British Army

British Army
Country	United Kingdom[lower-alpha 1]
Allegiance	Elizabeth II
Type	Army
Role	Land warfare
Size	89,860 Regular[lower-alpha 2] 25,010 Army Reserve 30,030 Regular Reserve[lower-alpha 3]
Patron	Elizabeth II
Website	www.army.mod.uk
Commanders
Chief of the General Staff	General Sir Nick Carter KCB CBE DSO
Insignia
War flag[lower-alpha 4]
Non-ceremonial flag

The British Army is the United Kingdom's principal land warfare force. The force was initially administered by the War Office from London, which in 1964 was subsumed into the Ministry of Defence. The professional head of the British Army is the Chief of the General Staff.

The full-time element of the British Army is referred to as the Regular Army and has been since the creation of the reservist Territorial Force in 1908. All members of the Army swear (or affirm) allegiance to the monarch as commander-in-chief. However, the Bill of Rights of 1689 requires Parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a standing army in peacetime. Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include Royal in its title because, after a historic struggle between Parliament and monarchy, the British Army has always been answerable to Parliament rather than the Monarch.^[1] Many of the Army's constituent regiments and corps have been granted the "Royal" prefix and have members of the Royal Family occupying senior honorary positions within some regiments.

Throughout its history, the British Army has seen action in a number of major wars involving the world's great powers, including the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the First World War and Second World War. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the world's leading military and economic powers. Since the end of the Cold war, the British Army has been deployed to many conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force or a United Nations peacekeeping operation. Additionally, the British Army maintains five permanent overseas postings.

Welsh Guards Trooping the Colour 2007

History

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was one of the first generals in the British Army, fighting campaigns in the War of the Spanish Succession.

The English Army was first established as a standing military force in 1660.^[2] In 1707 many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were already combined under one operational command and stationed in the Netherlands fighting in the War of Spanish Succession. Consequently although the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment, they remained under the same operational command, and so not only were the regiments of the old armies transferred in situ to the new army so too was the institutional ethos, customs, and traditions, of the old standing armies that had been created shortly after the restoration of the monarchy 66 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army from the date of their arrival in England or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment. For example, in 1694 a board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment that became known as the Scots Greys were designated as the 4th Dragoons because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed on the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide upon the rank of several regiments, the seniority of the Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their entry into England in June 1685. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and so after some delay the Scots Greys obtained the rank of 2nd Dragoons in the British Army.^[3]

Following William and Mary's accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Mary's father, James II.^[4] Following the union of England and Scotland in 1707, and the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, British foreign policy on the continent was to contain expansion by its competitor powers such as France and Spain. Spain, in the previous two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to England's early transatlantic ambitions, but was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession^[5] and the Napoleonic Wars.^[6] Russian activity led to the Crimean War.^[7] After 1745, recruits were increasingly drawn from Scotland; by the mid-1760s between one fifth and one third of officers were from Scotland.^[8]

From the time of the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763, Great Britain, and its successor, the United Kingdom, was one of the leading military and economic powers of the world.^[9]

Early British Empire

The British Empire expanded in this time to include colonies, protectorates, and Dominions throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Although the Royal Navy is widely regarded as having been vital for the rise of the British Empire, and British dominance of the world, the British Army played an important role in the colonisation of India and other regions.^[10] Typical tasks included garrisoning the colonies, capturing strategically important territories, and participating in actions to pacify colonial borders, provide support to allied governments, suppress Britain's rivals, and protect against foreign powers and hostile natives.

The death of General Wolfe during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham; the campaigns of the French and Indian War resulted in British control of modern Canada.

British soldiers also helped capture strategically important territories, allowing the empire to expand. The army was also involved in numerous wars to pacify the borders, or to prop up friendly governments, and thereby keep other, competitive, empires away from the British Empire's borders. Among these actions were the Seven Years' War,^[11] the American Revolutionary War,^[12] the Napoleonic Wars,^[6] the First and Second Opium Wars,^[13] the Boxer Rebellion,^[14] the New Zealand wars,^[15] the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857,^[16] the First and Second Boer Wars,^[17] the Fenian raids,^[18] the Irish War of Independence,^[13] its serial interventions into Afghanistan (which were meant to maintain a friendly buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire),^[19] and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire at a safe distance by coming to Turkey's aid).^[7]

As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War^[11] and subsequently suppressed a Native American uprising in Pontiac's War.^[20] The British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada.^[21]

The Duke of Wellington's and Field Marshal von Blücher's triumph over Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo

The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in multiple campaigns across Europe (including continuous deployment in the Peninsular War), the Caribbean, North Africa and later in North America. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.^[22]

The English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns (most notably Drogheda and Wexford) that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War. The English Army (and subsequently the British Army) stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. In addition to its ongoing conflict with ethnic Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots peoples in Ireland, angered primarily by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain, who, alongside other Irish groups, had raised their own volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster (Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen) in the 1798 rebellion.^[23]

The Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879 saw a small British force repel an overwhelming attack by Zulu forces; eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded for the defence.

