level of military organization, the commander’s rank scales with the size of the unit. A captain, a company-grade officer, typically leads a company or battery, which is made up of several smaller subunits. In artillery, a battery contains multiple gun sections; in infantry, a company contains several platoons, each of which in turn contains squads. That arrangement—several subunits under one captain—fits the description of a unit comprised of multiple sections and commanded by a company-grade officer.

A squad is too small and is led by a sergeant. A platoon is larger than a section and is commanded by a lieutenant, though still a company-grade officer, it is organized into multiple squads rather than multiple sections as described for the larger unit. A section, by itself, is a subunit rather than a primary unit in charge of multiple other subunits. Therefore, the unit that best matches “typically comprised of multiple sections and commanded by a company-grade officer” is the company along with its artillery counterpart, the battery.