British Armed Forces

British Armed Forces

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty'sArmed Forces, sometimes legally the armed forces of the Crown. Their Commander-in-Chief is theBritish monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Defence Council of the Ministry ofDefence.

The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories,promoting Britain's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They areactive and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations.

History

British military history is long, complex and greatly influential in world history, especially since the17th Century. Important conflicts in which the British took part include the Seven Years' War and theNapoleonic Wars of the 18th Century/early 19th Century, the Crimean War of the mid 19th Century, andthe First and Second World Wars of the 20th Century. The British Empire, which reached its apogee inthe 1920s, was the largest empire in history; a quarter of the world's population were subjects of theBritish Crown and it controlled a quarter of the world's total land area. Since the end of the SecondWorld War, British forces have continued to be very active and bases remain spread out across the globein places such as Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar, Brunei and the Falkland Islands.

The current structure of defence management in the United Kingdom was set in place in 1964 when themodern day Ministry of Defence (MoD) was created (an earlier form had existed since 1940). The MoDassumed the roles of the Admiralty, the War Office and the Air Ministry.

Current strength

The United Kingdom fields one of the most powerful, technologically advanced and comprehensivearmed forces in the World. Its global power projection capabilities are deemed second only to those ofthe United States Military. The UK has the 2nd to 4th highest military expenditure in the world(depending on source), despite only having the 28th highest number of troops. It is also the secondlargest spender on military science, engineering and technology. Despite Britain's wide rangingcapabilities, recent defence policy has a stated assumption that any large operation would be undertakenas part of a coalition. Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq (Granby, Desert Fox and Telic) may all betaken as precedent - indeed the last large scale military action in which the British armed forces foughtalone was the Falklands War of 1982.

The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the world in terms of gross tonnage, with 90commissioned ships. The Naval Service (which comprises the Royal Navy and Royal Marines) had astrength of 35,470 in July 2006 and is charged with custody of the United Kingdom's independentstrategic nuclear deterrent consisting of four Trident missile submarines, while the Royal Marinesprovide commando units for amphibious assault and for specialist reinforcement forces in and beyondthe NATO area.

The British Army had a reported strength of 100,010 in July 2006 and as of 2006 9.0% of the regularArmed Forces were women. The Royal Air Force had a strength of 45,210. This puts the total number ofregular Armed Forces personnel at 180,690 (not including civilians). This number is supported by

reserve forces, including over 35,000 from the Territorial Army. The total number of serving personnel,including reserve forces, is therefore in the region of 225,000 (taking into account Navy, Marines andAir Force reserves).

Branches

Naval Serviceo Royal Navyo Royal Marines British Armyo Territorial Army Royal Air Force

British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being withunification of the governments and armed forces of Scotland and England into the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated existing English and Scottish regiments, andwas controlled from London. As of 2006, the British Army includes roughly 107,730 active membersand 38,460 Territorial Army members, and is considered one of the most disciplined, well-trained, andtechnologically advanced forces of its kind. The British Army is deployed in many of the world's warzones as part of a fighting force and in United Nations peacekeeping forces.

From around 1763 until at least 1914, the United Kingdom was the dominant military and economicpower of the world. The British Empire expanded in this time to include colonies, protectorates, andDominions throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, and while the Royal Navy is widelyregarded as having been vital for the rise of Empire, the British Army played important roles incolonisation, including garrisoning the colonies, capturing strategically important territories andparticipating in actions to pacify colonial borders, support allied governments, and suppress Britain'srivals. Among these actions were the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, theNapoleonic Wars, the First and Second Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, the New Zealand Wars, theIndian Mutiny, the First and Second Boer Wars, the Fenian raids, the Anglo-Irish War, serialinterventions into Afghanistan, the Crimean War, World War I, World War II, the Falklands War, thetwo Gulf Wars - Operation Granby and Operation Telic - and the Iraq War.

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 do bear the"Royal" prefix.

History

The Battle of Waterloo, one of the greatest victories in British military history

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 United Kingdom ofGreat 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 Romanprovince of Britain had achieved political independence-although even that had failed to establishcomplete control over the north of the island). The new British Army incorporated existing English andScottish regiments, and was controlled from London.

