Headquarters and service company

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A headquarters and service company is a company-sized military unit, found at the battalion and regimental level in the U.S. Marine Corps. The U.S. Army equivalent unit is the headquarters and headquarters company.

In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as H&S company or HSC. While a line company is formed of three or four platoons, a headquarters and service company is made up of the battalion headquarters, which includes the battalion or regimental command section and the battalion/regimental headquarters executive staff, and headquarters support personnel of a battalion, or regiment. As these personnel do not fall inside one of the line companies of the battalion or regiment, the H&S company is the unit to which they are administratively assigned. The typical personnel strength of an average H&S company for a Marine infantry battalion is 269 personnel. A headquarters and service battery is found in most Marine units.