Land Command

Last updated

Land Command (or 'HQ Land') was a military command and formation and part of the structure of the British Army from 1995 to 2008. Its headquarters was at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter, some four kilometres northwest of Salisbury in Wiltshire.

Contents

It assumed control of virtually all Army combat and combat support troops on 1 April 1995. Three major exceptions were Cyprus, the Falklands Islands, and Northern Ireland, where the General Officer Commanding reported to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for operations in support of the civil power.

Predecessors

Discussion was underway within the Ministry of Defence by 1967 to create a proposed Army Strategic Command. [1]

The headquarters, abbreviated as STRATCO, was established on 1 April 1968 in the wake of the government's decision, announced in January of that year, to withdraw all British troops from bases east of Suez. In future Britain's defence efforts would be concentrated 'mainly in Europe and the North Atlantic area'. [2] Its major task was to direct the strategic reserves of the British Army; its headquarters was formed from HQ Southern Command at Erskine Barracks near Fugglestone (Wilton, Wiltshire). The first Commander-in-chief of the new Command was Lieutenant General Sir John Mogg KCB, CBE, DSO, (previously Commander-in-chief, Southern Command), who described the reasoning behind its formation as being: "to raise the standard and training of field force units to ensure any force sent abroad is correctly prepared, equipped and mounted to carry out its task speedily and successfully". [2]

STRATCO commanded most of the UK-based field forces for all matters except local administration. [3]

The command's tasks outside the British Isles were: [3]

Army Strategic Command consisted of two divisions, 3rd and 5th Infantry Divisions, and command troops. 3rd Division controlled 5th Infantry Brigade, 19th, 24th Infantry Brigades and 16th Parachute Brigade. 3rd Division was also responsible for training of the British battalion designated for the NATO ACE Mobile Force (Land). Headquarters 1 Signal Group (STRATCO) was formed the same day to coordinate signals units with the same responsibilities. [4]

5th Division comprised 2nd, 8th and 39 Brigades. 2nd and 8th Brigades had skeleton headquarters which were raised at about the same time as the divisional headquarters. However, 5th Infantry Division was little more than a holding organisation for battalions resting between operational commitments abroad. [5] The division was disbanded again in 1970. [6]

From 1971–72 to the mid-1990s, land forces in the British Isles were the responsibility of United Kingdom Land Forces, one of the two foremost Army commands, the other being the British Army of the Rhine. [7]

HQ Land Command, 1995–2008

In 1995, HQ United Kingdom Land Forces at Wilton assumed control of troops in Germany and most other places. The remaining British Army troops in Germany (including the core of Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, HQ ARRC) were placed under its command after the disbandment of Headquarters British Army of the Rhine. It became HQ Land Command, and assumed control of almost all British Army combat and combat support units on 1 April 1995. [8] When it was formed it included 69,200 regular troops (6,400 officers and 62,800 other ranks), 59,700 reservists and 14,200 civil servants. [9]

It initially embraced all operational troops in the UK, Germany (including HQ ARRC, 1st Armoured Division, and United Kingdom Support Command (Germany) (UKSC (G)), Nepal and Brunei, as well as the British Army Training Unit Suffield (Canada); British Army Training Unit Kenya; and the training team in Belize. The command represented 72% of the Army's manpower and virtually all of its fighting forces. Bringing all the army's conventional fighting forces into one command allowed the new commander-in-chief, initially General Sir John Wilsey, to better prioritise operational commitments and to reduce the higher overhead costs previously spent in maintaining four-star operational commands both in the UK and in Germany. HQ Land Command was given control of several functions previously executed by the General Staff within the Ministry of Defence (Army). These include the Operational Tour Plot for duties in Northern Ireland, to the Falkland Islands and in support of the United Nations, and the Arms Plot, the routine rotation of armoured, artillery and infantry units between postings. [10]

Marlborough Lines, Andover British Army Land Forces Headquarters (HQ Land) Marlborough Lines in Andover MOD 45160258.jpg
Marlborough Lines, Andover

Major forces not under Land Command's aegis remained British Forces Cyprus (with many units committed to the United Nations), the Falkland Islands, units under Director Special Forces, and Headquarters Northern Ireland. In the last of those, the General Officer commanding reported to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for operations in support of the civil power. [11]

Wilsey also became Joint Commander for British military operations in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia including Operation Grapple, UNPROFOR. [12]

On 1 April 2008, HQ Land Command amalgamated with HQ Adjutant General under 'Project Hyperion' and became HQ Land Forces. [13] It moved from Erskine Barracks to the former RAF Andover site now known as Marlborough Lines on 23 June 2010. [14]

Components of the organisation

Land Command was initially divided into eight formations, each one commanded by a Major General, and several smaller units including the training units and training support units in Belize, Brunei, Canada (Suffield for armoured battlegroups and Wainwright for infantry units) and Kenya. [15]

