List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation

This is a list of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation. In continuous operation here means not units that no longer exist, or recent creations sharing only the name with an older unit.

Please note: Whereas modern standing armies first developed in the 15th century, the defining terminology for contemporary military units and formations, such as company, battalion, regiment etc. mostly arose in the early modern period, during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Oldest active military units still in operation
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Year Heraldry Name Founder Founding
location		 Current
location		 Notes Ref.
1248 King's Own Immemorial 1st Infantry Regiment Ferdinand III of Castile Crown of Castile Madrid, Spain It was one of the first standing units in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, remaining in the order of battle of the Castilian and Spanish armies since its creation. At present the Regiment is the Unit responsible for providing the central seat of Spanish Army Headquarters security, services, and support needed for its functioning. [1]
1479 1st Infantry Regiment King Louis XI of France  Kingdom of France Sarrebourg, France Founded in 1479-1480 by King Louis XI as Bandes de Picardie. It became the Légion de Picardie in 1558 during the Italian War of 1551–1559 and then Régiment de Picardie on May 29, 1569. It was ultimately renamed 1er régiment d'infanterie de ligne in 1791 after the military reforms of Louis Le Bègue Duportail. It is now part of the Franco-German Brigade (French units of the brigade are part of 1st Division) and was recently deployed in Afghanistan, Mali and the Central African Republic. [2]
1506 Papal Swiss Guard Pope Julius II  Papal States   Vatican City The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the oldest active military units presently in existence. They are famous for their last stand which allowed Pope Clement VII to flee from Rome during War of the League of Cognac. [3]
1509 9th Infantry Regiment “Soria” Ferdinand II of Aragon Kingdom of Naples, Crown of Aragon Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain Founded in 1509 as "Tercio of Napoli" or "Tercio de Zamudio". It is the second oldest regiment still used for overseas military operations. [4][5]
1521 Life Guards (Sweden) Gustav Vasa Stockholm, Sweden Kungsängen Founded in 1521 as the Royal bodyguards to Gustav Vasa [6]
1537 Spanish Navy Marines Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain Founded on 27 February 1537 when Old Sea Companies of Naples were permanently assigned to Mediterranean Galley Squadrons.
1537 Honourable Artillery Company King Henry VIII England City of London Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII as the Fraternity or Guild of Artillery of Longbows, Crossbows and Handguns. Fought with distinction in both World Wars. The oldest surviving regiment in the British Army (now part of the Army Reserve). [7]
1556 2nd Dragoon Regiment Louis, Prince of Condé Kingdom of France France Despite the recent formation of the regiment in its current configuration, it is the oldest French cavalry regiment, dating back to 1556. The French Revolution gave it the designation of the second regiment of dragoons in the French Army, and with brief interruptions it has served under this name in successive French armies ever since. It is the French Army NBC Defense Unit. Still in Service. [8]
1614 Guard Hussar Regiment (Denmark) King Christian IV of Denmark Denmark Denmark Unit amalgamated with and perpetuates Zealand Life Regiment, which was disbanded on 1 January 2001 [9]
1618 Portuguese Marine Corps Portugal
1636 181st Infantry Regiment (United States)  Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts United States Part of the Massachusetts National Guard [10]
1636 182nd Infantry Regiment (United States)  Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts United States Part of the Massachusetts National Guard [10]
1642 Scots Guards (third regiment of foot guards) King Charles the First  Scotland  United Kingdom Raised in 1642 to form a personal body guard to King Charles I when he campaigned in Ireland; became part of English Army in 1661 [11]
1648 Danish Artillery Regiment  Denmark  Denmark Current formation from 2019; traces origins back to 1648 [12]
1650 Coldstream Guards George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle Commonwealth of England United Kingdom Raised in 1650; became part of the English Army in 1661 [13]
1656 Grenadier Guards  England United Kingdom Senior Regiment of the Guards Division [14]
1658 Royal Life Guards (Denmark) King Frederick III of Denmark Denmark Denmark Both a Guard/Ceremonial unit of the Danish Monarch and Infantry Regiment of the Danish Army [15]
1659 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" Duke Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia Savoy Italy Formed April 18, 1659 as the "Reggimento delle Guardie" [16]
1664 Royal Marines King James II  England United Kingdom Now roughly small brigade size. [17]
1670 Jutland Dragoon Regiment Field marshal Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein Denmark Denmark [18]
1670 South Carolina State Guard Province of South Carolina South Carolina United States Founded in 1670 as the Charleston Militia. Served in Revolutionary War, War with Mexico, Spanish-American War. Later "South Carolina State Defense Force" (c. 1941), renamed "South Carolina State Guard" (1944). [19]
1684 Engineer Regiment Christian V Denmark Denmark Current formation from 1997; traces origins back to 1684 [20]
1747 111th Infantry Regiment Benjamin Franklin Colony of Pennsylvania Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The 111th is the oldest unit in the Pennsylvania National Guard. Today, 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry is part of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division [21]

See also

References
  1. "REGIMIENTO DE INFANTERIA INMEMORIAL DEL REY Nº 1 DEL CGE". ejercito.mde.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. "Régiments de Picardie et du Colonel Général" (PDF).
  3. "Spotlight on the Swiss Guard". news.va. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  4. VILLATORO, MANUEL P. (8 June 2014). "El regimiento más antiguo de Europa empezó siendo un tercio español y combatió contra Napoleón". ABC.es. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  5. Tierra, JEME - Ejercito de. ".:Ejército de tierra:". www.ejercito.mde.es. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  6. "Livgardet i Stockholm". Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. "Where We Come From". Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. Bruyère, Paul (1885). Historique de 2e Régiment de Dragons, 1635–1885 (in French). Chartres: Imprimerie Garnier. pp. 7–8.
  9. Brøndum, Christian (17 November 2014). "Dronningen fejrer tvivlsomt jubilæum". b.dk (in Danish). Berlingske Media. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  10. "Organizational History". U.S. Army Center of Military History. U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1999. p. 29. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  11. Dalton, Charles (1896). English Army Lists and Commission Registers, 1661-1714, Vol. IV (2018 ed.). London: Forgotten Books. p. 3. ISBN 978-1333543266.
  12. Maach, Maja Lærke (8 February 2019). "Oprustning af Forsvaret fejret: Dronningen gav fanen tilbage til danske soldater". dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  13. "History of the Coldstream Guards". Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  14. "History - British Army Website: Grenadier Guards". 2010-09-29. Archived from the original on 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  15. "Livgardens historie" (in Danish). Forsvarskommandoen. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  16. "1° Reggimento "Granatieri di Sardegna" - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  17. "Royal Marines History and Traditional Facts" (PDF). Marine Society & Sea Cadet. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  18. Jydske Dragonregiment. "Historien bag Jydske Dragonregiment". forsvaret.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  19. "History of the S.C. State Guard". sg.sc.gov. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  20. "Historie". forsvaret.dk (in Danish). Forsvarskommandoen. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  21. "111th Infantry Regiment (The Associators)". Department of the Army Lineage and Honors. U.S. Army Center of Military History.
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