Structure of the British Army

Active British Army and Royal Marines brigades in the U.K.
Red - infantry, Green - Mechanised
Active British Army brigades in Germany

The structure of the British Army is broadly similar to that of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, with a single command based at Andover known as "Army Headquarters". As top-level budget holder, this organisation is responsible for providing forces at operational readiness for employment by the Permanent Joint Headquarters.

The command structure is hierarchical with divisions and brigades controlling groupings of units from an administrative perspective. Major Units are regiment or battalion-sized with minor units being either company sized sub-units or platoons. All units within the service are either Regular (full-time) or Army Reserve (full-time or casual), or a combination with sub-units of each type.

Naming conventions of units differ for traditional British historical reasons, creating a significant opportunity for confusion; an infantry battalion is equivalent to a cavalry regiment. An infantry regiment is an administrative and ceremonial organisation only and may include several battalions. For operational tasks a battle group will be formed around a combat unit, supported by units or sub-units from other areas. Such an example would be a squadron of tanks attached to an armoured infantry battle group, together with a reconnaissance troop, artillery battery and engineering support.

Since the 1957 Defence Review the structure of the Army has consistently shrunk. A comparison of the List of British Army Regiments (1962) and the List of British Army Regiments (1994) will show the steep decline in numbers of infantry and armoured regiments. Since 1990 reductions have been almost constant, through succeeding defence reviews: Options for Change (1990), Front Line First (1994), the Strategic Defence Review of 1998, Delivering Security in a Changing World (2003), and the Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010.

Army Headquarters

Through a major army reorganisation effective 1 November 2011 the Chief of the General Staff took direct command of the Army through a new structure, based at Andover[1] and known as "Army Headquarters".[2][3] Given that the CGS directs the entire army through this new organisation, it is not clear whether 'Army Headquarters' still technically meets the definition of a military formation.

Reporting to the Chief of the General Staff are: the Commander Land Forces, the Adjutant-General and the Commander Force Development and Training. The Commander Land Forces is responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations, the Adjutant-General is responsible for developing the Army's personnel policies and supporting its people and the Commander Force Development and Training is responsible for recruiting and training the Army, and developing its capability, sustainability and doctrine.[4]

The Commander Land Forces commands 1st (Armoured) Division, 3rd (Mechanized) Division and Theatre Troops. He also commands the garrisons in the mainland UK through HQ Support Command based in Aldershot and British Forces Germany.

The Chief of the General Staff is the Standing Joint Commander (UK) (SJC(UK)), responsible for overall command of Military Aid to Civil Power within mainland United Kingdom.[5]

Formations

Commands

A command is a military formation that handles a specific task or region, and can direct forces as large as multiple corps or as little as a few battalions. Previously the Army had regional commands in the UK, including Aldershot Command, Eastern Command, Northern Command, Scottish Command, Southern Command and Western Command. In addition there were functional commands, such as Anti-Aircraft Command (disbanded in the 1950s), and overseas commands such as Middle East Command. Gradually these were consolidated into a land command in the UK, Headquarters UK Land Forces, and a land command in Germany, British Army of the Rhine. Eventually both were merged into Land Command.

From 1995, UK commands and later districts were replaced by regenerative divisions. 2nd Division, 4th Division, 5th Division and London District acted as regional commands within the UK reporting to Commander Regional Forces. Scotland District was absorbed by 2nd Division in 2000. The divisions were responsible for training subordinate formations and units under their command for operations in the UK, such as Military Aid to the Civil Community, as well as training units for overseas deployments. 2nd, 4th and 5th Divisions were replaced by Support Command on 1 November 2011.[6]

London District includes many units with significant ceremonial roles. The Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle is primarily mounted by the two Foot Guards Battalions and one Line Infantry Battalion together with the Foot Guards Incremental companies: Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards, No 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, and F Company, Scots Guards. The guard at Horse Guards is normally drawn from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR). The Honourable Artillery Company carries out public duties in the City of London. The HAC and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery provide gun salutes in London. Under the General Officer Commanding Scotland, public duties in Edinburgh are the responsibility of a new incremental company, Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders), formed after the reduction of the Argylls from battalion status.