Divisions and Districts

Land Command was later divided in 2003, under the LANDmark reorganisation, into two suborganisations, Field Army and Regional Forces, that paralleled the Cold War structure of UKLF. [16] Commander Field Army had two deployable divisions (1st Armoured Division, 3rd Mechanised Division), Theatre Troops, Joint Helicopter Command, and Training Support under him, while Commander Regional Forces was responsible for three regenerative Divisions (2nd Division, 4th Division, 5th Division), London District, and United Kingdom Support Command (Germany). In 2007 it was announced that a new deployable divisional headquarters (HQ) would be established until at least 2011, as a means of meeting the UK's commitments to provide divisional HQs on a rotational basis to Regional Command South in Afghanistan and as the lead nation of Multi-National Division (South-East) in Iraq. This headquarters was based in York, the re-established HQ 6th Division. [17]

HQs 2, 4, and 5 Divisions (originally referred to as Regenerative Divisions) effectively used to act as military districts in the UK itself. They would only have been able to generate field formations in the event of a general war. These three divisions were disbanded in Spring 2012 and the component units were transferred to Support Command. [18]

After 2012, British Forces Germany formed the district HQ for personnel based in Germany that were not attached to military formations. [19]

London District's most public concern was the administration of ceremonial units and provision of garrisons for such installations as the Tower of London. However, its primary responsibility was to maintain units directly for the defence of the capital. [20]

Brigades

By 1999–2000, five years after the command was established, the British Army had only seven genuinely operational, deployable brigade groups – the six incorporated in 1st Armoured Division and 3rd Mechanised Division, plus 16 Air Assault Brigade. 16 Air Assault Brigade was formed as part of the 1999 Strategic Defence Review force reductions. On 1 September 1999, the brigade was formed by merging of 24 Airmobile Brigade and elements of 5th Airborne Brigade. [21]

In November 2007, the Ministry of Defence announced the temporary creation of another deployable brigade, designated as 11 Light Brigade, which commanded the Operation Herrick rotation between October 2009 and April 2010. [22]

3 Commando Brigade, formed predominantly by units of the Royal Marines but with significant army support, was under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET). [23]

The numerous other ‘brigades’ within the new Support Command were better described as regional districts whose function is to administer all Territorial Army units within their area, and to coordinate the provision of support to the civil authority if necessary, as well as home defence tasks. An example was the coordination of military support the regional brigades did during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. The fourteen new Civil Contingency Response Forces (CCRFs), each parented by a TA infantry battalion, were also linked into this structure. They form force elements which may be called on, alongside regular units, by the established chain of command (Ministry of Defence, Army Headquarters, HQ Land Forces, Support Command and Regional Brigades) in the event of a request for military assistance by the civil authorities. [24]

There were a number of specialist brigades which bring together under a single administrative apparatus several units performing similar functions. There were two logistic brigades 102 Logistic Brigade in Germany and 101 Logistic Brigade which contained logistic units to support the two deployable divisions directly. They were formed from the original Combat Service Support Groups (Germany) (CSSG (G)) and CSSG (United Kingdom) (CSSG (UK)). Additionally 104th Logistic Support Brigade operated the specialist units needed to deploy a force overseas such as pioneers, movements and port units. These brigades came under the authority of the GOC, Theatre Troops. [25]

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Strategic Command

Holders of the post have been: [26]

Commander-in-Chief, Land Command

Holders of the post have been: [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Armoured Corps</span> Armour arm of the British Army

The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Army's armoured regiments, both the Royal Tank Regiment and those converted from old horse cavalry regiments. Today it comprises twelve regiments, eight regular and four reserve. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment provide an armoured regiment, they are not part of the RAC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigade</span> Large military formation (3–6 battalions / 3–10 thousand troops

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Telic</span> United Kingdom operations codename

Operation Telic was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011. The bulk of the mission ended on 30 April 2009 but around 150 troops, mainly from the Royal Navy, remained in Iraq until 22 May 2011 as part of the Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission. 46,000 troops were deployed at the onset of the invasion and the total cost of war stood at £9.24 billion in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Corps (United Kingdom)</span> Inactive British Army formation

I Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in the First World War until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps. It had a short-lived precursor during the Waterloo Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd (United Kingdom) Division</span> Regular army division of the British Army

The 3rd Division, also known as The Iron Division, is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the Fighting 3rd under Sir Thomas Picton during the Napoleonic Wars. The division fought at the Battle of Waterloo, as well as during the Crimean War and the Second Boer War. As a result of bitter fighting in 1916, during the First World War, the division became referred to as the 3rd (Iron) Division, or the Iron Division or Ironsides. During the Second World War, the division fought in the Battle of France including a rearguard action during the Dunkirk Evacuation, and played a prominent role in the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. The division was to have been part of a proposed Commonwealth Corps, formed for a planned invasion of Japan in 1945–46, and later served in the British Mandate of Palestine. During the Second World War, the insignia became the "pattern of three" — a black triangle trisected by an inverted red triangle.

