Army, the following branches were traditionally classified from 1968 until 2001 as the combat arms: The 'classic' combat arms were infantry, artillery, and cavalry, defined as those branches of the army with the primary mission of engaging in armed combat with an enemy force. Army organizational doctrine uses the classification 'Maneuver, Fires and Effects' (MFE) to group the combat arms branches, and four other branches, into Maneuver, Fires, Maneuver Support, and Special Operations Forces functional areas. In some Commonwealth Countries, the combat arms in the Army are:įield Air Defence is considered in the artillery branch in Canada, also all aviation assets are part of the RCAF not the Army.Ĭurrently, U.S. The inclusion of special forces in some armed forces as a separate combat arm is often doctrinal because the troops of special forces units are essentially specialized infantry, often with historical links to ordinary light infantry units. Armoured troops constitute a combat arm in name, although many have histories derived from cavalry units.Īrtillery is included as a combat arm primarily based on the history of employing cannons in close combat, and later in the anti-tank role until the advent of anti-tank guided missiles. Army and Canadian Army, they are considered part of the combat arms.

In some armies, notably the British Army, artillery and combat engineer units are categorized as combat support, while in others, such as the U.S. The use of multiple combat arms in mutually supporting ways is known as combined arms. In general, they are units that carry or employ weapons, such as infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. JSTOR ( June 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭombat arms (or fighting arms in non-American parlance) are troops within national armed forces who participate in direct tactical ground combat.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.

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