Editing Corps

{{short description|Military unit size designation}}
{{about|a military unit||Corps (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=July 2021}}
{{army units}}

'''Corps''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɔər}}; plural ''corps'' {{IPAc-en|k|ɔər|z}}; from French {{lang|fr|corps}}, from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|corpus}} "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by [[Napoleon I]], the formation was first named as such in 1805.  The size of a corps varies greatly, but two to five divisions and anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 are the numbers stated by the US Department of Defense.

Within [[military terminology]] a corps may be:
*an [[military organization|operational formation]], sometimes known as a '''field corps''', which consists of two or more [[division (military)|divisions]], such as the [[I Corps (Grande Armée)|{{lang|fr|cat=no|Corps d'armée}}]], later known as {{lang|fr|I Corps}} ("First Corps") of Napoleon I's {{lang|fr|Grande Armée}});
*an '''administrative corps''' (or [[Muster (military)|mustering]]) – that is a [[#Administrative corps|specialized branch]] of a military service (such as an [[artillery corps]], an [[armoured corps]], a [[signal corps]], a [[medical corps]],  a [[marine corps]], or a corps of [[military police]]) or;
*in some cases, a distinct service within a national military (such as the [[United States Marine Corps]]).
These usages often overlap.

Corps may also be a generic term for a [[#Non-military use|non-military organization]], such as the US [[Peace Corps]] and [[European Solidarity Corps]].

==Military usage==
{| class="floatright" style="border:1px solid black; background:white;float: right;text-align: center" cellpadding="3"
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! [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO Map Symbols]]<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |title=APP-6C Joint Military Symbology |date=May 2011 |publisher=NATO |url=http://armawiki.zumorc.de/files/NATO/APP-6(C).pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921231042/http://armawiki.zumorc.de/files/NATO/APP-6(C).pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }}</ref>
|-
| 
|-
|-
| [[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Command (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Unspecified or Composite All-Arms (NATO APP-6).svg|80px|  ]]
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|a friendly combined arms corps
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Corps.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Hostile Unit (Solid Diamond Frame)- Unspecified or Composite All-Arms (NATO APP-6A).svg|80px]]
|-
|a hostile combined arms corps
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Corps.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Airborne Forces (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
|a friendly airborne corps
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Corps.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
|a friendly infantry corps
|-
| [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Corps.svg|80px|  ]]<br/>[[File:Military Symbol - Hostile Unit (Solid Diamond Frame)- Armour (NATO APP-6).svg|80px]]
|-
|a hostile tank corps
|}

===Operational formation===
In many armies, a corps is a battlefield formation composed of two or more [[Division (military)|division]]s, and typically commanded by a [[lieutenant general]]. During [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], due to the large scale of combat, multiple corps were combined into [[Field army|armies]] which then formed into [[army group]]s. In Western armies with numbered corps, the number is often indicated in [[Roman numerals]] (e.g., [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]]).

====Australia and New Zealand====
The [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] was raised in 1914, consisting of Australian and New Zealand troops, who went on to fight at [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]] in 1915. In early 1916, the original corps was reorganized and two corps were raised: [[I ANZAC Corps]] and [[II ANZAC Corps]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Odgers |first=George |author-link=George Odgers |title=Diggers: The Australian Army, Navy and Air Force in Eleven Wars |publisher=Lansdowne |location=Sydney, New South Wales |date=1994 |volume=1 |isbn=978-1863023870 |page=86}}</ref> In the later stages of World War I, the five infantry divisions of the [[First Australian Imperial Force]] (AIF)&mdash;consisting entirely of personnel who had volunteered for service overseas&mdash;were united as the [[Australian Corps]], on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], under Lieutenant General Sir [[John Monash]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Grey |first=Jeffrey|author-link=Jeffrey Grey|title=A Military History of Australia |edition=3rd |publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Melbourne, Victoria |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-521-69791-0 |page=107}}</ref>

During World War II, the [[Australian I Corps]] was formed to co-ordinate three [[Second Australian Imperial Force]] (2nd AIF) units: the [[6th Division (Australia)|6th]], [[7th Division (Australia)|7th]] and [[9th Division (Australia)|9th Divisions]], as well as other Allied units on some occasions, in the [[North African campaign]] and [[Battle of Greece|Greek campaign]]. Following the commencement of the [[Pacific War]], there was a phased withdrawal of I Corps to Australia, and the transfer of its headquarters to the [[Brisbane]] area, to control Allied army units in [[Queensland]] and northern [[New South Wales]] (NSW). [[II Corps (Australia)|II Corps]] was also formed, with [[Australian Army Reserve|Militia]] units, to defend south-eastern Australia, and [[III Corps (Australia)|III Corps]] controlled land forces in [[Western Australia]]. Sub-corps formations controlled Allied land forces in the remainder of Australia. I Corps headquarters was later assigned control of the [[New Guinea campaign]]. In early 1945, when I Corps was assigned the task of [[Borneo Campaign (1945)|re-taking Borneo]], II Corps took over in New Guinea.