The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is a rapid reaction force maintained by NATO. It is capable of deploying a High Readiness Force (Land) Headquarters at short notice for operations and crisis response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st (United Kingdom) Division</span> Armoured division of the British Army

The 1st Division is an active division of the British Army. It has been formed and disestablished numerous times between 1809 and the present. In its original incarnation, as the 1st Division, it took part in the Peninsular War before being disbanded in 1814, only to be re-formed the following year for service in the War of the Seventh Coalition and fought at the Battle of Waterloo. It remained active, as part of the British occuaption of France, until it was disbanded in 1818 when the British military withdrew. It was then raised as needed and served in the Crimean War, the Anglo-Zulu War, and the Second Boer War. In 1902, the British Army formed several permanent divisions, which included the 1st Division. It went on to fight in the First World War, made various deployments during the interwar period, and took part in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Canadian Division</span> Canadian Joint Operations Command formation based in Kingston, Ontario

The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle East Command</span> British Army command defending the Middle East

Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team</span> Active British Army formation

16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, from 1999 to 2021 16 Air Assault Brigade, is a formation of the British Army based in Colchester in the county of Essex. It is the Army's rapid response airborne formation and is the only brigade in the British Army focused on delivering air assault operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, previously the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is an armoured infantry brigade formation of the British Army, currently headquartered at Wing Barracks, Bulford, Wiltshire, as part of the 3rd Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Security Force Assistance Brigade</span> British Army unit

The 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade is a brigade of the British Army which is intended to train and assist foreign forces. In 2021, under the Future Army changes, the brigade was redesignated, formerly being the 11th Infantry Brigade & HQ South East. Prior to the Army 2020 changes in 2013, the brigade was temporarily activated for deployment to Afghanistan, and before that engaged during the two World Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar Army</span> Military unit

The Myanmar Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southeast Asia after the People's Army of Vietnam. It has clashed against ethnic and political insurgents since its inception in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Army Group</span> Military unit

The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army in the mid-to-late 2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. As its name suggests, it was a "refinement" of Army 2020, an early 2010s reorganisation of the Army to be completed by 2020, originally conducted in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010.

Army 2020 was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations were completed by the middle of the decade. It was succeeded by Army 2020 Refine, a series of new changes and refinements of Army 2020's restructuring, conducted in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of the British Army</span> Organisation of the British Army

The structure of the British Army is being reorganised to the Future Soldier structure. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), with Army Headquarters which is located in Andover, Hampshire. Subordinate to that post, there is a Commander Field Army, and a personnel and UK operations command, Home Command.

The following is a hierarchical outline for the structure of the British Army in 1989. The most authoritative source for this type of information available is Ministry of Defence, Master Order of Battle, and United Kingdom Land Forces, HQ UKLF, UKLF ORBAT Review Action Plan, HQ UKLF, 1990.

The Field Army is a command of the British Army responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations. Commander Field Army reports to the Chief of the General Staff.

Equipment Support, Theatre Troops was an ad-hoc group of maintenance and equipment support units of the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

References

  1. ↑ "Organisation of Forces: UK command structure; new proposals; Army Strategic Command (ASC)". National Archives. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 Kneen, J. M.; Sutton, D. J. (1996). Craftsmen of the Army: The Story of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Volume 2: 1969-1992. London: Leo Cooper. p. 253.
  3. 1 2 "HQ Army Strategic Command: Reports". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Wire" (PDF). Royal Corps of Signals Association. 1969. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  5. ↑ Watson, Graham (2005). The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947–2004. Tiger Lily Publications LLC. pp. 123–124. ISBN   978-0972029698.
  6. ↑ Watson, Graham (2005). The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947–2004. Tiger Lily Publications LLC. p. 124. ISBN   978-0972029698.
  7. ↑ Rinaldi, Richard (2006). "The Original British Army of the Rhine" (PDF). Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Land Command Shapes Up", Jane's Defence Weekly, 15 July 1995.
  9. ↑ "UK Defence Statistics" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. 1 April 1995. pp. 19, 21, 32. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Defence – Fourth Report: Land". UK Parliament. 3 March 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Charters, David A. (2017). Whose Mission, Whose Orders?: British Civil-Military Command and Control in Northern Ireland, 1968-1974. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 51–54. ISBN   978-0773549265.
  12. ↑ "Bosnia: the 'Sarajevo Formula' Extended Research Paper 94/62" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 29 April 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. ↑ HQ Land Forces on the move Archived 7 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Drumbeat, June 2008
  14. ↑ Andover becomes HQ Land Forces on 23 June Andover Advertiser, 29 April 2010
  15. ↑ Heyman, Charles (2008). The British Army Guide. Pen and Sword. ISBN   978-1844156443.
  16. ↑ Lt Col Richard Quinlan, R Signals, HQ Theatre Troops, in News From Formations, The Wire, April 2003, p.127
  17. ↑ "Defence". Hansard. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  18. ↑ Defence equipment budget rises as Future Force takes shape – MOD, 18/07/11
  19. ↑ "British Forces Germany".
  20. ↑ "HQ London District".
  21. ↑ "4th Division". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  22. ↑ "11 Brigade will provide vital support to Afghan operations". Archived from the original on 14 November 2007.
  23. ↑ "Commander UK Amphibious Force". Archived from the original on 16 March 2011.
  24. ↑ Hansard 24/02/03 Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ "UK Armed Forces Commentary: The Royal Logistics Corps and Port logistics". 11 July 2011.
  26. 1 2 "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.