British Army

The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include "royal" in its title, because of its roots as a collection of disparate units, many of which themselves do bear the "royal" prefix. Throughout its history the British Army has taken part in many campaigns throughout the world. Today the British Army is one of the most technologically advanced land forces in the world, and is often referred to as the best Army in the World due to its professionalism. The Army is deployed in many of the world's war zones as part of a fighting force, and in United Nations peacekeeping forces.

History

See main article, History of the British Army

Foundation

The British Army came into being with the merger of the Scottish Army and the English Army, following the unification of the two countries' parliaments and the creation of the Kingdom of Britain in 1707. Although England had made many earlier claims to sovereignty in Scotland, there had been no unified British state prior to that time (other than a brief period during which the Roman province of Britain had achieved political independence-although even that had failed to establish complete control over the north of the island). The new British Army incorporated existing English and Scottish regiments, and was controlled from London.

Prior to the English Civil War in 1642, there was no standing army in England or Scotland. Troops were raised in either country by its King, when required, a development of the feudal concept of fief (in which a lord was obligated to raise a certain quota of knights, men at arms and yeomanry, under greater control of the King). After the English Tudor queen, Elizabeth I, died childless, the Scottish Stewart, King James VI, found himself also King James I of England, and moved to London. His heir, Charles I, found himself embroiled in war over his attempt to rule England without a parliament. This led to various Royalist and Parliamentary armies being raised to battle for the control of England in the English Civil War. With its victory in that war, the English Parliament assumed control, and standing companies, based on Cromwell's New Model Army, formed the basis of the first regiments of the new standing English Army. Cromwell had deprived both England and Scotland of a monarch when he had Charles I beheaded. When the still independent Scotland proclaimed his son , also named Charles Stewart, King of Scotland on 4th February, 1649, Cromwell invaded the country in an attempt to depose the uncrowned King and to force his own protectorship upon Scotland (Edinburgh Castle surrendered to the English on Christmas Eve, 1650, but Charles II was crowned at Scone on New Year's Day). This invasion resulted in many Scottish Prisoners-Of-War being shipped as slaves to English colonies. Following Cromwell's death, the Restoration of Charles II saw the New Model Army kept as a standing force, and the King raised further regiments loyal to the Crown. On January 26th, 1661 Charles II issued the Royal Warrant that created the genesis of what would become the British Army, although the Scottish and English Armies would remain two separate organisations until the unification of England and Scotland in 1707.

Bill of Rights

This period in British history saw the 1707 unification of the idependent states of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. In an effort to control the powers of the English monarch, the English Parliament had passed the Bill of Rights in 1689 to prevent a standing army in peacetime without the consent of Parliament. To this day, annual continuation notices are required for the British Army to remain legal in times of peace. However, the UK Parliament still does not control the use of the army (only the monarch, and his/her government gives commands and declares war). The last ruling King to go into battle was King George II at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743. However the last king to go into battle was King George VI but he was still the Duke of York at this time (the last royal to go into battle was the current Duke of York, Prince Andrew, who served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982).

British Empire

From around 1763 until at least 1914, the United Kingdom was the dominant military and economic power of the world. 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 Empire, and British dominance of the world, the British Army played important roles in colonisation. Firstly, the British Army provided garrisons for the colonies, protecting them against foreign powers and hostile natives. Secondly, the troops also helped capture strategically important territories for the British, allowing the British Empire to expand throughout the globe. The Army also involved itself in numerous wars meant to pacify the borders, or to prop-up friendly governments, and thereby keep other, competitive, empires away from the British Empire's borders. Notable amongst these were its serial interventions into Afghanistan, which were meant to maintain a friendly buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire. Keeping the Russian Empire at a safe distance was also one of Britain's motivations for coming to Turkey's aid in the Crimean War.

As had its predecessor, the English Army, in building the Empire, the British Army fought Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. It also battled many Native American nations and groups, including the many disguntled former allies who launched Pontiac's War in response to the wave of British settlers that flooded over the Appalachians following the defeat of France in the Seven Year's War. The British Government's attempt to mollify the Natives by delineating the Appalachians as the westward limit for European settlement was the primary motivator of the American colonies in launching the secessionist American War of Independence. The British Army fought American colonists and their Native and French allies in that war.

