Trooper (rank)

Trooper (abbr. Tpr) from the French "troupier" is the equivalent rank to private in a regiment with a cavalry tradition in the British Army and many other Commonwealth armies, including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Today, most cavalry units operate in the armoured role, equipped with tanks or other armoured fighting vehicles. Some armoured regiments without a cavalry tradition do not use the rank, a notable exception being the British Royal Tank Regiment which follows the naming conventions of its fellow regiments in the Royal Armoured 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 British Army, trooper is also used as a rank in the Special Air Service and Honourable Artillery Company. Airtrooper (Atpr) is used in the Army Air Corps.

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

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