infanteria

Infantería, or infantería in Spanish, refers to soldiers who fight on foot and form the primary fighting force of most armed forces. Infantry units are trained for close- and mid-range combat, often operating on foot for extended periods, although many modern troops move by armored vehicles or aircraft. The term comes from the French infanterie, originally designating foot soldiers who fought without mounted support.

Historically, infantry has been central to warfare since antiquity, from hoplite and legionary formations to medieval militias. The advent of gunpowder led to line infantry and volley fire, and in the 19th and 20th centuries mechanization transformed many roles. Today, infantry operates as a component of combined arms, working alongside artillery, armor, engineers, air assets, and logistics.

Infantry units are organized hierarchically—squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade, and division—and may be specialized by role. Common sub-types include light infantry, mountain infantry, airborne or air assault, jungle or desert variants, and mechanized or motorized infantry that use armored fighting vehicles for mobility and protection. They perform assault, defense, reconnaissance, security, and urban operations, often under close supervision of chain-of-command and through integrated fires.

Equipment typically includes service rifles or carbines, sidearms, grenades, light anti-armor weapons, body armor, and radios, with support weapons such as machine guns and mortars. Training emphasizes marksmanship, physical fitness, small-unit tactics, navigation, first aid, and survivability in varied environments.

In contemporary warfare, infantry operate across diverse terrains and rely on integration with other arms and support elements to achieve tactical and strategic objectives, including urban warfare and counterinsurgency tasks.