Under Oliver Cromwell, the English Army had been active in the re-conquest, and the settlement, of Ireland since the 1650s. It (and subsequently, the British Army) have been almost continuously involved in Ireland ever since, primarily in supressing numerous native revolts and guerilla and terrorist campaigns. It was faced with the prospect of battling British settlers in Ireland, who had raised their own volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions (primarily concerning freedom of trade) were not met, but the British Government acceded to these demands. The British Army still found itself fighting Irish rebels (Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen) in the unrelated, Napoleon-supported 1798 rebellion.

In addition to battling the armies of other European Empire's (and of its former colonies, the United States, in the American War of 1812,) in the battle for global supremacy, the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion; Māori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars; Indian princely forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Indian Mutiny; the Boers in the Boer Wars; Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids; and Irish separatists in the Anglo-Irish War.

European wars

In 17th Century, the island of Britain was divided between two independent states, the Kingdom of Scotland, and the Kingdom of England (the latter holding Wales, as a principality, together with Cornwall, as parts of the English state). After the death of the English Queen Elizabeth I, the Scottish King James VI also became James I of England on 24th March, 1603. Despite subsequently sharing a monarch (though not a crown), the two states remained politically independent until 1707. Throughout the intervening century, England actively worked to build a trans-Atlantic empire, and to increase its economic, political, and military power within Europe (the two goals were intrinsically linked).

Much of the century was characterised by the struggle, in England, between Royalist and Parliamentary forces, culminating in the English Civil War, and Oliver Cromwell's interregnum rule. Cromwell then engaged his country in wars with Scotland and in Ireland (in the latter, a separate, if not entirely independent, English settler state had long maintained its own parliament, and the crown of which had been seperated from England's under Henry VIII) as he sought to force his protectorship on both countries. The Restoration, followed Cromwell's death, when Scotland's King Charles II (who had taken refuge on the continent following the English invasion) was crowned King of England, also, in 1660. Charles died childless, and his 1685 succession by his Catholic brother, James II, ensured that England remained politically unstable, and frequently at arms, for decades, with warfare spilling over its borders. The issue of the rightful heir to the three thrones of Scotland, England, and Ireland would continue to cause conflict decades after the union of the Scottish and English thrones and states, with uprisings to support the direct heirs of James II, who had been deposed in the Revolution of 1688. The Jacobite Risings ended at the Battle of Culloden.

England's empire grew throughout this period. The union of England with Scotland created the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, which, due largelly to the English empire it inherited, was already well-advanced in its rise to prominence within Europe and in the world. Despite its increasingly global commitments, Britain's 'backdoor' was still unstable, and many wars on the European continent were fought with various opponents.

On the continent, British foreign policy was to contain aggression by its competitor powers such as France and Spain. The territorial ambitions of the French led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. Russian activity led to the Crimean War.

World Wars

Great Britain's dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, notably Germany. The UK was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale) and Russia, and when war broke out in 1914, the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium to prevent Germany from occupying these countries. The War would be the most devastating in British military history, with over 900,000 men killed and over 2 million wounded. In the early part of the war, the professional force of the BEF was decimated and, by turns, a volunteer (and then conscripted) force replaced it. Major battles included the Battle of the Somme. Advances in technology saw British advent of the tank and advances in aircraft design which were to be decisive in future battles. Trench warfare dominated strategy, and the use of chemical and poison gases added to the devastation.

In 1939, World War II broke out with the German invasion of Poland. British assurances to the Polish led the British Empire to declare war on Germany, allied with France. Again an Expeditionary Force was sent to France, only to be hastily evacuated as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in 1940. Only the Dunkirk evacuations saved the entire Expeditionary Force from capture. Later, however, the British would have success defeating the Italians and Germans at the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa, and in the D-Day invasions of Normandy. In the Far East, the British Army battled the Japanese in Burma. World War II saw the British army develop its Commando units including the Special Air Service.