====Canada====
Canada first fielded a corps-sized formation in the First World War; the [[Canadian Corps]] was unique in that its composition did not change from inception to the war's end, in contrast to British corps in France and Flanders. The Canadian Corps consisted of four Canadian divisions. After the Armistice, the peacetime [[Canadian Army|Canadian militia]] was nominally organized into corps and divisions but no full-time formations larger than a battalion were ever trained or exercised. Early in the Second World War, Canada's contribution to the British-French forces fighting the Germans was limited to a single division. After the fall of France in June 1940, a second division moved to England, coming under command of a Canadian corps headquarters. This corps was renamed [[I Canadian Corps]] as a second corps headquarters was established in the UK, with the eventual formation of five Canadian divisions in England. I Canadian Corps eventually fought in Italy, [[II Canadian Corps]] in northwest Europe, and the two were reunited in early 1945. After the formations were disbanded after VE Day, Canada has never subsequently organized a corps headquarters.

[[Royal Canadian Army Cadets]]: A corps size in the RCAC is different everywhere, depending on the size. The commanding officer can be a [[captain]] (Previously, Commanding Officers of a large corps could have been a Major, but that capability has been removed with the creation of CJCR Group Order 5511-1)

====China====
The [[National Revolutionary Army]] (NRA) corps ({{lang|zh|軍團}}) was a type of military organization used by the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Chinese Republic]], and usually exercised command over two to three [[NRA division]]s and often a number of independent [[brigade]]s or [[regiment]]s and supporting units.  The Chinese Republic had 133 corps during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].  After losses in the early part of the war, under the 1938 reforms, the remaining scarce artillery and the other support formations were withdrawn from the division and was held at corps, or army level or higher.  The corps became the basic tactical unit of the NRA having strength nearly equivalent to an allied [[Division (military)|division]].

The modern [[People's Liberation Army Ground Force]] [[Group army (military unit)|group army]] ({{lang|zh|集团军}}) is the closest equivalent of a corps. After the military reforms of the early 2010s, a typical PLA group army consists of six combined arms brigades, plus additional artillery, air defence, engineering, sustainment, special operations and army aviation assets. Each formation contains approximately 30,000 combat troops and several thousands more supporting personnel.

====France====
The [[French Army]] under [[Napoleon I]] used corps-sized formations ({{langx|fr|corps d'armée}}) as the first formal combined-arms groupings of [[division (military)|division]]s with reasonably stable manning and equipment establishments. Napoleon I first used the {{lang|fr|corps d'armée}} in 1805. The use of the {{lang|fr|corps d'armée}} was a military innovation that provided Napoleon I with a significant battlefield advantage in the early phases of the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. The corps was designed to be an independent military group containing cavalry, artillery and infantry, and capable of defending against a numerically superior foe. This allowed Napoleon I to mass the bulk of his forces to effect a penetration into a weak section of enemy lines without risking his own communications or flank. This innovation stimulated other European powers to adopt similar military structures. The corps has remained an echelon of French Army organization to the modern day.

====Germany====
As fixed military formation already in peace-time it was used almost in all European armies after [[Battle of Ulm]] in 1805. In Prussia it was introduced by ''Order of His Majesty'' ({{langx|de|Allerhöchste Kabinetts-Order}}) from 5 November 1816, in order to strengthen the readiness to war.

====India====
The [[Indian Army]] has [[Indian Army#Command_structure|14 corps]], each commanded by a [[general officer commanding]] (GOC), known as the corps commander, who holds the rank of [[lieutenant general]]. Each corps is composed of three or four divisions. There are three types of corps in the Indian Army: strike, holding and mixed. The corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.

====Pakistan====
The [[Pakistan Army]] has nine manoeuvre corps, each commanded by a [[lieutenant general]]. Each corps is composed of at least two divisions. The corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.

====Poland (1938–1939)====
The [[Polish Armed Forces]] used [[independent operational group]]s in the place of the corps before and during [[World War II]]. An example would be [[Independent Operational Group Polesie]]. The groups, as the name indicates, were more flexible and showed greater capacity to absorb and integrate elements of broken units over a period of just a couple days and keep cohesion during the [[September Campaign]] than more traditional army units such as divisions, regiments, or even brigades.

====United Kingdom====
Wellington formed a {{lang|fr|corps d'armée}} in 1815 for commanding his mixed allied force of four divisions against Napoleon I.

When the British Army was expanded from an expeditionary force in the First World War, corps were created to manage the large numbers of divisions. The [[List of British corps in World War I|British corps in World War I]] included 23 infantry corps and a few mounted corps. The word was adopted for other special formations such as the [[Officers Training Corps]]. Military training of teenage boys is undertaken at secondary schools through the [[Combined Cadet Force]], in which participation was compulsory at some schools in the 1950s. Schoolboy jargon called the CCF simply "Corps".

The [[British Army]] still has a corps headquarters for operational control of forces. [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]] of the [[British Army of the Rhine]] was redesignated the [[Allied Rapid Reaction Corps]] in 1994. It is no longer a purely British formation, although the UK is the "framework nation" and provides most of the staff for the headquarters. A purely national Corps headquarters could be quickly reconstituted if necessary.

