Trooper (rank)

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Trooper (abbr. Tpr) from the French "troupier" is the equivalent rank to private in a regiment^[1] with a cavalry tradition in the British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand; it is also used by the Irish Army.

In the British Army the Royal Tank Regiment, although not a former cavalry unit also uses the term Trooper^[2] as do the Special Air Service and Honourable Artillery Company. Airtrooper (Atpr) is used in the Army Air Corps.

Cavalry units are organized into squadrons, further divided into troops, hence a trooper is a member of a troop. "Trooper" can also be used colloquially to mean any cavalry soldier (although not usually an officer).

In the United States Cavalry and airborne forces, "trooper" is a colloquialism that has traditionally been used not as a rank, but rather as a general term for any enlisted soldier.^[3]

Cavalry Troopers are generally considered to be socially a cut above other soldiers. This distinction stems from the days when cavalry needed to supply their own horses and equipment, and so would need to be reasonably wealthy and a gentleman of sorts. In addition cavalry regiments were seen to be relatively fashionable and dashing, often having colourful or even garish uniforms.

In the United States many states have a state branch of law enforcement that serves as a highway patrol. Many state highway patrols refer to their officers as troopers.