1945-1990

After the end of World War II, the British Empire declined with the independence of India, and other colonies in Africa and Asia. Accordingly the strength of the British military was reduced, in recognition of Britain's reduced role in world affairs. However, a large deployment of British troops remained in Germany, facing the threat of Soviet invasion. The Cold War saw massive technological advances in warfare, and the Army saw more technological advanced weapons systems installed.

Despite the decline of the British Empire, the Army was still deployed around the world, fighting in the Korean War, the Suez crisis of 1956, and colonial wars in Oman and Malaysia. In 1982 the British Army, alongside the Royal Marines, helped to recapture the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War against Argentina.

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 loyalist and republican paramilitary groups. The locally-recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, later becoming the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992. 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, much reducing the military presence in the area.

1990-present

The ending of the Cold War saw a 40% cut in manpower, significantly reducing the size of the Army. Despite this, the Army has been deployed in an increasingly global role. In 1991, the United Kingdom was the second largest contributor to the coalition force that fought Iraq in the Gulf War. Later the Army would see service in the former republics of Yugoslavia in the Bosnian War and the Kosovo War. In 2003, the United Kingdom was the only other major contributor to the United States led invasion of Iraq. In 2001 The Parachute Regiment were depolyed in Kabul, Afghanistan to assist in the liberation of the troubled capital. Royal Marines Commandos also swept the Afghan mountains but this force is considered part of the Royal Navy.

The Army has also been deployed in many peacekeeping operations, such as in Sierra Leone and in the war against terrorism. Some peacekeeping operations are under United Nations mandates. The SAS unit of the British Army is specifically trained for anti-terror operations, and fought in Afghanistan in 2001. A squadron of SAS troops is always present on the UK mainland to respond to terrorist attacks.

There has been a reduction in the number of troops deployed in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. In 2005, after the IRA announced an end to armed conflict in Northern Ireland, it was revealed that the British Army would dismantle posts in the province and withdraw many troops.

The Army today

For equipment, see Modern equipment and uniform of the British Army

Statistics

British Army statistics ^[1]
Personnel (Regular Army)	102,440
Personnel (Territorial Army)	35,000+
Main Battle Tanks	386 Challenger 2
Infantry fighting vehicles	667 Warrior (789 purchased)
APCs and reconnaissance vehicles	3,230 - 4,000+
Land Rovers	15,000
Artillery pieces and mortars	2896
Air Defence	337
Aircraft	300+