It took command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan on 4 May 2006. Previously, it was deployed as the headquarters commanding land forces during the [[Kosovo War]] in 1999 and also saw service in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], commanding the initial stages of the [[IFOR]] deployment prior to that in 1996. Otherwise, the only time a British corps headquarters has been operationally deployed since 1945 was [[II Corps (United Kingdom)|II Corps]] during the [[Suez Crisis]].

==== United States ====
{{more|List of corps of the United States}}
<!--This section is linked. Please see [[Special:WhatLinksHere/Corps]] before altering the name of this section.-->
[[File:XVIII Abn. Corps headquarters, 2009.jpg|thumb|The XVIII Airborne Corps command group, led by [[Lieutenant general (United States)|LTG]] [[Lloyd Austin]], returns home from [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] in 2009]]
The structure of a field corps in the [[United States Army]] is not permanent. On the battlefield, the corps is the highest level of the forces that is concerned with actual combat and operational deployment. Higher levels of command are concerned with administration rather than operations, at least under current doctrine. The corps provides operational direction for the forces under its command.

As of 2014, the active field corps in the US Army are [[I Corps (United States)|I Corps]], [[III Corps (United States)|III Corps]], and [[XVIII Airborne Corps (United States)|XVIII Airborne Corps]]; their lineages derive from three of the corps formed during World War I (I and III Corps) and World War II (XVIII Airborne Corps). On 12 February 2020, it was announced that the Army was reactivating [[V Corps (United States)|V Corps]] to bolster the presence of US forces in Europe.

===== American Civil War =====
The first field corps in the [[United States Army]] were legalized during the [[American Civil War]] by an act of Congress on 17 July 1862, although the term had been used previously to refer to any large portion of the army.<ref name="Eicher65">Eicher,&nbsp;J.,&nbsp;Eicher,&nbsp;D.&nbsp;(2002).&nbsp;Civil War High Commands.&nbsp;United States:&nbsp;Stanford University Press. pages 65-66</ref>  Major General [[George B. McClellan]], for example, planned to organize the [[Army of the Potomac]] into corps of two or more [[Divisions of the United States Army#American Civil War|divisions]] and about 25,000 soldiers.  However, he delayed doing so, partly for lack of experienced officers, and partly for political reasons, until March 1862 when [[President Lincoln]] ordered their creation.<ref name="Wilson12">Wilson,&nbsp;J.&nbsp;B.&nbsp;(1998).&nbsp;Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades.&nbsp;United States:&nbsp;Center of Military History, U.S. Army. pages 12-15</ref>

The exact composition of a corps in the [[Union Army]] varied during the war, though it usually consisted of between two and six division (on average three) for approximately 36,000 soldiers.<ref name="Eicher65"/><ref name="NCMuseum">{{cite web|title=Civil War Army Organization and Rank|url=https://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/civil-war-army-organization-and-rank|publisher=North Carolina Museum of History|access-date=23 January 2022|archive-date=18 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718010330/http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/civil-war-army-organization-and-rank|url-status=dead}}</ref> After [[Ambrose Burnside]] was given command of the Army of the Potomac in November 1862, he reorganized it into three "grand divisions" of two corps and a cavalry division each, but this structure was abolished when [[Joseph Hooker]] took over February 1863. This also led to the creation of a dedicated [[Cavalry Corps (Union Army)|Cavalry Corps]] of three divisions and [[horse artillery]] assigned to the corps headquarters.  In the early years of the war, [[field artillery]] was either part of an artillery reserve under direct army control or assigned to individual divisions. However, after the [[Battle of Chancellorsville]] the divisional artillery was placed under corps control, with each corps assigned a [[Brigade (United States Army)#American Civil War|brigade]] of between four and six [[artillery battery|batteries]] commanded by the senior-most artillery officer. In general, the other field armies tended to model their organization after the Army of the Potomac, including the gradual development of corps.<ref name="Wilson12"/><ref name="McGrath17">McGrath, John J. The Brigade: A History, Its Organization and Employment in the US Army.&nbsp;(2004).&nbsp;Fort Leavenworth, Kansas : Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College. pages 17-19</ref>

Corps were commanded by major generals because Congress refused to promote officers past that grade (with the exception of [[Ulysses S. Grant]] to [[lieutenant general]] in 1864).<ref name="McGrath17"/> To assist with their command, generals were allowed a number of [[Aide-de-camp|aides-de-camp]] and a [[military staff|general staff]] of other officers.  This staff consisted of a chief of cavalry, a chief of artillery, and representatives of the [[War Department]]'s various bureaus:<ref>Eicher, page 40</ref> an assistant [[adjutant general]], a [[quartermaster]], an assistant [[inspector general]], a commissary of subsistence, an ordnance officer (all with the rank of [[lieutenant colonel]]), and a medical director.  However, there were no dedicated [[Combat service support (United States)|combat service support]] formations as part of the corps.  This meant that either civilian workers had to be hired or line soldiers detailed from their units to carry out the necessary tasks.<ref>Shrader,&nbsp;C.&nbsp;R.,&nbsp;Newell,&nbsp;C.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;(2011).&nbsp;Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done: A History of the Regular Army in the Civil War.&nbsp;United States:&nbsp;Nebraska. page 71</ref>