In addition to battling the armies of other European Empires (and of its former colonies, the United States, in the American War of 1812),^[24] in the battle for global supremacy, the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars,^[13] and the Boxer Rebellion,^[14] Māori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars,^[15] Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula's forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857,^[17] the Boers in the First and Second Boer Wars,^[17] Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids^[18] and Irish separatists in the Anglo-Irish War.^[13] The vastly increasing demands of imperial expansion, and the inadequacies and inefficiencies of the underfunded, post-Napoleonic Wars British Army, and of the Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteer Force, led to the Cardwell and Childers Reforms of the late 19th century, which gave the British Army its modern shape, and redefined its regimental system.^[25] The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Army's volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, and Yeomanry.^[26]

World wars

The Second Battle of El Alamein reversed German ambitions in North Africa, and is often cited as one of the turning points of the Second World War.

Great Britain's dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers; in the 20th century, most notably Germany. A century before, it was still vying with Napoleonic France for pre-eminence in Europe and around the world, and Hannoverian Britain's natural allies were the various Kingdoms and principalities of Northern Germany. By the middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allied in preventing Russia's appropriation of the Ottoman Empire (although it was the fear of French invasion that led, shortly after, to the creation of the Volunteer Force). By the first decade of the 20th century, however, the UK was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale) and Russia (which had its own secret agreement with France of mutual support in any war against the Prussian-led German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and when the First World War broke out in 1914, the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium to prevent Germany from occupying these countries.^[27] The British Army created the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Egypt and sent it to Gallipoli in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia.^[28] After the retreat from Gallipoli nearly 400,000 men in 13 divisions from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt formed a strategic reserve in Egypt called the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.^[29][30] With most of the strategic reserve sent to the Western Front, an Egyptian Expeditionary Force of two British infantry and one Australian and New Zealand mounted division in the Eastern Force, successfully defend the Suez Canal and Romani in 1916 from German and Ottoman incursions.^[31][32] This force captured the Sinai and garrisoned the extended lines of communication, but in early 1917 their advance was stopped at Gaza until towards the end of the year when a greatly enlarged force of infantry and mounted troops captured Beersheba, most of southern Palestine and Jerusalem. Allenby's force, now including Indian Army units which replaced a number of British units sent to the Western Front, captured the southern Jordan Valley in 1918 and carried out two major, but unsuccessful attacks to Amman and Es Salt and occupied part of the Jordan Valley, during preparations for his final successful assault in September at the Battle of Megiddo. As a result of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's capture of two Ottoman armies, an armistice with the Ottoman Empire was signed on 31 October 1918.^[33]

British Mark I tank during the First World War. Note the guidance wheels behind the main body which were later scrapped as they were unnecessary. Armoured vehicles of this time still required much infantry and artillery support and still do to a lesser extent today. Photo by Ernest Brooks.

The war would be the most devastating in British military history, with near 800,000 men killed and over 2 million wounded. In the early part of the war, the professional force of the BEF was virtually destroyed and, by turns, a volunteer (and then conscripted) force replaced it. Major battles included the Battle of the Somme.^[34] Advances in technology saw advent of the tank,^[35] with the creation of the Royal Tank Regiment, and advances in aircraft design, with the creation of the Royal Flying Corps, which were to be decisive in future battles.^[36] Trench warfare dominated strategy on the Western Front, and the use of chemical and poison gases added to the devastation.^[37]

The Second World War broke out in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.^[38] British assurances to the Polish led the British Empire to declare war on Germany. Again an Expeditionary Force was sent to France,^[38] only to be hastily evacuated as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in 1940.^[39] Only the Dunkirk evacuation saved the entire Expeditionary Force from capture.^[39] Later, however, the British would have spectacular success defeating the Italians and Germans at the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa,^[40] and in the D-Day invasion of Normandy with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces.^[41] Almost half of the Allied soldiers on D-day were British.^[42] In the Far East, the British army battled the Japanese in Burma.^[43] The Second World War saw the British Army develop its Special Air Service, Commando units and the Parachute Regiment.^[44]

Postcolonial era

Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment guard Argentine prisoners of war during the Falklands War.