Corps

United Kingdom
British Army lists
Commands and Army groups
Field armies in World War I
Field armies in World War II
Corps in World War I
Corps in World War II
Divisions in World War I
Divisions in World War II
Brigades in World War I
Brigades in World War II
Royal Armoured Corps Regiments in World War II
Royal Artillery Batteries
Regiments of Foot
Regiments in 1881
Territorial Force Units in 1908
Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery
Regiments in 1962
Regiments in 1994
Present-day Regiments
Territorial Army units in 2012
Nicknames of regiments

A corps, in the sense of a field fighting formation, is a formation of two or more divisions, potentially fifty thousand personnel or more. While the British Army has no standing corps headquarters, forces are allocated through a number of multinational arrangements to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and European commitments, providing much of the headquarters capability and framework for the multinational Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. The last purely British corps, I (BR) Corps, disbanded in Germany after the end of the Cold War.

The word corps is also used for administrative groupings by common function, such as the Royal Armoured Corps and Army Air Corps. Various Combat Support Arms and Services are referred to in the wider sense as a Corps, such as the Royal Corps of Signals.

Divisions

A division is a formation of three or four brigades, around twenty thousand personnel, commanded by a Major General.

The British Army has two deployable divisions, capable of deploying the headquarters and subordinate formations immediately to operations.

London District is responsible for the maintenance of capability for the defence of the capital and the provision of ceremonial units and garrisons for the Crown Estate in London, such as the Tower of London.

Several infantry regiments are organised into five administrative divisions based on the type of infantry unit or traditional recruiting areas:

Brigades

A brigade contains three or four battalion-sized units, around 5,000 personnel and is commanded by a one star officer, a Brigadier. The brigade will contain a wide range of military disciplines allowing the conduct of a spectrum of military tasks.

The brigade would be required to deploy up to three separate battlegroups, the primary tactical formation employed in British doctrine. The battlegroup is a mixed formation around the core of one unit, an armoured regiment or infantry battalion, with sub-units providing artillery, engineers, logistics, aviation, etc., as required.

Combat formations include:

There are also several non-combat focused service support units of brigade size.

Order of precedence

The British Army parades according to the order of precedence, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme right being highest on the order.

The Household Cavalry has the highest precedence, unless the Royal Horse Artillery parades with its guns.

Arms and services

Combat Arms

The Combat Arms are the "teeth" of the British Army, infantry, armoured and aviation units which engage in close action.

Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps

Regiments of line cavalry and the Royal Tank Regiment together form the Royal Armoured Corps which has units equipped with either main battle tanks or with light armour for formation reconnaissance. An additional reconnaissance regiment is provided by the Household Cavalry Regiment, of the Household Cavalry, which administratively is not considered to be part of the RAC, but is included among the RAC order of battle for operational tasking.

Armoured RegimentsFormation Reconnaissance Regiments
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
(Carabiniers and Greys)		The Household Cavalry Regiment
The Royal Dragoon Guards1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
The Queen's Royal Hussars
(Queen's Own and Royal Irish)		9th/12th Royal Lancers
(Prince of Wales's)
The King's Royal HussarsThe Light Dragoons
Royal Tank RegimentThe Queen's Royal Lancers

Infantry

The Infantry is divided for administrative purposes into five divisions with battalions being trained and equipped to operate in one of five main roles:

Under the arms-plot system, a battalion would spend between two and six years in one role, before re-training for another. Following a review of the operation of the army it has been demonstrated that the system is inefficient and the system is being phased out, with battalions specialising in role—this will see armoured infantry, mechanised infantry and air assault battalions remaining in a single posting; however, light infantry battalions will continue to be periodically rotated between postings. Personnel will be "trickle posted" between battalions of the same regiment as required, and to further their careers.