From roughly 1763 until at least 1914, the United Kingdom was the dominant military and economicpower of the world. The British Empire expanded in this time to include colonies, protectorates, andDominions throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Although the Royal Navy is widelyregarded as having been vital for the rise of Empire, and British dominance of the world, the BritishArmy played important roles in colonisation. First, the British Army provided garrisons for the colonies,protecting them against foreign powers and hostile natives. Second, the troops also helped capturestrategically important territories for the British, allowing the British Empire to expand throughout theglobe. The Army also involved itself in numerous wars meant to pacify the borders, or to prop-upfriendly governments, and thereby keep other, competitive, empires away from the British Empire'sborders. Notable amongst these were its serial interventions into Afghanistan, which were meant tomaintain a friendly buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire. Keeping the RussianEmpire at a safe distance was also one of Britain's motivations for coming to Turkey's aid in theCrimean 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 manyNative American nations and groups, including the many disgruntled former allies who launchedPontiac's War in response to the wave of British settlers that flooded over the Appalachians followingthe defeat of France in the Seven Years' War. The British Government's attempt to mollify the Nativesby delineating the Appalachians as the westward limit for European settlement was the primarymotivator of the American colonies in launching the secessionist American War of Independence. TheBritish Army fought American colonists and their Native and French allies in that war.

The British army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars in which the army served from Spainacross to Europe to North Africa in the South. The British Army finally came to defeat Napoleon at oneof Britain's greatest military victories at the battle of Waterloo.

The Battle of Rorke's Drift in which 11 VC's were awarded to British troops

Under Oliver Cromwell, the English Army had been active in the re-conquest, and the settlement, ofIreland since the 1650s. It (and subsequently, the British Army) have been almost continuously involvedin Ireland ever since, primarily in suppressing numerous native revolts and guerilla and terroristcampaigns. It was faced with the prospect of battling British settlers in Ireland, who had raised their ownvolunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions (primarilyconcerning freedom of trade) were not met, but the British Government acceded to these demands. TheBritish 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 Empires' (and of its former colonies, the UnitedStates, in the American War of 1812,) in the battle for global supremacy, the British Army fought theChinese in the First and Second Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion; Māori tribes in the first of theNew Zealand Wars; Indian princely forces and British East India Company mutineers in the IndianMutiny; the Boers in the First and Second Boer Wars; Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids;and Irish separatists in the Anglo-Irish War.

Following William and Mary's accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the GrandAlliance primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Mary's father, James II. Following the 1707union of England and Scotland, and then the 1801 creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain andIreland, British foreign policy, on the continent, was to contain expansion by its competitor powers suchas France and Spain. The territorial ambitions of the French led to the War of the Spanish Successionand the Napoleonic Wars. Russian activity led to the Crimean War.

British Mark One Tank during World War I

Great Britain's dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, notablyGermany. The UK was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale) and Russia, and when war broke outin 1914, the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium to preventGermany from occupying these countries. The War would be the most devastating in British militaryhistory, with near 800,000 men killed and over 2 million wounded. In the early part of the war, theprofessional force of the BEF was decimated and, by turns, a volunteer (and then conscripted) forcereplaced it. Major battles included the Battle of the Somme. Advances in technology saw British adventof the tank and advances in aircraft design which were to be decisive in future battles. Trench warfaredominated 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 Polishled the British Empire to declare war on Germany. 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 in1940. 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 NorthAfrica, and in the D-Day invasions of Normandy. In the Far East, the British Army battled the Japanesein Burma. World War II saw the British army develop its Commando units including the Special AirService. During the war the British army was one of the major fighting forces on the side of the allies.

After the end of World War II, the British Empire declined with the independence of India, and othercolonies in Africa and Asia. Accordingly the strength of the British military was reduced, in recognitionof Britain's reduced role in world affairs. However, a large deployment of British troops remained inGermany, facing the threat of Soviet invasion. The Cold War saw massive technological advances inwarfare, 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 theKorean War, the Suez crisis of 1956, and colonial wars in Oman and Malaysia. In 1982 the BritishArmy, alongside the Royal Marines, helped to recapture the Falkland Islands during the Falklands Waragainst Argentina.