After the end of the Second World War, the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although National Service continued until 1960.^[45] This period also saw the process of decolonisation commence with the partition and independence of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia. Accordingly the army's strength was further reduced, in recognition of Britain's reduced role in world affairs, outlined in the 1957 Defence White Paper.^[46] This was despite major actions in Korea in the early 1950s^[45] and Suez in 1956.^[47] A large force of British troops also remained in Germany, facing the threat of Soviet invasion.^[48] The British Army of the Rhine was the Germany garrison formation, with the main fighting force being I (BR) Corps. The Cold War saw significant technological advances in warfare and the Army saw more technologically advanced weapons systems come into service.^[49]

Despite the decline of the British Empire, the Army was still deployed around the world, fighting wars in Aden,^[50] Indonesia, Cyprus,^[50] Kenya^[50] and Malaya.^[51] In 1982 the British Army, alongside the Royal Marines, helped to recapture the Falkland Islands during the Falklands conflict against Argentina.^[52]

In the three decades following 1969, the Army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland, to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups, called Operation Banner.^[53] The locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, later becoming home service battalions in the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992, before being disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during the Troubles. Following the IRA ceasefires between 1994 and 1996 and since 1997, demilitarisation has taken place as part of the peace process, reducing the military presence from 30,000 to 5,000 troops.^[54] On 25 June 2007, the Second Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment vacated the Army complex at Bessbrook Mill in Armagh. This is part of the 'normalisation' programme in Northern Ireland in response to the IRA's declared end to its activities.^[55]

Today

Personnel

Troopers of the Blues and Royals.

The British Army is purely a professional force since National service came to an end. The full-time element of the British Army is referred to as the Regular Army since the creation of the reservist Territorial Force in 1908. The size and structure of the British Army is continually evolving, but on 1 January 2015, the British Army employed; 87,140 Regulars, 2,720 Gurkhas^[56] and 25,010 Army Reservists^[57] for a combined component strength of 114,870 personnel. Of those Regulars and Gurkhas; 80,590 and 2,650 were trained, respectively.^[56]

The future transformation of the British Army is referred to as "Army 2020", which is the result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in October 2010 and a number of following reviews and modifications thereafter. According to the Ministry of Defence, Army 2020 will "ensure that the British Army remains the most capable Army in its class" and enable "it to better meet the security challenges of the 2020s and beyond".^[58] Initially, the SDSR outlined a reduction of the Regular British Army by 7,000 to a trained strength of 95,000 personnel by 2015.^[59] However, following a further independent review on the future structure of the British Army, "Future Reserves 2020",^[60] it was announced that the Regular Army will be reduced to a trained strength of 82,000 while the Army Reserve will be increased to a trained strength of around 30,000 personnel.^[61] There will of course be an added margin for soldiers in training. This reform will bring the ratio of regular and part-time personnel of the British Army in line with US and Canadian allies.^[62][63] Perhaps the most important aspect of Army 2020 is that the Army Reserve will become "fully integrated" with the Regular Army and "better prepared" for overseas deployments and operations.^[64]

In addition to the active elements of the British Army (Regular and Army Reserve), all ex-Regular Army personnel remain liable to be recalled for duty in a time of need, this is known as the Regular Reserve.^[65] The Regular Reserve is separated into two categories: A and D. Category A is mandatory, with the length of time serving in category A depending on time spent in Regular service. Category D is voluntary and consists of personnel who are no-longer required to serve in category A. Regular Reserves in both category A and D serve under a fixed-term reserve contract and are liable to report for training or service overseas and at home.^[65] These contracts are similar in nature to those of the Army Reserve.^[66] The Long Term reserve is also part of the Regular Reserve but excludes personnel serving in categories A and D. Unlike the other reserves the Long Term reserve do not serve under a contract of any sort, instead they retain a "statutory liability for service" and may be recalled to service under Section 52 of the Reserve Forces Act (RFA) 1996 (until the age of 55).^[65] In 2007 there were 121,800 Regular Reserves of the British Army, of which, 33,760 served in categories A and D.^[67] Publications since April 2013 no longer report the entire strength of the Regular Reserve, instead they only give a figure for the Regular Reserves serving in categories A and D only. They had a reported strength of 30,030 personnel in 2014.^[68] All personnel figures exclude the Officers' Training Corps.

The table below shows historical personnel trends of the British Army from 1750 to 2014. The Army Reserve – or Territorial Army, as it was known then – did not come into existence until 1908.^{[69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77]}

Historical personnel trends of the British Army

	(1707–1800)		(1801–1921)						(1921– Present)
	1750	1800	1817a	1850	1883b	1900	1901c	1918d	1939e	1945f	1950	1960h	1970	1978	1980	1990i	2000	2010j	2020k
Regular	78,900	80,300	92,000	99,100	124,000	301,500	430,000	3,818,292	230,000	3,120,000	364,100	315,000	174,000	163,000	159,000	152,800	110,100	108,900	82,000
Army Reserve								g	270,000	g	82,500	120,000	80,000	65,100	63,300	72,500	44,840	27,410	30,000
Total	78,900	80,300	92,000	99,100	124,000	301,500	430,000	3,818,292	500,000	3,120,000	446,600	435,000	254,000	228,100	222,300	225,300	154,940	136,310	112,000

Soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers during a training exercise in 2014

Notes

a ^ After the Napoleonic Wars. However, during the Wars, the British Army expanded from 40,000 men in 1793^[78] to a peak of 250,000 men in 1813.^[79]

b ^ After the First Boer War.

c ^ During the Second Boer War.

d ^ End of the First World War.

e ^ Start of the Second World War.

f ^ End of the Second World War.

g ^ Reserve forces included in the figure above for regular personnel (In 1945, approximately 540,000 of the men serving in the British Army were Reservists).

h ^ National Service ends in that year.

i ^ End of the Cold War.

j ^ Figure represented in table is total strength; trained and untrained.

k ^ Figure is an estimation per the 2010 SDSR and represents trained personnel only.

