Troops ordered to conceal equipment (7)
I believe the answer is:
brigade
'troops' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both groups as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'ordered to conceal equipment' is the wordplay.
'ordered' becomes 'bade' (past tense of 'bid' as in to order).
'to conceal' is an insertion indicator.
'equipment' becomes 'rig' (rig is a kind of equipment).
'bade' enclosing 'rig' is 'BRIGADE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for brigade that I've seen before include "Military group" , "Company" , "Army unit" , "Rig a bed (anag)" , "Soldiers" .)