A Lance is the smallest known organization of Covenant military units.
Standard
A Lance is usually commanded by a Minor Elite[1]. Usually, the Lance also contains two Minor Grunts and one Major. Sometimes a Major Elite will oversee the command of two Lances into a battle.
Variations
There are other variations of the Lance, including those of the Kig-Yar and the Yanme'e species.
Kig-Yar
A lance of Kig-Yar usually consists of a group of four to six troops, with one or two of them being Majors and the rest being Minors. Jackal lances are sometimes led by an Elite commander, though this is not always the case [2].
Yanme'e
A lance of Yanme'e is usually nothing more than a swarm of around a dozen soldiers. As they are very mobile and constantly airborne, Drone lances need not to be commanded by a Sangheili. To humans, no commander can be distinguished in them. [3].