Equipment

Infantry The basic infantry weapon of the British Army is the L85A2 assault rifle, sometimes equipped with an L17A2 underbarrel grenade launcher. The rifle has several variants, such as the L86A2, the Light Support Weapon (LSW), and the L22A2 carbine issued to tank crews. Support fire is provided by the FN Minimi light machine gun and the L7 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG); indirect fire by 51 and 81 mm mortars. Sniper rifles used include the L118A1 7.62 mm, the L115A3 and the AW50F, all produced by Accuracy International. Some units use the L82A1 .50 calibre Barrett sniper rifle. More recently, the L128A1 (Benelli M4) 'combat shotgun' has been adopted, and is intended for close quarters combat in Afghanistan.^[80][81]

Armour The British Army's main battle tank is the Challenger 2.^[82][83] Other armoured vehicles include the Supacat "Jackal" MWMIK and the Iveco "Panther" CLV.^[84] The Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the primary armoured personnel carrier, although many variants of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (tracked) are used too, as well as the Saxon APC and the FV430 series, which is now having its engines and armour replaced and returned to front-line service as the Bulldog.^[85] The British Army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf and Land Rover Defender.^[86]

Artillery The Army uses three main artillery systems: the Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS), AS-90 and L118. The MLRS was first used operationally in Operation Granby and has a range of 70 km (43 mi).^[87] The AS-90 is a 155 mm self-propelled gun.^[88] The L118 Light Gun is a 105 mm towed gun used primarily in support of 16 Air Assault Brigade, 19 Light Brigade and 3 Commando Brigade (Royal Marines).^[89] The Rapier FSC Missile System is the Army's primary battlefield air defence system, widely deployed since the Falklands War^[90] and the Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile) is a surface-to-air weapon, launched either by a single soldier or from a vehicle-mounted launcher.^[91]

Army Aviation The Army Air Corps (AAC) provides direct aviation support for the Army, although the RAF also contributes by providing support helicopters. The primary attack helicopter is the Westland WAH-64 Apache, a licence-built, modified version of the US AH-64 Apache, which replaced the Westland Lynx AH7 in the anti-tank role.^[92] The Lynx remains in service as an armed escort, surveillance and light utility helicopter. Other types are used in specialised roles e.g. the Westland Gazelle as a light surveillance aircraft^[93] and the Bell 212 for support in specific Jungle / 'hot and high' environments^[94] The Eurocopter AS 365N Dauphin is used for Special Operations Aviation^[95] and the Britten-Norman Islander is a light fixed-wing aircraft used for airborne reconnaissance and command and control.^[96]

• 

  Challenger II main battle tank.

• 

  Warrior IFV.

• 

  AgustaWestland Apache attack helicopter.

• 

  Soldier checking his L85A2 Assault Rifle.

Recent and current conflicts

Persian Gulf War

The ending of the Cold War saw a significant cut in manpower, as outlined in the Options for Change review.^[97] Despite this, the Army has been deployed in an increasingly global role, and contributed 50,000 troops to the coalition force that fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.^[98] British forces were put in control of Kuwait after it was liberated. 47 British Military personnel died during the Persian Gulf War.^[99]

Balkans conflicts

The British Army was deployed to Yugoslavia in 1992; initially this force formed part of the United Nations Protection Force.^[100] In 1995 command was transferred to IFOR and then to SFOR.^[101] Currently troops are under the command of EUFOR. Over 10,000 troops were sent. In 1999 British forces under the command of SFOR were sent to Kosovo during the conflict there. Command was subsequently transferred to KFOR.^[102] Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died on operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.^[103]

War in Afghanistan

In November 2001 the United Kingdom, as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom with the United States, invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban.^[104] The 3rd Division were deployed in Kabul, to assist in the liberation of the troubled capital. The Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade (part of the Royal Navy but including a number of Army units), also swept the mountains.^[105] The British Army concentrated on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmand province with around 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) at its peak^[106] making it the second largest force after the US.^[107] In December 2012 the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced that 3,800 troops – almost half of the force serving in Helmand Province – would be withdrawn during 2013 with numbers to fall to approximately 5,200.^[108] By March 2014 troop levels were down to 4,000.^[109] Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died on operations in Afghanistan.^[110] Military operations officially ended with the handover of Camp Bastion on 26 October 2014.^[111]