Current deployments

Country	Dates	Deployment	Details
Afghanistan	2001-	One light-role infantry battalion (on rotation)	British troops have been based in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion there in 2001. The infantry battalion forms part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. It is expected that 16 Air Assault Brigade will deploy to the country in 2006 and take over as the main military presence in combating remaining Taliban fighters
Belize	1981-	British Army Training and Support Unit Belize	British troops have been based in Belize since the country gained independence from the UK in 1981. Until 1994 Belize's neighbour, Guatemala claimed the territory, and British troops were based in Belize to provide a deterrent force
Bosnia	1995-	One light-role infantry battalion (on rotation)	British troops are based in Bosnia as peacekeepers under UN Security Council resolutions.
Brunei	1962-	One battalion from the Royal Gurkha Rifles and Army Air Corps flight	Centre of the Army's jungle warfare school.
Canada	1972-	British Army Training Unit Suffield	Training centre in the Alberta prairie. Regular exercises every year.
Cyprus	1960-	Two resident infantry battalions, Royal Engineers, 16 Flight Army Air Corps and Joint Service Signals Unit at Ayios Nikolaos	The UK retains two Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus after the island's independence. The bases serve as forward bases for deployment in the Middle East. British forces are also deployed separately with UN forces.
Falkland Islands	1982-	An infantry company group and an Engineers Squadron	Constant occupation since 1833, except brief period in 1982 when Argentina invaded. Previously a platoon-sized Royal Marines Naval Party served as garrison. After 1982 the garrison was enlarged, and bolstered with an RAF base.
Germany	1945-	1st (UK) Armoured Division as part of British Forces Germany	British forces remained in Germany after the end of World War II. Forces declined considerably after the end of the Cold War, although the lack of accommodation in the UK means forces will continue to be based in Germany.
Gibraltar	1704-	One infantry battalion	British Army garrison is provided by an indigenous regiment, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, which has been on the Army regular establishment since the last British regiment left in 1991.
Iraq	2003-	8,500 troops	As part of Operation Telic (Gulf War 2), the British Army participated in the invasion of Iraq. Following the decision for continued security operations, the UK commands the Multi-National Division (South-East) with a headquarters unit, National Support Element, and a combat brigade (at the moment 7 Armoured Brigade), along with troops from Italy, Norway, Romania, Denmark, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Portugal, and Lithuania. A large number of Territorial Army soldiers have been used for a variety of tasks, both as individuals serving and as formed units.
Kenya		British Army Training and Liaison Staff Kenya	The Army has a training centre in Kenya, under agreement with the Kenyan government. It provides training facilities for three infantry battalions per year
Kosovo	1999	3,500 troops	After the Kosovo War in 1999, the British Army led the NATO deployment in Kosovo to restore peace to the province. Since then, the UK has withdrawn some forces, as other nations provided troops..
Rest of Middle East	1990	3,700 troops	Since the Gulf War 1 in 1991, the UK has had a considerable military presence in the Middle East. Besides Iraq, there are also an additional 3,500 troops in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as regular training missions in Oman.
Sierra Leone	1999	around 100	The British Army were deployed to Sierra Leone, a former British colony, in 1999 to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen, under United Nations resolutions. Troops remain in the region to provide military support and training to the Sierra Leone government.
Northern Ireland	1969-	11,000 troops	Re-deployed in large numbers from 14th August after British loyalist attacks upon nationalist civil rights marchers. They were initially welcomed by the nationalist community as protectors but most eventually came to oppose their continued presence especially as a result of Operation Demetrius (that was used almost entirely on nationalists) and the events of Bloody Sunday, when members of the Parachute Regiment shot dead 14 civil rights marchers. The Army became involved in a conflict with the PIRA, smaller republican splinter groups and loyalist terrorists. 763 soldiers have been killed in Northern Ireland since 1969, mostly in Belfast and Armagh. Counter-terrorist experience in Northern Ireland later proved useful in Iraq.

Equipment

A summary of the major equipment currently in service with the British Army. For a more comprehensive list with details, see Modern equipment and uniform of the British Army.

For a list of historic and obsolete equipment that has been used by the British Army, see Historic equipment and uniform of the British Army.

Firearms
SA80A2 (L85)
LSW (L86)
Minimi Light Machine Gun (SAW)
FN FAL (L7 GPMG)
LRR Sniper Rifle (L96)

Armour
Challenger 2 MBT
Warrior APC
Striker
Sabre

Artillery
AS90 Self-Propelled Gun
MLRS
L118 Light Gun
Rapier Missile System
Starstreak HVM
L121 Field Howitzer

Aircraft
WAH-64 Apache
Westland Gazelle
Westland Lynx

Logistics
DROPS
Land Rover (TUL/TUM)
All Terrain Mobility Platform
BV206 Tracked, Articulated

Electronics & Comms
MSTAR
Bowman
Skynet 5
Spyglass Thermal Imager
Cobra Artillery Location Radar

Formation and structure

See main article: Structure of the British Army

The structure of the British Army is complex, due to the different origins of its various constituent parts. In terms of the nature of its servicemen, it is divided into the Regular Army (full-time professional soldiers) and the Territorial Army (part-time paid soldiers). In terms of its military structure it is divided into corps (administrative groupings by common function), and divisions and brigades (large formations, somewhat fluid in nature).

The regiment is in some respects the most important unit of the British Army. It is the largest "permanent" tactical unit in most corps, although it is only an administrative and ceremonial grouping of battalions in the infantry. Typically, a regiment or battalion consists of around 700 soldiers and is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. Many infantry regiments today consist of only one regular battalion, although many also contain another Territorial Army battalion.

Brigade
- battalion or regiment commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel
  - Company (or Squadron) of about 100 soldiers, commanded by a Major.
    - Platoon (or Troop) of about 30 soldiers, commanded by a Lieutenant
      - Section of about 8 soldiers, commanded by a Corporal

Sections can be subdivided into two fire teams for tactical purposes.