Initially, corps were numbered in relation to their field army, such as I Army Corps, Army of the Potomac.  After a while these numerical designations became unique to each corps regardless of the army to which they were assigned.<ref name="Wilson12"/><ref name="McGrath17"/> Although designated with numbers that are sometimes the same as those found in the modern US Army, there is no direct lineage between the 43 Union field corps of the Civil War and those with similar names in the modern era, due to congressional legislation caused by the outcry from veterans of the [[Grand Army of the Republic]] during the [[Spanish–American War]].{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In the [[Confederate States Army]], field corps were authorized in November 1862. They were commanded by lieutenant generals, and were usually larger than their [[Union Army]] counterparts because their divisions contained more brigades, each of which could contain more regiments. All of the Confederate corps at the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], for instance, exceeded 20,000 men. However, for both armies, unit sizes varied dramatically with attrition throughout the war. In Civil War usages, by both sides, it was common to write out the number, thus "Twenty-first Army Corps", a practice that is usually ignored in modern histories of the war.

===== Spanish–American War =====
Although the US Army in the years following the Civil War lacked standing organization at the corps and division levels, it moved swiftly to adopt these during the mobilization for the Spanish–American War in the spring of 1898. On 7 May, General Order 36 called for the establishment of seven "army corps" (repeating the nomenclature of the Civil War); an eighth was authorized later that month.<ref name=HistMilMob>{{cite book|last1=Kreidberg|first1=Marvin|last2=Henry|first2=Morton|title=History of Military Mobilization|date=November 1955|publisher=Department of the Army|location=Washington, DC|pages=144–145|url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-10/CMH_Pub_104-10.pdf|access-date=30 July 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052221/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-10/CMH_Pub_104-10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Two of these saw action as a unit: the Fifth in Cuba and the Eighth in the Philippines; elements of the [[First Army Corps (Spanish–American War)|First]], [[Fourth Army Corps (Spanish–American War)|Fourth]], and [[Seventh Army Corps (Spanish–American War)|Seventh]] made up the invasion force for Puerto Rico (the Second, [[Third Army Corps (Spanish–American War)|Third]], and Seventh provided replacements and occupation troops in Cuba, while the [[Sixth Army Corps (Spanish–American War)|Sixth]] was never organized). The corps headquarters were disbanded during the months following the signing of the peace treaty (with the exception of the Eighth Army Corps, which remained active until 1900 due to the eruption of the [[Philippine–American War]]), and like the corps of the Civil War, their lineage ends at that point.

===== World Wars I and II =====
During World War I, the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] (AEF) adopted the common European usage of designating field corps by [[Roman numerals]]. Several "[[corps area]]s" were designated under the authority of the [[National Defense Act of 1920]], but played little role until the Army's buildup for World War II. While some of the lower numbered corps were used for various exercises, the inter-war years corps served mostly as a pool of units.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clay |first=Steven |title=US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941: Volume 1 The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919–1941 |url=http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf |location=Fort Leavenworth, Kansas |publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press |page=170 |access-date=21 May 2015 |archive-date=22 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622090734/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> During that war, the Marine Corps organized corps headquarters for the first time, the [[I Marine Amphibious Corps|I Marine]] (later [[III Marine Expeditionary Force|III Amphibious Corps]]) and [[V Amphibious Corps (United States)|V Amphibious Corps]]. The Army ultimately designated 25 field corps (I–XVI, XVIII–XXIV, XXXVI, and [[I Armored Corps (United States)|I Armored Corps]]) during World War II.

=====Cold War and 21st century=====
After the [[Korean War]], the Army and Marines diverged in their approach to the concept of the field corps. The Army continued to group its divisions into traditional corps organizations in the Continental United States (CONUS), West Germany ([[V Corps (United States)|V Corps]] and [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]]), and South Korea (I Corps). However, during the [[Vietnam War]], the Army designated its corps-level headquarters in South Vietnam as [[I Field Force|I&nbsp;Field Force]] and [[II Field Force|II&nbsp;Field Force]] to avoid confusion with the [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam|ARVN]] corps areas.<ref name=Eck-VN-C&C>{{cite book|last1=Eckhardt|first1=George S.|title=Vietnam Studies: Command and Control, 1950-1969|date=1991|publisher=Department of the Army|location=Washington, DC|pages=52–55|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/Comm-Control/|access-date=30 July 2014|archive-date=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318150728/http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/Comm-Control/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of July 2016, the Army deactivated all corps headquarters save three CONUS based corps ([[I Corps (United States)|I Corps]] - Washington, [[III Corps (United States)|III Corps]] - Texas, and [[XVIII Airborne Corps]] - North Carolina).