Iraq War

In 2003 the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the invasion of Iraq, sending a force that would reach 46,000 military personnel.^[112] The British Army controlled the southern regions of Iraq and maintained a peace-keeping presence in the city of Basra until their withdrawal on 30 April 2009. 179 British Military personnel have died on operations in Iraq.^[113] All of the remaining British troops were fully withdrawn from Iraq after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate.^[114]

The Troubles

Although having permanent garrisons there, the British Army was initially deployed in a peacekeeping role – codenamed "Operation Banner" – in Northern Ireland in the wake of Unionist attacks on Nationalist communities in Derry^[115] and Belfast^[116] and to prevent further Loyalist attacks on Catholic communities, under Operation Banner between 1969 and 2007 in support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).^[117] There has been a steady reduction in the number of troops deployed in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998.^[118] In 2005, after the Provisional Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed conflict in Northern Ireland, the British Army dismantled posts and withdrew many troops, and restored troop levels to that of a peace-time garrison.^[119]

Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007, bringing to an end some 38 years of continuous deployment, making it the longest in the British Army's history.^[120] An internal British Army document released in 2007 stated that the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but had made it impossible for them to win through the use of violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007 maintaining fewer servicemen in a much more benign environment.^[120][121] From 1971 to 1997 a total of 763 British military personnel were killed during the "Troubles".^[122] Some 300 deaths during the conflict were attributed to the British Army, including paramilitary and civilians.^[123] A total of 303 RUC officers were killed in the same time period. In March 2009, two soldiers and a Police Officer were killed in separate dissident republican attacks in Northern Ireland.^[124]

• 

  British soldiers in May 2007, during the War in Afghanistan.

• 

  3 Para in combat in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

• 

  British soldiers in March 2003, during the invasion of Iraq.

• 

  British Army patrol in South Belfast during the Troubles.

Current deployments

Low intensity operations

Permanent overseas postings

Formation and structure

British Army arms and services
Combat Arms
Royal Armoured Corps
Infantry
Guards Division Scottish Division King's Division Queen's Division Prince of Wales' Division Royal Irish Regiment Parachute Regiment Royal Gurkha Rifles The Rifles
Special Air Service
Army Air Corps
Special Reconnaissance Regiment
Combat Support Arms
Royal Artillery
Royal Engineers
Royal Corps of Signals
Intelligence Corps
Combat Services
Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Royal Logistic Corps
Army Medical Services
Royal Army Medical Corps Royal Army Dental Corps Royal Army Veterinary Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Adjutant General's Corps
Staff and Personnel Support Branch Educational and Training Services Branch Army Legal Services Branch Provost Branch Royal Military Police Military Provost Staff Military Provost Guard Service
Small Arms School Corps
Royal Army Physical Training Corps
General Service Corps
Corps of Army Music

The structure of the British Army is complex, due to the different origins of its various constituent parts. It is broadly split into the Regular Army (full-time Officers/soldiers and units) and the Army Reserve (Spare-time Officers/soldiers and units).

In terms of its military structure, it has two parallel organisations, one administrative and one operational.

Administrative

• Regiments and Corps. These are listed below (in the template to the right), ranging from the Household Cavalry to the Army Physical Training Corps and the Royal Logistic Corps. Uniquely and somewhat confusingly, the Infantry, which is not a corps but a collection of separate regiments, is administered by 'Divisions' of infantry – Guards Division, Queen's Division, Scottish Division and so on.^[138]

Operational

• The major operational command is based at Andover and is known as "Army Headquarters".^[139][140] It is split into divisions and subordinate units ranging from regiments to squadrons.
• Divisions (1 Div. based in Herford in Germany and 3 Div. based in Bulford)^[141]
  • Brigades, both fighting and in a non-fighting regional capacity within HQ LF (for example, 43 (Wessex) Brigade based in Bulford).

Structure of units

The standard operational units are structured as follows, although various units have their own structure, conventions, names and sizes:^[142]

Corps are made up of two or more divisions, but now are rarely deployed as a purely national formation due to the size of the British Army.^[142]

In place of a Battalion, a task-specific Battlegroup may be formed. A battlegroup is grown around the core of either an armoured regiment or infantry battalion, and has other units added or removed from it as necessary for its purpose. It results in a mixed formation of armour, infantry, artillery, engineers and support units, typically consisting of between 600 and 700 soldiers under the command of a Lieutenant Colonel.^[142]

A number of elements of the British Army use alternative terms for battalion, company and platoon. These include the Royal Armoured Corps, Corps of Royal Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps, and the Royal Corps of Signals who use regiment (battalion), squadron (company) and troop (platoon). The Royal Artillery are unique in using the term regiment in place of both corps and battalion, they also replace company with battery and platoon with troop.^[142]

Divisions

The British Army currently has two operational divisions.^[143]

Name	Headquarters	Subunits
1st (United Kingdom) Division	Herford, Germany	In the future, seven infantry brigades and one logistics brigade.
3rd (United Kingdom) Division	Bulford, Salisbury	Two, in the future, three armoured infantry brigades and one logistics brigade.

