In 1996, the National Institute of Standards and Technology defined electronic data interchange as the computer-to-computer interchange of strictly formatted messages that represent documents other than monetary instruments.
A battalion is a military unit with 300 to 1,200 soldiers that usually consists of two to seven companies and is commanded by either a lieutenant colonel or a colonel. Several battalions form a regiment or brigade. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead.
In Vietnam, a standard infantry battalion totaled 920-men on paper. There was the Headquarters & Headquarters Company, or HHC which numbered 128-men; there were four rifle companies of 158-men each; and Echo Company carried 160-men on paper. In the field, Echo normally carried only 96-men.