In the 1960s, the Marine Corps activated the [[I Marine Expeditionary Force]] (I MEF) on Okinawa (based in California since 1971) and [[II Marine Expeditionary Force]] (II MEF) in North Carolina, and re-activated the III Amphibious Corps (which had been deactivated in 1946) as [[III Marine Expeditionary Force]] (III MEF) in South Vietnam (re-deployed to Okinawa in 1971). In 1965, all three MEFs were subsequently re-designated as Marine amphibious forces or MAFs, and in 1988 all three Marine Corps corps-level commands were again re-designated as [[Marine expeditionary force]]s (MEF). The MEF had evolved into a self-contained, corps-level, [[Marine air-ground task force]] (MAGTF) consisting of a MEF headquarters group, a Marine division, a Marine aircraft wing, and a force service support group (re-designated as Marine logistics group in 2005).

====Soviet Union====
{{further|Formations of the Soviet Army}}
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2010}}
The pre–[[World War II]] [[Red Army]] of the former [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]] had [[Rifle Corps (Soviet)|rifle corps]] much like in the Western sense with approximately three divisions to a corps.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://niehorster.org/012_ussr/41_oob/__stavka_41.html |title=Eve of war Soviet structure |access-date=3 February 2016 |archive-date=10 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210013514/http://www.niehorster.org/012_ussr/41_oob/__stavka_41.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, after the war started, the recently purged Soviet senior command ([[Stavka]]) structure was apparently unable to handle the formations, and the armies and corps were integrated. Rifle corps were re-established during the war after [[Red Army]] commanders had gained experience handling larger formations. Before and during World War II, however, Soviet armoured units were organized into corps. The pre-war [[Mechanized Corps (Soviet)|mechanized corps]] were made up of divisions. In the reorganizations, these "corps" were reorganized into tank [[brigade]]s and support units, with no division structure. Owing to this, they are sometimes, informally, referred to as "brigade buckets".

After the war, the tank and mechanized corps were re-rated as divisions. During the reforms of 1956–58, most of the corps were again disbanded to create the new combined arms and tank armies. A few corps were nevertheless retained. The Vyborg and Archangel Corps of the [[Leningrad Military District]] were smaller armies with three low-readiness motorized rifle divisions each. In the 1980s "Unified Corps" on the brigade pattern were created in the [[Belorussian Military District]] (Western TVD/Strategic Direction) and the [[48th Separate Guards Army Corps]] in the [[Transbaikal Military District]], but abandoned after a few years.

The [[Soviet Air Forces]] used ground terminology for its formations down to squadron level. As intermediates between the [[aviation division]] and the air army were corps—these also had three air divisions each.

=====Air Defence Corps=====
An Air Defence Corps ('KPVO') is an operational-tactical formation (in the past - the highest tactical formation) of the former [[Soviet Air Defence Forces]] and now [[Russian Air Defence Forces]]/Aerospace Forces. The purpose of the such a corps is to protect important administrative, industrial and economic centers and regions of the country, groupings of troops (forces) and military facilities within the established limits of responsibility against air strikes. In organizational terms, an air defence corps is part of the district (or a separate army) of the Air Defence Forces. Also some air defence corps were separate.
 
On the basis of individual corps, ''air defence zones'' or ''air defence corps areas'' could be created. The first ''KPVO'' were created in February 1938 for the air defence of [[Moscow]], [[Leningrad]] and [[Baku]] (respectively 1st, 2nd and 3rd) based on anti-aircraft artillery divisions and air defence brigade (''3rd KPVO''). The staff of the ''KPVO'' included: 4-6 anti-aircraft artillery regiments, 1 anti-aircraft machine-gun regiment, 1 searchlight regiment (or battalion), 1-2 regiments (or divisions) [[barrage balloon]]s, 1- 2 regiments (or battalions) of visual observation, warning and communications ([[VNOS]]), and a separate communications battalion. From September 1938 to November 1940, the ''KPVO'' also included 1-2 regiments (battalions) of local air defence.
 
During the Great Patriotic War from November 1941 to April 1944 the air defence corps were renamed into air defence corps areas (such as the [[Stalingrad Corps Region]]). The corps districts included up to 9 anti-aircraft artillery regiments and 14 separate anti-aircraft artillery battalions, up to 3 anti-aircraft machine-gun regiments, 1 searchlight regiment, 1 regiment (or division) of barrage balloons, up to 4 regiments (or separate battalions) VNOS, and a communications regiment (or a separate battalion). In 1945, air defence corps could include 1 anti-aircraft artillery brigade or division.

Air defence fighters operating within the limits of responsibility of the ''KPVO'' was transferred to the corps. By the end of the war, there were 14 ''KPVO'' in the Active Army, of which 5 corps continued to carry out the tasks assigned to them even after the war, and the rest of the corps were disbanded.

In July 1947, all ''KPVO'' were renamed anti-aircraft artillery corps. In January 1949, part of these corps was reorganized into ''air defence areas.'' From December 1948 to January 1949, all anti-aircraft artillery corps were disbanded.

In June 1954, for the defense of the main industrial and economic centers and regions of the USSR, 10 air defence corps were re-created. At the same time, in addition to anti-aircraft artillery formations, fighter aviation regiments and divisions were included in the corps. Since the late 1950s, anti-aircraft artillery units have been replaced by anti-aircraft missile formations and formations of radio engineering troops. Searchlight and barrage balloon units were also abolished.