Guards DivisionScottish DivisionKing's DivisionPrince of Wales' DivisionQueen's Division
1st Bn, Grenadier Guards1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Bn, The Royal Regiment of Scotland1st & 2nd Bn, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)1st & 2nd Bn, The Mercian Regiment1st & 2nd Bn, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
1st Bn, Coldstream Guards1st & 2nd Bn The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)1st Bn, The Royal Welsh1st Bn, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1st Bn, Scots Guards1st Bn, The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment)1st & 2nd Bn, The Royal Anglian Regiment
1st Bn, Irish GuardsThe Royal Gibraltar Regiment
1st Bn, Welsh Guards

Three further infantry units in the regular army are not grouped within the various infantry divisions:

The role of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment is limited to the defence of Gibraltar.

The three senior regiments of foot guards, plus the Royal Regiment of Scotland, each maintain an additional reinforced company that retains custody of the colours of battalions that are in suspended animation:

Brigade of Gurkhas
Main article: Brigade of Gurkhas

The Royal Gurkha Rifles is the largest element of the Brigade of Gurkhas which includes its own support arms. These units are affiliated to the equivalent British units, but have their own unique cap badges.

Special Forces

Note: UKSF is considered a joint organisation and as such falls outside the Army chain of command.

Army Air Corps

The Army Air Corps provides battlefield air support with 6 Regiments and 4 independent squadrons and flights:

Combat Support Arms

The Combat Support Arms provide direct support to the Combat Arms and include artillery, engineer, signals and aviation.

Royal Regiment of Artillery

The Royal Artillery consists of 14 regiments, four of which retain the cap badge, or "cypher", and traditions of the Royal Horse Artillery. The Royal Artillery undertakes seven different roles:

Home Defence
(Ceremonial)		Air DefenceGeneral Support
(MLRS)		Close Support
(AS90)		Close Support
(L118 Light Gun)		Surveillance and
Target Acquisition		Training
King's Troop, RHA12 Regiment RA39 Regiment RA1st Regiment RHA7th (Para) Regiment RHA5 Regiment RA14 Regiment RA
16 Regiment RA19 Regiment RA29 (Cdo) Regiment RA32 Regiment RA
26 Regiment RA3rd Regiment RHA47 Regiment RA
4 Regiment RA

Corps of Royal Engineers

The Royal Engineers is a corps of 15 regiments in the regular army providing military engineering (civil engineering, assault engineering and demolition) capabilities to the field army and facilities management expertise within garrisons.

Regiments are associated with Brigade level formations with a number of independent squadrons and support groups associated with specific tasks:

The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) comprises two recruit training regiments:

The remainder are field regiments attached to various deployable formations:

Two squadrons of 36 Engineer Regiment are cap badged as Queen's Gurkha Engineers and are manned predominantly by Gurkhas.

Royal Corps of Signals

The Royal Signals is a corps of 10 Regiments and 13 independent squadrons which provides communications and information systems support to formations of Brigade level and above. Below the Brigade level support is provided by Battalion Signallers drawn from the parent unit. Within the deployable brigades the Signal Regiment also provides support to the HQ function including logistics, life support and force protection capabilities.

Two squadrons are cap badged as the Queen's Gurkha Signals and are manned predominantly by Gurkhas.

Intelligence Corps

The Intelligence Corps provides intelligence support including collection, interpretation and counter-intelligence capabilities with three battalions and a joint service group:

Combat Service Support Arms

The Combat Service Support Arms provide sustainment and support for the Combat and Combat Support Arms. Whilst CSS personnel are not intended to close with and engage opposition forces the fluidity of the modern battlefield means that these personnel are likely to be engaged in close combat at times, particularly when associated with Battle Groups.

Royal Logistic Corps

The Royal Logistic Corps is the largest single corps in the British Army; responsible for a range of supply, sustainment and movement tasks. Within the corps there are 21 regiments and 6 independent sub-units:

Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps which provides maintenance support to equipment. Most units will have either a Light Aid Detachment (LAD) or Workshop (Wksp) attached. Seven battalions provide support to formations of brigade level and above:

Medical services

The Army Medical Services provide primary and secondary care for the armed forces in fixed locations and whilst deployed on operations. Personnel are attached to a parent unit, one of five field regiments or the defence medical services. The AMS comprises four different Corps providing the range of medical and veterinary care, with the Royal Army Medical Corps also providing the administrative framework for the regiments.