In the three decades following 1969, the Army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland, to support theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland) in their conflict with loyalistand republican paramilitary groups. This is called Operation Banner. The locally-recruited UlsterDefence Regiment was formed, later becoming the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992. Over 700 soldierswere 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 thearea.

Recent conflicts

Gulf War

The ending of the Cold War saw a 40% cut in manpower. Despite this, the Army has been deployed inan increasingly global role. In 1991, the United Kingdom was the second largest contributor (after theUSA) to the coalition force that fought Iraq in the Gulf War. The nation supplied just under 50,000personnel and was the nation put in control of Kuwait after it was liberated.

Balkans conflicts

The British Army was deployed to Yugoslavia in 1992. Initially this force formed part of the UnitedNations Protection Force. In 1995 command was transferred to IFOR and then to SFOR. Currentlytroops are under the command of EUFOR. Over 10,000 troops were sent. In 1999 British forces underthe command of SFOR were sent to Kosovo during the conflict there. Command was subsequentlytransferred to KFOR.

Afghanistan

In 2001 The Parachute Regiment were deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan to assist in the liberation of thetroubled capital. Royal Marines Commandos also swept the Afghan mountains but this force is part ofthe Royal Navy. The British Armed forces are currently in charge of UN forces in the nation. TheBritish Army is today concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmandprovince under NATO control

Iraq War

In 2003, the United Kingdom was the only other major contributor to the United States-led invasion ofIraq. There was great disagreement amongst the populace but the government voted for the war, with theresult of sending over 10,000 army personnel to the region. The British Army is still the major coalitionpresence in the city of Basra and the Southern regions of Iraq.

Northern Ireland

The British Army has been deployed in this troubled part of the UK under Operation Banner since 1969in support of the RUC and now the PSNI. There has been a reduction in the number of troops deployedin Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. In 2005, after the IRAannounced an end to armed conflict in Northern Ireland, it was revealed that the British Army woulddismantle posts in the province and withdraw many troops and restore troop levels to that of a peacetime garrison. Officially Operation Banner will end on 1 August 2007, making it the longest militaryoperation in the history of the British Army, at 35-years-old.

The legend of Tommy Atkins

The nickname for a British soldier for several centuries was 'Tommy Atkins' or 'Tommy' for short.Present day soldiers are called 'Toms' or just 'Tom' within the services. Outside the services soldiers aregenerally known as 'Squaddies'. The British Army magazine Soldier has a regular cartoon strip, 'Tom',featuring the everyday life of a British soldier. Officers in the army are generally known (behind theirbacks) as 'Ruperts' by the Other ranks.

Today's Army

The Challenger 2 the British Army's Main Battle Tank

Statistics

British Army statistics

Personnel (Regular Army) 107,730

Personnel (Territorial Army) 38,460

Main Battle Tanks 386 Challenger 2

Infantry fighting vehicles 667 Warrior (789 purchased)

APCs and reconnaissance vehicles 3,230–4,000+

Land Rover Wolf 15,000

Pinzgauer 2,000

Utility Trucks 2,300

Artillery pieces and mortar 2,896

Air Defence 337

Aircraft 300+

Current deployments

'High Intensity' Operations

Country Dates Deployment Details

Afghanistan 2001– 5,000 troops

British troops have been based in Afghanistan sincethe US-led invasion there in 2001. Currently, underOperation Herrick, the Army maintains a battalion inKabul and most of a brigade in the southern provinceof Helmand.

Iraq 2003– 8,500 troops

As part of Operation Telic (Gulf War 2), the BritishArmy participated in the invasion of Iraq. Followingthe decision for continued security operations, the UKcommands the Multi-National Division (South-East)with a headquarters unit, National Support Element,and a combat brigade (at the moment 7 ArmouredBrigade), along with troops from Italy, Norway,Romania, Denmark, the Netherlands, Czech Republic,Portugal, and Lithuania. A large number of TerritorialArmy soldiers have been used for a variety of tasks,both as individuals serving and as formed units.