In the [[Warsaw Pact]] countries, groupings similar to the Soviet air defence corps were also created. In June–July 1960, all ''KPVO'' were enlarged and consisted of: anti-aircraft missile regiments and brigades, air defense fighter regiments, radio engineering regiments and brigades, separate [[electronic warfare]] battalions, regiments and battalions of communications and logistics institutions.<ref name="ВЭ-4">{{cite book|editor=Сергеев, Игорь Дмитриевич [Sergeev I.D.]|title=Military Encyclopedia, Volume 4, article "Corps"|place=Moscow.|publisher=[[Voenizdat]]|date=1999|pages=204–209|isbn=5-203-01655-0}}</ref><ref name="СВЭ-4">{{cite book|editor=[[Nikolai Ogarkov]] |title=Советская военная энциклопедия в 8-ми томах (2-е издание), Том 4, статьи Корпус, Корпус ПВО [Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes (2nd Edition), Volume 4, articles "Corps" and "Air Defence Corps."] |place=Moscow |publisher=[[Voenizdat]] |date=1977 |pages=372–373}}</ref>

===Administrative corps===
In many English-speaking countries and other countries influenced by British military traditions, a corps is also a grouping of personnel by common function, also known as an '''arm''', '''service''', '''mustering''' or '''branch'''.

====Britain====
In the British Army, an administrative corps performs much the same role – for personnel that otherwise lack them – as a [[ceremonial regiment]]. An administrative corps therefore has its own [[cap badge]], [[stable belt]], and other insignia and traditions. 
*[[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]]
*[[RAF Regiment]]
*[[Royal Logistic Corps]]
*[[Corps of Royal Marines]]
*[[Royal Corps of Signals]]
In some cases, the term corps is also used informally, for looser groupings of independent regiments and other units – and without many or any unifying [[regalia]], [[military tradition]]s or other accoutrements – such as the [[Royal Armoured Corps]] or the "Corps of Infantry".

====Australia====
{{Main|List of Australian Army Corps}}

In Australia, soldiers belong foremost to a corps which defines a common function or employment across the army. The [[Australian Army]] has a system of coloured lanyards, which each identify a soldier as part of a specific corps (or sometimes individual battalion). This lanyard is a woven piece of cord which is worn on ceremonial uniforms and dates back to the issue of clasp knives in the early 20th century which were secured to the uniform by a length of cord.

If a soldier is posted to a unit outside of their parent corps, except in some circumstances the soldier continues to wear the hat badge and lanyard of their corps (e.g. a clerk posted to an infantry battalion would wear the hat badge of the Royal Australian Ordnance Corps but would wear the lanyard of the battalion they are posted to).

====Canada====
In [[Canada]], with the integration of the Canadian Army into the [[Canadian Forces]], the British corps model was replaced with [[personnel branch]]es, defined in [[Canadian Forces Administrative Orders]] (CFAOs) as "...cohesive professional groups...based on similarity of military roles, customs and traditions." ''CFAO 2-10)''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/cfao/002-10_e.asp |title=Personnel Branches within the Canadian Forces |access-date=2006-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206095126/http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/cfao/002-10_e.asp |archive-date=2006-02-06}}</ref> However, the Armour Branch continued to use the title [[Royal Canadian Armoured Corps]], the Infantry Branch continued to use the [[Royal Canadian Infantry Corps]] designation, and the Artillery Branch uses the term [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery]].

When the Army, [[Royal Canadian Navy]], and [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] were merged in 1968 to form the Canadian Forces, the [[Royal Canadian Dental Corps]] and [[Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps]] were deactivated and merged with their Naval and Air Force counterparts to form the [[Dental Branch (Canadian Forces)]] and the [[Canadian Forces Medical Service]] of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group (CF H Svcs Gp). The [[Royal Canadian Army Service Corps]] transport and supply elements were combined with the [[Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]] to form the [[Logistics Branch (Canadian Forces)|Logistics Branch]] The [[Royal Canadian Army Service Corps]] clerical trades were merged with the [[Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps]] and the [[Royal Canadian Postal Corps]] to form the Administration Branch (later merged with the [[Logistics Branch (Canadian Forces)|Logistics Branch]]) <ref>Sutton, Brigadier John, ed., "Wait For The Waggon". Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Leo Cooper, 1998.</ref>

Other "corps", included: [[Canadian Military Engineers|Canadian Engineer Corps]], [[Royal Canadian Corps of Signals|Signalling Corps]], [[Corps of Guides (Canada)|Corps of Guides]], [[Canadian Women's Army Corps]], [[Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps]], [[Canadian Forestry Corps]], [[Canadian Provost Corps]] and [[Canadian Intelligence Corps]].<ref>Love, David, ''A Call To Arms''.</ref>

====India====
Administrative corps in the [[Indian Army]] include:

*[[Indian Army Armoured Corps|Army Armoured Corps]]
*[[Army Aviation Corps (India)|Army Aviation Corps]]
*Army Dental Corps
*[[Army Education Corps (India)|Army Education Corps]]
*[[Army Medical Corps (India)|Army Medical Corps]]
*[[Army Ordnance Corps (India)|Army Ordnance Corps]]
*[[Army Postal Service (India)|Army Postal Service Corps]]
*[[Indian Army Service Corps|Army Service Corps]]
*[[Corps of Army Air Defence]]
*[[Indian Army Corps of EME|Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers]]
*[[Indian Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]]
*[[Corps of Military Police (India)|Corps of Military Police]]
*[[Indian Army Corps of Signals|Corps of Signals]]
*[[Defence Security Corps]]
*[[Directorate of Military Intelligence (India)|Intelligence Corps]]
*[[Indian Army Pioneer Corps|Pioneer Corps]]
*[[Indian Army Remount and Veterinary Corps|Remount and Veterinary Corps]]

====New Zealand====
{{Main|List of New Zealand Army Corps}}

In New Zealand, soldiers belong foremost to a corps which defines a common function or employment across the army.