Adjutant General's Corps

The Adjutant General's Corps provides administrative, police and disciplinary and educational support to the army. The AGC is an amalgamation with three of the constituent units retaining their previous cap badge. Personnel from the AGC administrative and educational specialisations serve in attached posts to establishments or units of other arms. The police and disciplinary activities retain their own cap badges and act as discrete bodies. The Corps as a whole is divided into four separate branches:

Other services

Training

Training in the Regular Army differs for soldiers and officers but in general takes place in at least two phases:

Phase one training is basic military training for all new recruits. Here candidates learn the basic standards of military performance including operation in the field, weapon handling, personal administration, drill etc.

Soldiers in other specialisations undergo the 14 week Army Development Course at the Army Training Centre, Pirbright, the Army Training Regiment at Winchester or the Army Foundation College at Harrogate.

Phase two training is specific to the trade which the soldier or officer will follow and is conducted in a branch specialised school. Phase two training enables the individual to join an operational unit prepared to contribute to operational effectiveness. These schools are under the direction of the parent corps or arm of the service, as illustrated above, with the Infantry Training Centre being formed of two training battalions.

Units of the Army Reserve

Combat Arms

Armour

The four armoured regiments of the Army Reserve operate in two roles - provision of crew replacements for armoured and NBC regiments, and formation reconnaissance:

Infantry

Special Air Service

Army Air Corps

Combat Support

Honourable Artillery Company

Royal Artillery

Royal Engineers

Note: Although the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers is part of the Royal Engineers order of battle, it is a separate regiment with its own cap badge, regimental colours and traditions.

Royal Signals

Intelligence Corps

Combat Service Support

Adjutant General's Corps

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

Royal Logistic Corps

Army Medical Services

Restructuring

Delivering Security in a Changing World

In July 2004 and December 2004 a significant restructuring of the armed forces was announced with a wide ranging impact on all three services. For the army the infantry strength was to be reduced by four infantry battalions (three English and one Scottish) with the remaining single battalion regiments amalgamating within their division; Scottish, King's and Prince of Wales's. The armoured strength was to be rebalanced reducing the strength by seven Challenger 2 squadrons by re-roling one regiment as force reconnaissance. The artillery strength was to be rebalanced, reducing AS-90 battery numbers by six by re-roling a regiment to the light gun and reducing the size of individual Ground Based Air Defence batteries.

The brigade structure was to be restructured to become:

Infantry restructuring

The arms plot is to be abolished, with all infantry battalions given a set role and (for armoured and mechanised battalions) location. In order that officers and soldiers can keep up the various skills gained through each of the distinct roles, all single battalion regiments (with the exception of the Guards regiments and the Royal Irish Regiment) will be amalgamated into large regiments. It is planned that each division will have a total of five battalions; of these, one will be armoured infantry, one will be mechanised infantry and the remainder light infantry.

Guards Division
Army Reserve

Bands

New Infantry structure and Order of Precedence

Regular Army

Guards DivisionScottish DivisionKing's DivisionPrince of Wales' DivisionQueen's DivisionLight Division
1st Bn, Grenadier Guards1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland1st & 2nd Bn, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment1st & 2nd Bn, Royal Welsh1st & 2nd Bn, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Bn, The Rifles
1st Bn, Coldstream Guards 1st, 2nd & 3rd Bn, Yorkshire Regiment1st, 2nd & 3rd Bn, Mercian Regiment1st & 2nd Bn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1st Bn, Scots Guards 1st & 2nd Bn, Royal Anglian Regiment
1st Bn, Irish Guards
1st Bn, Welsh Guards

Army Reserve

Guards DivisionScottish DivisionKing's DivisionPrince of Wales' DivisionQueen's DivisionLight Division
London Regiment6th & 7th Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland4th Bn, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment3rd Bn, Royal Welsh3rd Bn, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment6th & 7th Bn, The Rifles
4th Bn, Yorkshire Regiment4th Bn, Mercian Regiment5th Bn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
3rd Bn, Royal Anglian Regiment

