British Battlegroup

Last updated

British Battlegroup
UK Battlegroup
Active1 January 2005 – 30 June 2005 [1]
1 July 2008 – 31 December 2008 [2] [3]
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
AllegianceFlag of Europe.svg  European Union
Branch EU Battlegroup
Type Rapid reaction force
Size1,500
Part of European Union Military Staff
Garrison/HQ London, United Kingdom
Commanders
Current
commander
General lieutenant Nick Houghton

The British Battlegroup [4] or UK Battlegroup [1] is an EU Battlegroup, consisting entirely of British armed forces. It was on standby from 1 January, until 30 June 2005, [1] and from 1 July, until 31 December 2008. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The United Kingdom, as part of the European Union, contributed part of its armed forces to the EU Battlegroup scheme. This scheme puts a battlegroup composed of elements from one or more EU member states at the disposal of the European Council to be deployed as required. As one of the larger EU members, the United Kingdom contributed to two individual battlegroups. The British Battlegroup is made up entirely of British forces, while the other, the UK–Dutch Battlegroup, has the UK as the "framework" (i.e. lead) nation in the formation, in conjunction with forces from the Netherlands. The Netherlands also contributes to Battlegroup 107, alongside Germany and Finland.

Composition and equipment

The two UK-led battlegroups are formed from units declared to the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force, a rapid deployment element formed either from 3 Commando Brigade or 16 Air Assault Brigade, which are the elite commando and paratroop formations. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Armed Forces</span> UK military forces

The British Armed Forces, formally known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts and provide humanitarian aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3 Commando Brigade</span> Commando Brigade of the United Kingdom

3 Commando Brigade, previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocorps</span> Military corps of the European Union

Eurocorps, located in the French city of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), is a multinational corps headquarters. Founded by France and Germany in 1992, it is today composed of personnel from six framework nations and five associated nations. The framework nations place the Eurocorps at the service of the European Union (EU) and NATO, which certified it in 2002 as one of its nine High Readiness Land Headquarters.

<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">Rapid reaction force</span> Military or police unit capable of quickly responding to emergencies

A rapid reaction force / rapid response force (RRF), quick reaction force / quick response force (QRF), immediate reaction force (IRF), rapid deployment force (RDF) or quick maneuver force (QMF) is a military or police unit capable of responding to emergencies in a very short time frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EU Battlegroup</span> Military unit

An EU Battlegroup is a military unit adhering to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU). Often based on contributions from a coalition of member states, each of the eighteen Battlegroups consists of a battalion-sized force reinforced with combat support elements. Two of the battlegroups were declared to be capable of being assembled for operational deployment at any one time.

The role of the Commando Logistic Regiment (CLR), Royal Marines is to provide second line Combat Service Support to 3 Commando Brigade.

Expeditionary warfare is a military invasion of a foreign territory, especially away from established bases. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of rapid deployment forces. Traditionally, expeditionary forces were essentially self-sustaining with an organic logistics capability and with a full array of supporting arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albanian Land Force</span> Military unit

The Albanian Land Force is the land force branch of the Albanian Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battlegroup 107</span> Military unit

Battlegroup 107 or BG-107 is an EU Battlegroup. It originally consisted of military elements from the Netherlands, Germany, and Finland. From 1 January 2007 until 30 June 2007, it was on standby under German leadership. In preparation for its second standby period in the first half of 2011, when it was also known as EUBG 2011/1, its composition changed; Austrian and Lithuanian troops were added, the Netherlands took over command.

Land Command 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime)</span> Royal Navys contribution to the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force

The Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) (or JEF(M)) (formerly the Response Force Task Group (RFTG), and prior to that the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF)), is the Royal Navy's contribution to the UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) maintained at very high-readiness and available at short notice to respond to unexpected global events. In addition to the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, the JEF(M) also includes elements of the British Army and the Royal Air Force. While it is primarily poised to conduct war-fighting or strike operations, the JEF(M) is capable of undertaking a diverse range of activities such as evacuation operations, disaster relief or humanitarian aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Rapid Reaction Force</span> Military unit

The Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) was a capability concept of the British Armed Forces from 1999 to 2010. It was a pool of specialised units from all three armed services tasked with rapid deployment worldwide at short notice. The force was intended to be capable of mounting operations up to medium scale warfighting. It could be employed nationally, or multinationally under the auspices of NATO, the United Nations or any other coalition.

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">Combined Joint Expeditionary Force</span> Joint Anglo-French expeditionary force

The Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) is an Anglo-French military force. It draws upon both the British Armed Forces and the French Armed Forces to field a deployable force with land, air and maritime components together with command and control and supporting logistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Joint Expeditionary Force</span> British-led multi-national expeditionary force

The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a United Kingdom-led expeditionary force which consists of Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway. Nine of the countries are also members of NATO, with Sweden currently outside that alliance as their application is pending ratification.

The UK–Dutch Battlegroup or UK/NL EUBG 2010 is an EU Battlegroup led by the United Kingdom, in which the Netherlands also participate. It was on standby during the first half of 2010, simultaneously with Battlegroup I-2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weimar Battlegroup</span> Military unit

The Weimar Battlegroup is a multinational EU Battlegroup under Polish leadership, in which Germany and France also participate as members of the Weimar Triangle. It was on standby in the first half of 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defence forces of the European Union</span>

This article outlines the defence forces of the European Union (EU), which implement the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) in CSDP missions. There are two categories of EU multinational forces: ones that have been established intergovernmentally and made available to the CSDP through article 42.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), such as the Eurocorps; and the EU Battlegroups, established at the EU level.

References

  1. 1 2 3 John Reid (27 January 2006). "Lessons Identified from Battlegroups Initial Operational Capability". Hansard . House of Commons of the United Kingdom . Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 Volpi, Valerio (2011). Why Europe Will Not Run the 21st Century: Reflections on the Need for a New European Federation. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 155. ISBN   978-1443830522 . Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Landstrom, Gustav (February 2007). "Enter the EU Battlegroups" (PDF). Chaillot Paper . EUISS (97): 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. Bonaiuti, Chiara; Lodovisi, Achille (2010). Sicurezza, controllo e finanza. Le nuove dimensioni del mercato degli armamenti (in Italian). Milan: Editoriale Jaca Book. p. 273. ISBN   978-8816409279 . Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF): armedforces.co.uk