Brigades which are not under 1st (UK) Division at any one time report directly into Support Command.^[144]

Rapid Reaction Force

16 Air Assault Brigade forms the bulk of the Army's rapid reaction force.

Combat support

Force Troops Command, or FTC, forms the basis of the Army's Combat support, containing units ranging from artillery to military police.^[145]

Aviation components

The British Army operates alongside the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm as part of Joint Helicopter Command, but the army also has its own Army Air Corps. Military helicopters of all three services are commanded by Joint Helicopter Command, a joint 2 star headquarters operating under HQ Land Forces.^[146]

Special forces

The SAS Cap Badge.

The British Army contributes two of the three special forces formations within the United Kingdom Special Forces directorate: 22 Special Air Service Regiment and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.^[147]

The Special Air Service overall comprises one regular regiment and two Army Reserve regiments.^[148] The regular regiment, 22 SAS, has its headquarters and depot located in Hereford and consists of five squadrons: A, B, D, G and Reserve with a training wing.^[149] The two reserve regiments, 21 SAS and 23 SAS (collectively, the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R))) are no longer part of the UK's special forces and now form part of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.^[150]

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), formed in 2005 from existing assets, undertakes close reconnaissance and special surveillance tasks.^[147] The Special Forces Support Group was formed around 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment, with attached Royal Marines and RAF Regiment assets, the unit is also open to any member of the HM Armed Forces. The Special Forces Support Group are under the Operational Control of Director Special Forces to provide operational manoeuvre support to the elements of United Kingdom Special Forces.^[151]

British Overseas Territories military units

Numerous military units were raised historically in British territories, including self-governing and Crown colonies, and protectorates. Whereas the Dominions, such as Canada and Australia, had their own armies before achieving complete independence, units raised in those territories which remained part of the realm of the UK were, and are, ultimately under the control of the UK government, and do not constitute separate armies. The UK retains responsibility for the defence of all of the fourteen remaining British Overseas Territories. Although the Cayman Islands premier has stated the desire to raise a Cayman Islands Defence Force^[152] when it can be afforded (it currently has only a cadet corps),^[153] becoming the fifth, only four of the remaining British Overseas Territories retain locally-raised regiments:

• Bermuda Regiment^[154]
• Royal Gibraltar Regiment^[155]
• Falkland Islands Defence Force^[156]
• Royal Montserrat Defence Force^[157]

• 

  Falkland Islands Defence Force on parade in June 2013.

• 

  A detachment of the Royal Montserrat Defence Force in ceremonial dress.

• 

  Bermuda Regiment on parade

• 

  Changing of the Guard - Royal Gibraltar Regiment in 2012.

Royal Navy and RAF ground units

The other armed services have their own infantry units which are not part of the British Army. The Royal Marines are amphibious light infantry forming part of the Naval Service, and the Royal Air Force has the RAF Regiment used for airfield defence, force protection duties and Forward Air Control.^[158]

Recruitment

The Army mainly recruits within the United Kingdom; it normally has a recruitment target of around 12,000 soldiers per year.^[159] Low unemployment in Britain has resulted in the Army having difficulty in meeting its target. In the early years of the 21st century there has been a marked increase in the number of recruits from other (mostly Commonwealth) countries. In 2006 overseas recruitment, mostly in Commonwealth countries, generated more than 6,000 soldiers from 54 nations; together with the 3,000 Gurkhas, 10% of the British Army is a foreign national.^[160]

The Ministry of Defence now caps the number of recruits from Commonwealth countries, although this will not affect the Gurkhas. If the trend continues 10% of the army will be from Commonwealth countries before 2012. The cap is in place as some fear the army's British character is being diluted, and employing too many could make the army seen as employing mercenaries.^[161] The minimum recruitment age is 16 years (after the end of GCSEs), although soldiers may not serve on operations below 18 years; the maximum recruitment age was raised in January 2007 from 26 to 33 years. The normal term of engagement is 22 years, and, once enlisted, soldiers are not normally permitted to leave until they have served at least 4 years.^[162]

There has been a strong and continuing tradition of recruiting from Ireland including what is now the Republic of Ireland.^{[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 7][163]} Over 200,000 Irish soldiers fought in the First World War.^{[164][lower-alpha 8]} More than 60,000 Irishmen from what was then the Irish Free State^{[lower-alpha 9]} (now the Republic of Ireland) and 38,000 from Northern Ireland served in the Second World War,^[165] all volunteered.

