In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the United Kingdom. An order of battle should be distinguished from a table of organisation, the intended composition of a given unit or formation according to military doctrine and to suit its staff administration operations. As combat continually evolves throughout a campaign, orders of battle may be revised during the course of composing the commanders' after action reports and/or other accounting methods (e.g. despatches) as combat assessment is conducted.
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