Army 2020

Structure of the British Army after the "Army 2020" reform (click to enlarge)

In 2010, the incoming government conducted a new defence review. Those elements affecting the army were released as part of the Future British Army Structure (Next Steps publication:.[9] This was subsequently superseded by the Army 2020 concept announced in 2012. Under Army 2020 the army will be divided into:

All units from Germany will slowly move back to the UK. The basing plan was released on 5 March 2013. This positions 3rd (Mechanised) Division, to be renamed as 3rd (UK) Division as the head of the Reaction Force. 1st (Armoured) Division, to be renamed as 1st (UK) Division, will be the division in charge of the Adaptable Force, being based in York. This basing plan locates all three Reaction Force Brigades, along with the three Armoured Regiments and the six Armoured Infantry Battalions in the Salisbury Plain training area.[15][16]

The full army structure under Army 2020 until September 2016 is to be:[17][18]

Reaction Force

Adaptable Force

Force Troops Command

Force Troops Command HQ, Upavon

Note: 2 YORKS in the above structure will be the original 1 YORKS (renumbered). 1 YORKS was 3 YORKS (also renumbered).[38][39]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Correspondence from Army Secretariat
  2. ↑ Army Command reorganization Defence Marketing Intelligence, 10 November 2011
  3. ↑ Higher Command
  4. ↑ Army conducts Top Level Organisational Review Defence News, 9 December 2009
  5. ↑ Operations in the UK: The Defence Contribution to Resilience (Interim Joint Doctrine Publication 2)
  6. ↑ Charles Heyman, 'The British Army: A Pocket Guide 2012-2013', p.31
  7. ↑ 667 (Development & Trials) Squadron AAC
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 19 CSS Battalion is an integrated combat service support unit combining both RLC and REME elements.
  9. ↑ Briefing Paper SN06038 Defence Basing Review: Headline Decisions House of Commons Library
  10. ↑ "Famed Desert Rats to lose their tanks under Army cuts". Telegraph. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  11. ↑ Army Basing Plan: The basing plan table labels them as "Armoured Infantry Brigades"
  12. ↑ Army Basing Plan: The basing plan table labels them in order
  13. ↑ Transforming the British Army Annex A
  14. ↑ Transforming the British Army Annex C
  15. ↑ "Regular army basing plan" (PDF). 5 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  16. ↑ Major Army sites - basing
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Regular Army basing matrix by formation and unit
  18. ↑ Army 2020 Update
  19. ↑ Army 2020 Update page 6
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 The Rifles and The Royal Gloucestershire,Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Newsletter 2013
  21. ↑ "9th/12th Charitable Association Website". Delhispearman.org.uk. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  22. ↑ "Regimental Update". Rwf-forum.co.uk. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  23. ↑ pages 21 22
  24. ↑ Army 2020 Update, page 7
  25. ↑ Regular Army Basing Announcement footnote 10
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 The Red Hackle November 2012
  27. ↑ REME battalion marks name change
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 Army 2020 Update, page 9
  29. ↑ The Welsh Cavalry swap Scimitars for jungle boots (They are due to rerole to 'Light Cavalry' and move to Swanton Morley in Norfolk as part of the Army 2020 restructuring exercise)
  30. ↑ "3 Royal Welsh". Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  31. ↑ Summary of Army 2020 Reserve Structure and Basing, page 24
  32. ↑ Army 2010 Update, page 9
  33. ↑ The Economics of Joint Forces
  34. ↑ "Uncorrected Evidence 1". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  35. ↑ Ministry of Defence (2013-04-11). "UK forces put to the test in largest European exercise". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  36. ↑ Summary of Army 2020 Reserve Structure and Basing, page 5
  37. ↑ 49 Battery
  38. ↑ Warminster Colours Handover Parade - 25 July
  39. ↑ Yorkshire Regimental Changes

External links and sources