Oath of allegiance

Troops of the Grenadier Guards on guard at Buckingham Palace. Various army regiments supply troops to guard the Royal residences.

All soldiers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army, a process known as attestation. Those who wish to swear by God use the following words:

I, [soldier's name], swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, her heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, her heirs and successors and of the generals and officers set over me.^[166]

Others replace the words "swear by Almighty God" with "solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm".^[167] Under the reign of another monarch, the name of the monarch and all pronouns with gender are replaced appropriately.

Training establishments

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is the home of British Army officer training

• Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is the officer training establishment. All officers, regular and reserve, attend RMAS at some point in their training.
• Royal School of Artillery (RSA) trains the Royal Artillery.
• Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) trains the Corps of Royal Engineers as well as personnel from across the Armed Forces and other Government Departments in a variety of general engineering and specialist skills.
• Army Training Units:
  • ATR Winchester
  • ATC Pirbright
• Infantry Training Centres:
  • Infantry Training Centre, Catterick
  • Infantry Battle School, Brecon
  • Support Weapons School, Warminster
• Army Foundation College (Harrogate)
• Regional training centres
• Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College

Flags and ensigns

An Army landing craft of the Royal Logistic Corps

The British Army does not have its own specific ensign for the whole Army, unlike the Royal Navy, which uses the White Ensign, and the RAF, which uses the Royal Air Force Ensign. Instead, the Army has different flags and ensigns, some for the entire army and many for the different regiments and corps. The official flag of the Army as a whole is the Union Flag, flown in a ratio of 3:5. A non-ceremonial flag also exists, which is used at recruiting events, military events and exhibitions. It also flies from the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall.^[168]

Whilst at war, the Union Flag is always used, and this flag represents the Army on The Cenotaph at Whitehall in London (the UK's memorial to its war dead).^[169]

The British Army has throughout its history operated ships, ports and myriad boats. Boats, Landing Craft and Ports are still operated by the Army and ensigns exists for vessels commanded by the Army. The Royal Logistic Corps operates a large fleet of vessels from its base at Marchwood near Southampton.^[170] The Royal Engineers has had fleets since the introduction of diving in 1838 and was granted an ensign following the foundation of the Royal Engineers Submarine Mining Service in 1871, where it operated sea mine laying ships, before transfer of the trade to the Royal Navy. The Corps maintains a Blue Ensign defaced by the crest of the Board of Ordnance from where the Corps developed, which it flies from its fleet and shore establishments that routinely operate boats.^[171]

Each Foot Guards and line regiment (excluding The Rifles and Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR)) also has its own flags, known as Colours—normally a Regimental Colour and a Queen's Colour. The design of different Regimental Colours vary but typically the colour has the Regiment's badge in the centre. The RGR carry the Queen's Truncheon in place of Colours.^[172]

• 

  Flag Ratio: 3:5. The official flag of the Army.

• 

  The non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. Sometimes the word Army in gold letters appears below the badge.

• 

  Ensign for general use by the Royal Logistic Corps

• 

  Ensign flown by the Royal Logistic Corps from vessels commanded by commissioned officers

• 

  Ensign of the Corps of Royal Engineers

Ranks, specialisms and insignia

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
United Kingdom (Edit)													Not Found
	Field Marshal1	General	Lieutenant-General	Major-General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant-Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Officer Cadet
Abbreviation:	FM	Gen	Lt Gen	Maj Gen	Brig	Col	Lt Col	Maj	Capt	Lt	2Lt	OCdt
1Rank in abeyance.

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
British Army (Edit)	(Conductor)						(Quartermaster Sergeant)										No Equivalent										No Insignia
	Warrant Officer Class 1						Warrant Officer Class 2		Staff Sergeant Colour Sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal Bombardier		Lance Corporal Lance Bombardier		Private (or equivalent)
Abbreviation:	Cdr			WO1			WO2		S/Sgt / C/Sgt		Sgt												Cpl / Bdr		L/Cpl / L/Bdr		Pte

Every regiment and corps has its own distinctive insignia, such as cap badge, beret, tactical recognition flash and stable belt.

Throughout the army there are many official specialisms. They do not affect rank, but they do affect pay bands:

Tommy Atkins and other nicknames

A long established nickname for a British soldier has been Tommy Atkins or Tommy for short. The origins are obscure but most probably derive from a specimen army form circulated by the Adjutant-General Sir Harry Calvert to all units in 1815 where the blanks had been filled in with the particulars of a Private Thomas Atkins, No 6 Company, 23rd Regiment of Foot. German soldiers in both world wars would usually refer to their British opponents as Tommys. Present-day British soldiers are often referred to as Toms or just Tom. The British Army magazine Soldier has a regular cartoon strip, Tom, featuring the everyday life of a British soldier. Outside the services, soldiers are generally known as squaddies by the British popular press, and the general public.^[173]

Another nickname which applies only to soldiers in Scottish regiments is Jock, derived from the fact that in Scotland the common Christian name John is often changed to Jock in the vernacular. Welsh soldiers are occasionally referred to as Taffy or just Taff. This may only apply to those from the Taff-Ely Valley in South Wales, where a large portion of men, left unemployed from the decline of the coal industry in the area, enlisted during the First and Second World Wars. Alternatively, it is derived from the supposed Welsh pronunciation of Dafydd^[174]—the vernacular form of Dave or Davey, the patron Saint of Wales being Saint David.^[175] As a nickname for the Welsh it has existed since 1699.^[176] Irish soldiers are referred to as Mick.