A corps in the [[New Zealand Army]] is an administrative group that comprises members of similar work functions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Military Training & Education NZ {{!}} Defence Careers |url=https://defencecareers.mil.nz/army/life-in-uniform/education-and-training/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=defencecareers.mil.nz |archive-date=20 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620123004/https://defencecareers.mil.nz/army/life-in-uniform/education-and-training/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

If a soldier is posted to a unit outside of their parent corps, except in some circumstances the soldier continues to wear the hat badge of their corps (e.g. a [[New Zealand Army Supply Technician|supply technician]] posted to an infantry battalion would wear the hat badge of the [[Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment]].

====United States====
The [[Department of Defense (United States)|Department of Defense]]; the [[Department of Transportation]]; and the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]] use ''corps'' administratively in several ways.

1) In the title of the [[United States Marine Corps]], ''Corps'' is used as a service-branch designator, in much the same way as ''Force'' and ''Guard'' are used for the [[US Air Force]] and [[US Coast Guard]].

2) The [[US Army]] (all [[Structure of the United States Army#Active and Reserve Components|components]]; [[Regular Army (United States)|Regular Army]], [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]], and [[Army National Guard]]) uses administrative ''corps'', also known as [[Structure of the United States Army#Branches and Functional Areas|''army branches'']], to group personnel with a common function. These include the [[U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center#Overview|Acquisition Corps]], [[United States Army Adjutant General's Corps|Adjutant General's Corps]], [[Chaplain Corps (United States Army)|Chaplain Corps]], [[Chemical Corps]], [[United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command#Civil Affairs Units|Civil Affairs Corps]], [[Cyberwarfare in the United States#Army|Cyber Corps]], [[Dental Corps]]*, [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]], [[Finance Corps]], [[Judge Advocate General's Corps]], [[Logistics Corps]], [[Medical Corps]]*, [[Medical Service Corps]]*, [[Medical Specialist Corps]]*, [[Military Intelligence Corps]], [[Military Police Corps (United States)|Military Police Corps]], [[Nurse Corps]]*, [[United States Army Ordnance Corps|Ordnance Corps]], [[Psychological Operations (United States)#Army|Psychological Operations Corps]], [[Quartermaster Corps]], [[Signal Corps]], [[Transportation Corps]], and [[United States Army Veterinary Corps|Veterinary Corps]].* Each of these corps is also considered a [[United States Army Regimental System#Combat Support (CS), Combat Service Support (CSS), and Special Branches|''regiment'']] for purposes of: "... affiliation, ... loyalty and commitment, ... sense of belonging, ... unit esprit, and ... war fighting ethos."  However, these regiments have no tactical function. The six corps (annotated by an asterisk above after each applicable corps' name) of the [[Army Medical Department (United States)|Army Medical Department]] (AMEDD) are included in the AMEDD Regiment
.<ref>Army Regulation 600-82: ''The U.S. Army Regimental System'' Chapter 2: Management of the U.S. Army Regimental System, 2–2. USARS purpose, page 2. http://www.17thinfantry.org/documents/dmor/AR%20600-82%20US%20ARMY%20Regimental%20System.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109052453/http://www.17thinfantry.org/documents/dmor/AR%20600-82%20US%20ARMY%20Regimental%20System.pdf |date=9 January 2023 }}. retrieved 14 December 2016.</ref>

3) [[US Navy]] officers who are not ''[[line officer]]s'' (i.e., those who exercise general command authority and are eligible for operational command positions, as opposed to officers who normally exercise authority only within their own specialty<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navyreserve.com/glossary/l/line-officer.html |title=URL Unrestricted Line Officer |publisher=NavyReserve.com |access-date=2016-12-13 |archive-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703095928/https://www.navyreserve.com/glossary/l/line-officer.html |url-status=live }}</ref>) are commissioned into various [[United States Navy staff corps|''Staff Corps'']]. These officers are specialists in career fields that are professions unto themselves, such as ministers, civil engineers, architects, dentists, lawyers, physicians, healthcare administrators, healthcare scientists, clinical care providers, nurses, financial managers, and logistics and supply specialists. These ''corps'' include the [[Navy Chaplain Corps|Chaplain Corps]], [[Civil Engineer Corps]], [[Navy Dental Corps|Dental Corps]]*, [[Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy|Judge Advocate General's Corps]], [[Navy Medical Corps|Medical Corps]]*, [[Navy Medical Service Corps|Medical Service Corps]]*, [[Navy Nurse Corps|Nurse Corps]]*, and the [[Navy Supply Corps|Supply Corps]]. The Navy also has a [[Bureau of Medicine and Surgery#Organization|Hospital Corps]] consisting of enlisted medical technicians. The Hospital Corps, along with the four Navy health services corps listed above (indicated by asterisk), is one of the five corps of the Navy [[Bureau of Medicine and Surgery]].

