brigade
A military unit, typically larger than a regiment and smaller than a division. In modern Japanese usage, it often refers to a brigade in the Ground Self-Defense Force or historical military contexts.
That brigade specializes in operations in mountainous terrain.
He was appointed commander of a Ground Self-Defense Force brigade.
The government dispatched a brigade to the border area.
A new brigade was organized.
連隊 is a regiment, a military unit smaller than a 旅団 (brigade), so learners often mix up their relative sizes.
師団 is a division, a military unit larger than a 旅団 (brigade), so the two are easy to confuse when learning military rank terms.
airborne brigade; parachute brigade
From 旅 (りょ, 'troops') + 団 (だん, 'group'). The term was adopted in the modern military sense during the Meiji period as part of the reorganization of the army along Western lines.