'Low Intensity' Operations

Country Dates Deployment Details

Bosnia 1995– One light-role infantrybattalion (on rotation)

British troops are based in Bosnia aspeacekeepers under UN Security Councilresolutions.

Cyprus 1960–

Two resident infantrybattalions, RoyalEngineers, 16 FlightArmy Air Corps and JointService Signals Unit atAyios Nikolaos as a part

The UK retains two Sovereign Base Areasin Cyprus after the island's independence.The bases serve as forward bases fordeployment in the Middle East. Britishforces are also deployed separately with

of British Forces Cyprus UN forces.

FalklandIslands 1982–

An infantry companygroup and an EngineersSquadron

Constant occupation since 1833, exceptbrief period in 1982 when Argentinainvaded. Previously a platoon-sized RoyalMarines Naval Party served as garrison.After 1982 the garrison was enlarged, andbolstered with an RAF base.

Gibraltar 1704– One infantry battalion

British Army garrison is provided by anindigenous regiment, the Royal GibraltarRegiment, which has been on the Armyregular establishment since the last Britishregiment left in 1991.

Kosovo 1999 3,500 troops

After the Kosovo War in 1999, the BritishArmy led the NATO deployment inKosovo to restore peace to the province.Since then, the UK has withdrawn someforces, as other nations provided troops.

Rest of theMiddle

East1990 3,700 troops

Since the Gulf War 1 in 1991, the UK hashad a considerable military presence in theMiddle East. Besides Iraq, there are alsoan additional 3,500 troops in Saudi Arabiaand Kuwait, as well as regular trainingmissions in Oman.

SierraLeone 1999 around 100

The British Army were deployed to SierraLeone, a former British colony, in 1999 toaid the government in quelling violentuprisings by militiamen, under UnitedNations resolutions. Troops remain in theregion to provide military support andtraining to the Sierra Leone government.

NorthernIreland 1969– 11,000 troops

Operation Banner is the army's back-uprole first to the Royal Ulster Constabularyand then to the Police Service of Northern

Ireland. Re-deployed in large numbersfrom 14 August 1969 after civil disorder.They were initially welcomed by thenationalist community as protectors butmost eventually came to oppose theirpresence especially after OperationDemetrius (internment) and BloodySunday, when members of the ParachuteRegiment shot dead 14 civilians. Thearmy became involved in a conflict withthe PIRA, smaller republican splintergroups and loyalist terrorists. 763 soldiershave been killed in Northern Ireland since1969, mostly in Belfast and Armagh.Counter-terrorist experience in NorthernIreland later proved useful in Iraq.Operation Banner will end on the 1August 2007.

Training Operations

Country Dates Deployment Details

Belize 1981–

British Army Trainingand Support UnitBelize and 25 FlightArmy Air Corps

British troops have been based in Belize sincethe country gained independence from the UKin 1981. Until 1994 Belize's neighbour,Guatemala claimed the territory, and Britishtroops were based in Belize to provide adeterrent force

Brunei 1962–

One battalion from theRoyal Gurkha Rifles,British Garrison,Training Team Brunei(TTB) and 7 FlightArmy Air Corps

A Gurkha battalion has been maintained inBrunei since the troubles in 1962 at therequest of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III. TheTraining Team Brunei is the Army's junglewarfare school, while the small number ofgarrison troops support the battalion. 7 FlightArmy Air Corps supports both the Gurkhabattalion and the TTB.

Canada 1972– British Army TrainingUnit Suffield

Training centre in the Alberta prairie. Regularexercises every year.

Germany 1945–

1st (UK) ArmouredDivision as part ofBritish ForcesGermany

British forces remained in Germany after theend of World War II. Forces declinedconsiderably after the end of the Cold War,although the lack of accommodation in theUK means forces will continue to be based inGermany.