4) The US Air Force uses the title ''corps'' to designate several non-tactical organizations. These corps include five distinct health services corps of the [[United States Air Force Medical Service]] (AFMS). The AFMS corps are the [[United States Air Force Medical Service#Biomedical Sciences Corps|Biomedical Sciences Corps]], [[United States Air Force Medical Service#Dental Corps|Dental Corps]], [[United States Air Force Medical Service#Medical Corps|Medical Corps]], [[United States Air Force Medical Service#Medical Service Corps|Medical Service Corps]], and [[United States Air Force Medical Service#Nurse Corps|Nurse Corps]]. The Air Force also has its own [[USAF Chaplain Corps|Chaplain Corps]] and [[United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General's Corps]].

5) In the US Armed Forces, the term ''corps'' is also used in a general sense to mean the collective membership of a specified military body. Those uses include: the [[Officer (armed forces)|''Officer Corps'']] and [[Non-commissioned officer|''Noncommissioned Officer Corps'']] (NCO Corps) of the armed forces, either collectively or individually by branch of service; the ''United States Corps of Cadets'' at the [[United States Military Academy]] and the ''United States Coast Guard Corps of Cadets'' of the [[United States Coast Guard Academy]]; the overall program title and aggregate collection of cadets and midshipmen enrolled in the [[Reserve Officer Training Corps]] (ROTC) of the several services (i.e., [[Army ROTC]], [[Navy ROTC]], and [[Air Force ROTC]]), as well as the cadet organizations of the six federally recognized [[United States Senior Military College]]s ([[The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina|The Citadel]], [[Norwich University]], [[Texas A&M University]], the [[University of North Georgia]], the [[Virginia Military Institute]], and [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]]); and the members of the [[United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps|Naval Sea Cadet Corps]].

==Non-military use==
The ambassadors, consuls and other foreign embassy staff in a country are collectively referred to as the [[diplomatic corps]] ({{langx|fr|corps diplomatique}}).  In [[Australia]], embassy vehicles have [[Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Australia#Diplomatic|licence plates]] beginning with the letters DC (or DX).

[[The Salvation Army]] calls its local units/church "corps" (e.g. The Rockford Temple Corps, The St. Petersburg Citadel Corps), echoing the pseudomilitary name and structure of the organization.

In the United Kingdom, the [[Royal Observer Corps]] was a [[civil defence]] unit from 1925 until disbanded in 1995.

In the US, there are non-military, administrative, training and certification corps for commissioned officers of the government's [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]], such as the [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] and the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/mission.aspx |title=Mission of Public Health Service at USPHS Commissioned Corps |publisher=Usphs.gov |date=2011-11-14 |access-date=4 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801210117/http://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/mission.aspx |archive-date=1 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/ |title=NOAA Corps |publisher=Noaacorps.noaa.gov |access-date=4 July 2012 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025103350/http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many volunteer municipal or university ambulance, rescue, and first-aid squads are known as VACs (volunteer [[ambulance corps]]). Prominent examples are the [[Order of Malta Ambulance Corps|Order of Malta]] (the largest in Ireland), [[Hatzolah]] (largest VAC network worldwide), [[Hackensack ambulance|Hackensack]] VAC. The usage of the term ''ambulance corps'' dates to [[American Civil War]] Major General [[George B. McClellan]]'s General Order No 147 to create an "ambulance corps" within the [[Union Army]].<ref name=CivilWar/> GO 147 used ''corps'' in one of its standard military senses. However, subsequent formations of non-military ambulance squads continued to use the term, even where they adhere less to paramilitary organizational structure.

The [[Peace Corps]] was organized by the United States as an "army" of volunteers.

Some [[non-governmental organizations]] (NGOs) are known as corps. Examples include [[Global Health Corps]] and [[Mercy Corps]].

A [[patent examiner]] in the US is a member of the Examiner Corps.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==See also==
*[[List of corps of the United States]]
*[[List of military corps]]

==References==
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name=CivilWar>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/ambulancecorps.htm |title=The Union Army Ambulance Corps |access-date=17 January 2011 |archive-date=14 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214205727/http://civilwarhome.com/ambulancecorps.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
*Phisterer, Frederick, ''Statistical Record of the Armies of the United States'', Castle Books, 1883, {{ISBN|0-7858-1585-6}}.
*[[Peter G. Tsouras|Tsouras, P.G.]] ''Changing Orders: The evolution of the World's Armies, 1945 to the Present'' Facts On File, Inc, 1994. {{ISBN|0-8160-3122-3}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230623/http://www.orbat.com/site/history/historical/nato/warsawpact.html Warsaw Pact June 1989 OOB]

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[[Category:Corps| ]]