Battlegroups

The main tactical formation in the British Army is the battlegroup. This is a mixed formation of armour, infantry, artillery, engineers and support units, and is structured according to whatever task it is called on to perform ; it is formed around the core of either an armoured regiment or infantry battalion, and has other units added or removed from it as necessary. A battlegroup will typically consist of between 600 and 700 soldiers under the command of a Lt. Colonel.

Recruitment

The Army mainly recruits within the United Kingdom, and normally has a recruitment target of around 25,000 soldiers per year. Low unemployment in Britain has resulted in the Army having difficulty in meeting its target, and in the early years of the 21st century there has been a marked increase in the number of recruits from other (mostly Commonwealth) countries, who as of mid-2004 comprised approximately 7.5% of the Army's total strength. By 2005 this number had risen to almost 10%. There were 6,460 foreign soldiers from 54 countries in the Army (not counting over 3,000 Nepalese Gurkhas). After Nepal, the nation with most citizens in the British Army is Fiji, with 1,965, followed by Jamaica with 975; soldiers also come from more prosperous countries such as Australia and South Africa (650). The Caribbean island of St Lucia, which has a population of just over 150,000, provides 220 soldiers.^[2]

In 2003, nearly 10,000 teenagers joined the army, including more than 3000 16-year-olds.^[3]

Oath of Allegiance

File:UK Military Oath Of Allegiance Certificate.jpg

TA attestation 'certificate'

All soldiers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army: this is known as "attestation". Those who believe in God use the following words:

I 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. [1]

Others replace the words "swear by Almighty God" with "solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm".

Flags and ensigns

File:Army Flag.gif

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

The British Army does not have its own specific ensign, 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, for the entire army and the different regiments and corps. The official flag of the Army as a whole is the Union Flag, flown at ratio 3:5. A non-ceremonial flag also exists, which is used at recruiting events, military events and exhibitions. Whilst at war, the Union Flag is always used, and this flag represents the Army on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London (the UK's memorial to war dead). A British Army ensign also exists for vessels commanded by a commissioned officer, the Blue Ensign defaced with the Army badge. However, there are currently no commissioned vessels in the Army.

Each line regiment (except the Rifle Regiments) also has its own flags, known as the Colours - the Regimental Colour and the Queen's Colour. These colours have been taken into batle in the past and serve as a great sense of pride to the regiment. There is great variation in the different regimental colours. Typically the colour has the regiment's badge in the centre.

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
British Army^[4] v t e
British Army^[4] v t e	Field marshal		General		Lieutenant-general		Major-general		Brigadier		Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Abbreviation	FM	Gen.	Lt-Gen.	Maj-Gen.	Brig.	Col.	Lt-Col.	Maj.	Capt.	Lt.	2nd Lt.
¹ Now an honorary or wartime rank only.

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
British Army^[4] v t e																													No insignia
British Army^[4] v t e	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Staff/Colour sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal		Private (or equivalent)

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

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

Band 2 Specialisms:	Band 3 Specialisms:
Bandsman	Survey Technician
Farrier	Lab Technician
Driver Tank Transporter	Registered General Nurse
Radar Operator	Telcom Op (Special)
Meteorologist	Aircraft Technician
Bomb Disposal Engineer	SAS Soldier
Telcom Op (Linguist)
Operator Special Intelligence
Construction Materials Technician
Gun Fitter
Driver Specialist
Vehicle Electrician
Armoured Engineer

External links

Footnotes

^ Armed forces.co.uk
^ Graeme Wilson One in 10 soldiers is recruited overseas in the Daily Telegraph 13 April, 2006
^ Tom Wall Our boy soldiers in The New Statesman 6 December 2004
^ ^a ^b "Rank structure". army.mod.uk. British Army. Retrieved 27 May 2021.

[1] Armed forces.co.uk

[2] Graeme Wilson One in 10 soldiers is recruited overseas in the Daily Telegraph 13 April, 2006

[3] Tom Wall Our boy soldiers in The New Statesman 6 December 2004

[UK_Army-4] "Rank structure". army.mod.uk. British Army. Retrieved 27 May 2021.

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