KenyaBritish Army Trainingand Liaison StaffKenya

The Army has a training centre in Kenya,under agreement with the Kenyangovernment. It provides training facilities forthree infantry battalions per year

Equipment

The basic infantry weapons of the British Army is the SA80 assault rifle family, with several variantssuch as the L86A2 Light Support Weapons and the short stock variant, issued to tank crews. The generalissue sidearm is the Browning L9A1, though a search is currently underway to find a replacement for theL9A1. Indirect fire is provided by the Minimi machine gun, 51 and 81mm Mortar, the L7 GPMG, aswell as the RGGS, mounted under the barrel of the SA80 rifle. Sniper rifles used include theL96A1 7.62mm, the L115A1 and the AW50F, all produced by Accuracy International. In addition, someunits use the L82A1 .50 calibre Barrett sniper rifle.

The British Army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf and Land Rover Defender, with the Challenger2 as its Main Battle Tank. The Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the primary APC, although manyvariants of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) are used, as well as the Saxon APC andFV430 series.

The Army uses three main artillery systems; the MLRS, which debuted in Operation Granby and has arange of 30;nbsp;km, the AS-90, a self-propeeled howitzer, and the L118, a 105 mm towed gun-howitzer, used primarily by lighter units as well as the Royal Marines

The Rapier FSC Missile System is the Army's primary battlefield air defense system, widely deployedsince the Falklands War, and the Starstreak HVM is an anti-aircraft missile, launched either by a singlesoldier or from a vehicle mounted launcher. The Starstreak is the British equivalent of the AmericanFIM-92 Stinger

The Army Air Corps (AAC) provide direct support for the Army, although the RAF also assist in thisrole. The primary attack helicopter is the Westland WAH-64 Apache, a license built modified version ofthe AH-64 Apache that will replace the Westland Lynx in an anti tank role. The Westland Lynxperforms several roles including tactical transport, armed escort, reconnaissance and evacuation as wellas anti-tank warfare; it can carry eight TOW missiles. The Bell 212 is used as a utility and transporthelicopter, with a crew of two and a transport capacity of twelve troops. The Westland Gazellehelicopter is a light helicopter primarily used for battlefield scouting and control of artillery and aircraft.The Britten-Norman Islander is a light aircraft used for airborne reconnaissance and command, primarilyin Northern Ireland.

Firearms

L85A2 5.56mm IWL86A2 5.56mm LSW

L110A1 5.56mm SAWL9A1 Browning

L7A2 7.62mm GPMGL96A1 7.62mm

L115A1 8.6mm LRR

Armour

FV4043 Challenger 2 MBTWarrior IFV

CVR(T)FV432 APC

Artillery

AS-90 155mm Self-Propelled GunMLRS

L118 Light GunRapier FSC Missile System

Starstreak HVML121 Field Howitzer

Aircraft

Apache AH.Mk.1Gazelle AH.Mk.1Lynx AH.Mk.7

Bell 212Britten-Norman Islander

Agusta A109

Logistics

DROPSLand Rover (TUL/TUM)

ATMP

Electronics & Comms

MSTARBowmanSkynet 5

Spyglass Thermal ImagerCobra Artillery Location Radar

Formation and structure

The structure of the British Army is complex, due to the different origins of its various constituent parts.It is broadly split into the Regular Army (full-time soldiers and units) and the Territorial Army (part-time soldiers and units).

In terms of its military structure it has two parallel organisations, one administrative and oneoperational.

Administrative:

Corps, which is a grouping by common function, such as Royal Corps of Signals.

Divisions administrating all military units, both Regular and TA, within a geographical area.

Brigade in a non fighting capacity

Regiment, which is a grouping of battalions most commonly found in the Infantry. It is also the correctname for the Corps sized grouping of Artillery regiments.

Operational: The three major commands are Land Command, Headquarters Adjutant General, andHeadquarters Northern Ireland.

Corps made up of two or more Divisions (now unlikely to be used due to the size of the British Army.)

