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The page contains the current structure of the British Army.[ when? ][ citation needed ]
The British Army is directed by the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), within Army Headquarters, which is located in Andover, Hampshire. Subordinate to the CGS, there is a Commander Field Army, located at Trenchard Lines, Wiltshire and a personnel and UK operations command, Home Command, located at Aldershot Garrison, Hampshire.
The command structure within the British Army is hierarchical; with divisions and brigades controlling groupings of units from an administrative perspective. Major units are battalion-sized, with minor units being company sized sub-units. In some regiments or corps, battalions are called regiments, and companies are called squadrons or batteries, sub-divided into platoons or troops. All units within the British Army service are either Regular (full-time) or Army Reserve (full-time or part-time), 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. 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 White Paper, which re-roled British forces in Germany in favour of nuclear weapons and the end of National Service, the size of the British Army has consistently shrunk. Since 1990, reductions have been almost constant, through succeeding defence reviews: Options for Change (1990), Front Line First (1994), the Strategic Defence Review (1998), Delivering Security in a Changing World (2003), the Army 2020 Restructuring (2010), the Army 2020 Refine (2015), and Defence in a Competitive Age (2021).
There were historically multiple types of military reserve forces. The oldest was the Militia Force (also referred to as the 'Constitutional Force'). [1] While the Reserve Forces units mostly lost their own identities, and became numbered Territorial Force sub-units of regular British Army corps or regiments (the Home Militia had followed this path, with the Militia Infantry units becoming numbered battalions of British Army regiments, and the Militia Artillery integrating within Royal Artillery territorial divisions in 1882 and 1889, and becoming parts of the Royal Field Artillery or Royal Garrison Artillery in 1902 (though retaining their traditional corps names), but was not merged into the Territorial Force when it was created in 1908 (by the merger of the Yeomanry and Volunteer Force). The Militia was instead renamed the 'Special Reserve', [2] [3] [4] and was permanently suspended after the First World War (although a handful of Militia units survived in the United Kingdom, its colonies, and the Crown Dependencies).
Unlike the Home, Imperial Fortress, and Crown Dependency Militia and Volunteer units and forces that continued to exist after the First World War, although parts of the British military, most were not considered parts of the British Army [5] [6] unless they received Army Funds (as was the case for the Bermuda Militia Artillery and the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps), [7] [8] which was generally only the case for those in the Channel Islands or the Imperial Fortress colonies: Nova Scotia (before Canadian Confederation), Bermuda, Gibraltar, and Malta). [9] [10] [11]
For all units, operational direction is via Permanent Joint Headquarters. Elements within the regionally-aligned brigades may also report to another chain of command. When not dealing with operational commitments or mission-specific training (e.g. when conducting routine civilian engagement, ranges, or 'defence contribution to homeland resilience' (homeland defence)) they may report through a Regional Point of Command (RPOC) to Headquarters Regional Command at Andover. [12] Therefore, it may not always be apparent as to which Headquarters a given unit is working to, and care should be taken to establish the correct chain of command for any engagement.
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 and known as 'Army Headquarters'. [13]
Reporting to the Chief of the General Staff are four lieutenant-generals: the Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS), the Commander Home Command (CHC), the Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and the Commander Field Army (CFA). The CFA is responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations; they command 1st (United Kingdom) Division, 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, and Joint Aviation Command (JAC). [14]
Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps , at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth
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Field Army gained initial operating capability (IOC) on 30 November 2015, and was formed as a result of the 2015 Army Command Review. The Commander Field Army commands all the formations of the British Army's forces for operational tasks, its collective training, and tactical doctrine organisations, and includes the vast majority of the Army's fighting equipment. [17]
The units under Field Army are:
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Joint Aviation Command (JAC) brings tri-service helicopters and unmanned aerial systems together under one command, providing lift, find and attack capabilities.
The British Army contribution to the Joint Aviation Command consists of:
Home Command consists of:
Commander Home Command, [46] is also the Standing Joint Commander (UK) for responsible for the planning and execution of civil contingency operations within the UK landmass and territorial waters. [47] [48]
Headquarters Regional Command at Montgomery House, Aldershot is commanded by a Major-General. It is the Army's HQ for the UK, Nepal and Brunei, administering Army bases in the UK and providing civil engagement. Headquarters Regional Command is also the operational command for the Army Cadets.
Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command was established on 1 April 2018, [53] and oversees the Army Recruiting Group, which includes the National Recruitment Centre (NRC) and local Army Careers Centres, and is staffed by a mixture of Capita staff and Army personnel. [54]
Army Training Units (ATU) are commanded and staffed by Army Reservists. Along with Regular Army Training Regiments (ATR), they provide Basic Training to Army Reserve recruits, except those joining 4 PARA and The Honourable Artillery Company. The current ATUs include:
The centre is located in Glasgow. The APC's Chief Executive is the Military Secretary, who also holds the post of General Officer, Scotland. The APC deals with personnel issues and contact with outside agencies.
Commandant Sandhurst is a Major-General. [61]
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.
Sources
Citations
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