Junior officers in the army, especially those from a privileged background, are sometimes known as Ruperts by the Other ranks.^[177] This nickname is believed to have been derived from the children's comic book character Rupert Bear who epitomises traditional public school values and from the purported preponderance of that particular forename amongst young men from a public school background.^[178]

See also

• Army Cadet Force (ACF)
• ArmyNET
• British Army order of precedence
• British Army Uniform
• British campaign medals
• British military history
• Future of the British Army (Army 2020)
• Jankers (army punishments)
• List of British Army installations
• Ministry of Defence
• Modern equipment of the British Army
• Redcoat
• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy
• Sexual orientation and military service
• Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
• United Kingdom Special Forces
• Volunteer Force

Notes

References

Bibliography

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• Bates, Gill (2010). Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy. Brookings Institution Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-8157-0453-9. 
• BBC staff (6 January 2007). "Recruitment Age for Army Raised". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. 
• Beevor, Antony (1990). Inside the British Army. London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN 0-7011-3466-6. 
• Buchanan, Michael (27 November 2008). "Irish swell ranks of UK military". BBC. 
• Burnside, Iain (19 May 2010). "Songs for squaddies: the war musical Lads in Their Hundreds". The Guardian. 
• Cassidy, Robert M (2006). Counterinsurgency and the global war on terror: military culture and irregular war. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-275-98990-9. 
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). ""Constantinople, the capital of the Turkish Empire". Encyclopædia Britannica 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 3. 
• Connolly, Sean J. (1998). The Oxford Companion to Irish history. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 505. ISBN 9780192116956. 
• Ensor, (Sir) Robert (1980) [1936]. England: 1870–1914. (The Oxford History of England) XIV (Revised ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-821705-6. 
• Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2009). Who Dares Wins – The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84603-395-0. 
• Gilbert, Martin (2005). Churchill and America. Simon and Schuster. p. 301. ISBN 0-7432-9122-0. 
• Heyman, Charles (2009). The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 2010–2011. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84884-084-3. 
• Holmes, Richard (2002). Redcoat: The British soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. HarperCollins. pp. 48,55–57,59–65,177–8. ISBN 978-0-00-653152-4. 
• Mallinson, Allan (2009). The Making of the British Army. Bantam Press. ISBN 978-0-593-05108-5. 
• McGarrigle, Heather (6 December 2010). "British army sees more Irish recruits". Belfast Telegraph. 
• McKernan, Michael (2005). Northern Ireland in 1897–2004 Yearbook 2005. Stationery Office. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-9546284-2-0. 
• Miller, John (2000). James II. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08728-4. 
• Norton-Taylor, Richard (5 April 2008). "Commonwealth recruitment caps & current commonwealth troop levels.". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. 
• OED staff (June 2013). "Rupert, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 
• OED staff (June 2013). "Taffy, n.2". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 
• Ripley, Tim (10 December 2008). "UK Army Air Corps received Dauphins". Janes Defence Weekly 45 (50): 10. 
• Royal Scots Greys (1840). Historical record of the Royal regiment of Scots dragoons: now the Second, or Royal North British dragoons, commonly called the Scots greys, to 1839. p. 56-57. 
• Sharrock, David (10 September 2008). "Irish recruits sign up for British Army in cross-border revolution". London: The Times. 
• SMH Military correspondent (26 October 1939). "British Army Expansion". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 5. Retrieved 18 June 2010. 
• Summers, Chris (22 July 2011). "The time when the British army was really stretched". BBC. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
• Taylor, AJP (1976). The Second World War an illustrated history. Penguin books. ISBN 0-14-004135-4. 
• Taylor, Claire; Brooke-Holland, Louisa (28 February 2012). "Armed Forces Redundancies" (PDF). House of Commons. Retrieved 13 May 2012. 
• Watson, Philip (19 March 2004). "Ian's death brought people together". The Daily Telegraph (London). 

Further reading

• Holmes, Richard (2011). Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoat to Dusty Warriors. HarperCollins. 
• Chandler, David; Beckett, Ian, eds. (2003). The Oxford History of the British Army. Oxford Paperbacks. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Army.

• British Army Website

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