Division made up of two or three Brigades with an HQ element and support troops. Commanded by aGeneral

Brigade made up of three Battalions an HQ element and associated support troops. Commanded by aBrigadier

Battalion of about 700 soldiers, made up of five companies commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel

or:

Battlegroup. This is a mixed formation of armour, infantry, artillery, engineers and support units, andits structure is task specific. It is formed around the core of either an armoured regiment or infantrybattalion, and has other units added or removed from it as necessary. A battlegroup will typically consistof between 600 and 700 soldiers under the command of a Lt. Colonel.

Company of about 100 soldiers, typically in three platoons, commanded by a Major.

Platoon of about 30 soldiers, commanded by a Second Lieutenant or Lieutenant.

Section of about 8 to 10 soldiers, commanded by a Corporal.

A number of element of the British Army use alternative terms for Battalion, Company and Platoon.These include the Royal Armoured Corps,Royal Corps of Engineers, Royal Logistics Corps, and theRoyal Corps of Signals who use Regiment, Squadron and Troop. The Royal Regiment of Artillery areunique in using the term Regiment in place of both Corps and Battalion, they also replace Company withBattery and Platoon with Troop.

Aerial components

The British Army is heavily in co-operation with the Royal Air Force for air support but the army alsohas its own Army Air Corps.

The AAC has in its arsenal:

- Westland Apache Helicopters

- Westland Lynx Helicopters

- Westland Gazelle Helicopters

- Bell 212 Helicopters

- Britten-Norman Islander Aircraft

- Agusta A109

Special forces

The British army contributes two of the three special forces formations within the United KingdomSpecial Forces Command; the Special Air Service Regiment and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.

The largest and most famous formation is the The Special Air Service Regiment. Formed in 1941, theSAS is seen by many as the role model for every other special force in the world.

The SAS comprises one regular Regiment and two Territorial Army Regiments and is headquartered atDuke of York Barracks, London.

The regular regiment, 22 SAS Regiment has its headquarters and depot are located in Hereford andconsists of five squadrons: A, B, D, G and Reserve and a training wing. The regiment has battlespaceroles in deep reconnaissance, target identification and indication and target destruction and denial. In itsCounter Terrorism role it is seen as one of the prime anti-terrorist, hostage rescue and target captureunits in the world

The two reserve SAS regiments; 21 SAS Regiment and 23 SAS Regiment have a more limited role,focusing on the battlespace rather than Counter Terrorism.

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) which was formed in 2005, from existing assets, toundertake close reconnaissance and surveillance tasks.

Formed around 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment, with attached Royal Marines and Royal Air Forceasssets, the Special Forces Support Group are under the Operational Control of Director Special Forcesto provide Infantry support to the elements of United Kingdom Special Forces

Recruitment

The Army mainly recruits within the United Kingdom, and normally has a recruitment target of around25,000 soldiers per year. Low unemployment in Britain has resulted in the Army having difficulty inmeeting its target, and in the early years of the 21st century there has been a marked increase in thenumber of recruits from other (mostly Commonwealth) countries, who as of mid-2004 comprisedapproximately 7.5% of the Army's total strength. By 2005 this number had risen to almost 10%. Therewere 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 Jamaicawith 975; soldiers also come from more prosperous countries such as Australia and South Africa (650)(However, recent proposals by the South African government may in future bar South African citizensfrom serving within the militaries of foreign states. The British government has appealed against thismove). The Caribbean island of St Lucia, which has a population of just over 150,000, provides 220soldiers.

There has been a strong and continuing tradition of recruiting from Ireland including what is now theRepublic of Ireland. Almost 150,000 Irish soldiers fought in the First World War; 49,000 died. Morethan 60,000 Irishmen, more than from Northern Ireland, also saw action in the Second World War; liketheir compatriots in the Great War, all were volunteers. There were more than 400 men serving from theRepublic in 2003.

Oath of allegiance

All soldiers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army, a process 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 allegianceto Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that Iwill as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, herheirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemiesand will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, her heirs andsuccessors and of the generals and officers set over me. [1]

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

Flags and ensigns

Flag Ratio: 3:5. The official flag of the Army.

