Una división es una gran formación militar formada por varias brigadas o regimientos, a los que se añaden unidades más pequeñas de artillería, Estado Mayor y otras unidades especializadas (comunicaciones, ingenieros, etc.), generalmente sumando un total de entre 10.000 y 30.000 hombres. La unión de varias divisiones conforma un cuerpo de ejército. En la guerra moderna, la división tiende a ser la unidad más pequeña de armas combinadas capaz de realizar operaciones de larga duración de forma independiente; las divisiones han sido diseñadas y estructuradas para ser unidades independientes, sin necesidad de apoyo de ningún tipo (por ello tienen sus propias unidades de apoyo, comunicaciones, sanitarias, etc.). Sin embargo, en muchos escenarios de combate pocas veces es necesario poner tantos soldados juntos sobre el terreno, de modo que suelen emplearse conjuntos más pequeños de tropas llamados grupos de batalla o fuerzas operativas, procedentes de una o más divisiones. En algunas armadas se usa el término para referirse a departamentos administrativos a bordo de un buque de superficie, en mandos costeros, o subunidades de buques dentro de una flotilla. En esas circunstancias, la división hace referencia a un conjunto mucho menor de personas, usualmente por debajo de 100, y está al mando generalmente de un teniente de navío o un alférez de navío.

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A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. Infantry divisions during the World Wars ranged between 10,000 and 30,000 in nominal strength. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. In most modern militaries, a division tends to be the smallest combined arms unit capable of independent operations; this is due to its self-sustaining role as a unit with a range of combat troops and suitable combat support forces, which can be arranged into various organic combinations. While the focus of this article is on army divisions, in naval usage division has a completely different meaning, referring either to an administrative/functional sub-unit of a department (e.g., fire control division of the weapons department) aboard naval and coast guard ships, shore commands, and in naval aviation units (including navy, marine corps, and coast guard aviation), to a sub-unit of several ships within a flotilla or squadron, or to two or three sections of aircraft operating under a designated division leader. In administrative/functional sub-unit usage unit size varies widely, though typically divisions number far less than 100 people and are roughly equivalent in function and organizational hierarchy/command relationship to a platoon or flight (military unit). In Commonwealth navies and the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, as well as in USMC aviation squadrons (as they use naval aviation organizational structure), a division/divisional officer (DIVO) is usually an ensign, lieutenant (jg), or lieutenant (second or first lieutenant, or captain in USMC), and there may be assistant division officers as well, depending upon the size and type of organization. The division officer is roughly equivalent in authority, and responsibility to an army or marine corps platoon leader/commander or an air force flight leader/commander. The division officer's department head is usually a senior lieutenant or a lieutenant commander (senior captain or a major in USMC). However, on large ships such as aircraft carriers or some larger amphibious warships, a division officer may be a lieutenant commander and the department head a commander.

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