Midshipman Organization (The Brigade Broken Down)

Ok so I thought I'd take a break from talking about getting into the Academy and give a snippet of information about how the Academy is organized for the midshipmen.

So the Academy has roughly 4,400 midshipmen.  Each class starts with between 1,200-1,400 midshipman and usually graduates just about 1,000 officers into the Navy and Marine Corps.

All midshipmen as a collective group are called the Brigade of Midshipmen.
The Brigade is then broken in half into Regiments, 1st and 2nd.
Each Regiment is further broken down into 3 Battalions, 1-3 in First Regiment and 4-6 in Second Regiment.
From Battalions, we get companies, 5 for each Battalion for a total of 30.

A midshipman's company becomes their new family, especially their fellow classmates. Plebe summer is not an individual effort so the bonds that are created during the summer can last a life time. Midshipman live with their company and can only room with members of their company of the same sex and class.

Although companies are usually the lowest level that the Brigade is broken down to for the public, inside each company is it broken down even more.
A company has 4 Platoons, each of which consist of 3 squads.
A squad is anywhere from 10-14 midshipman. These are your table-mates for most meals.

Since the Brigade a various levels, there are various levels of leadership, mostly First Class Midshipman (seniors) with a few for underclassmen.

First Class midshipmen can have any where from 0-6 stripes based on their level of leadership.
No stripes, is considers a Midshipman in Ranks (MIR) and usually just holds a small company level job.
One stripe, is a Midshipman Ensign (MIDN ENS) and is a squad leader, has a company level job, or low level job in higher levels of the brigade.
Two stripes, is a Midshipman Lieutenant Junior Grade (MIDN LTjg) and is a platoon commander, higher level company jobs, and lowish level jobs for the battalion, regiment, and brigade.
Three stripes, is a Midshipman Lieutenant (MIDN LT) and is the company commander, higher level jobs for the battalion and also mid level jobs for the regiment and brigade.
Four stripes, is a Midshipman Lieutenant Commander (MIDN LCDR) and is the battalion commander, or has a high level regiment or brigade job.
Five stripes, is a Midshipman Commander (MIDN CDR) and is the regiment commander and a top tier brigade job.
Six stripes, is a Midshipman Captain (MIDN CAPT) and is the brigade commander. There is only one 6-striper at a time.

Also if you didn't catch on there, midshipman ranks mirror those of naval officers. :)


So there you have it. The brigade (kinda) quickly broken down.

Comments, question, or concerns? You know how it goes.  Leave them below or email me at USNAwiki@gmail.com