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

The British Army does not have its own specific ensign, unlike the Royal Navy, which uses the WhiteEnsign, and the RAF, which uses the Royal Air Force Ensign. Instead, the Army has different flags andensigns, for the entire army and the different regiments and corps. The official flag of the Army as awhole is the Union Flag, flown in ratio 3:5. A non-ceremonial flag also exists, which is used atrecruiting events, military events and exhibitions. Whilst at war, the Union Flag is always used, and thisflag represents the Army on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London (the UK's memorial to war dead). ABritish Army ensign also exists for vessels commanded by a commissioned officer, the Blue Ensigndefaced 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 - theRegimental Colour and the Queen's Colour. These colours have been taken into battle in the past andserve as a great sense of pride to the regiment. There is great variation in the different regimentalcolours. Typically the colour has the regiment's badge in the centre.

Royal Navy and RAF infantry units

The other services have their own infantry-like units which are not part of the British Army. The RoyalMarines are amphibious light infantry forming part of the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force has theRAF Regiment used for airfield defence and force protection duties.

Overseas Territories Military Units

Numerous military units were raised historically in British territories, including self-governing andCrown colonies, and protectorates. Few of these have appeared on the Army List, and their relationshipto the British Army has been ambiguous. Whereas Dominions, such as Canada and Australia, raisedtheir own armies, Crown possessions (like the Channel Islands), and colonies (now called OverseasTerritories) were, and are, legally part of the UK, and their defence remains the responsibility of theNational (ie., United Kingdom) government. All military forces of overseas territories are, therefore,

under the direct command of the UK Government, via the local Governor and Commander-In-Chief.Many of the units in colonies, or former colonies, were also actually formed at the behest of the UKGovernment as it sought to reduce the deployment of the British Army on garrison around the world atthe latter end of the 19th Century. Today, three overseas territories retain locally-raised military units,Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands. The units are patterned on the British Army, are subject toreview by the Ministry Of Defence, and are ultimately under the control of the UK Government, not thelocal governments of the Territories (though day-to-day control may be delegated to Ministers of theterritorial governments). Despite this, the units may have no tasking or funding from the MOD, and aregenerally raised under acts of the territorial assemblies.

Structure of the British ArmyAt the top level, the structure of the British Army is headed by two main administrative top-levelbudgets - Land Command and the Adjutant-General. These are responsible for providing operationalcapability to the Permanent Joint Headquarters, which is responsible for the command of all operations.There are also two other significant headquarters, Headquarters Northern Ireland, and British ForcesCyprus.

The command structure forms a hierarchy. Formations (divisions, and brigades) control groupings ofunits. Major Units are battalion- or regiment-sized units. Minor Units are smaller units, which mayeither be independent or part of a battalion or regiment. Units may be either Regular (full-time) orTerritorial Army (part-time volunteers).

The naming conventions of units differ across the army for historical reasons - for example, an infantrybattalion is equivalent to a cavalry regiment. An infantry regiment is an administrative and ceremonialorganisation only, and can include several battalions.

Formations

Land Command

Land Command, headquartered at Wilton, has two main subdivisions, Field Army and Regional Forces.Commander Field Army commands 1 Division, 3 Division, Theatre Troops, and Director GeneralTraining Support. Commander Regional Forces, currently Lieutenant General John McColl CBE DSO,commands 2, 4, and 5 Divisions, plus London District and United Kingdom Support Command(Germany).

Commander-in-Chief Land Command (CINCLAND) is also the Standing Joint Commander (UK) orSJC(UK), responsible for overall command to Military Aid to the Civil Authorities within the UnitedKingdom (excluding Northern Ireland). (IJDP 2)

Corps

In operational terms, a corps is a formation of two or more divisions - it could include upwards of fiftythousand personnel.

Although the British Army has the capability of forming a corps using its two available ReadyDivisions, it would be unlikely to deploy an all-British corps; instead, it would most likely deploy one ofits two divisions to serve as part of a larger multinational force. It does however provide much of theheadquarters and framework for the multinational NATO formation, the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

The word corps is also used for some large administrative groupings by common function - for example,the Infantry Corps.

Divisions

A division is a formation of (usually) three or four brigades - around twenty thousand personnel.

The British Army has two main Deployable Divisions, which can deploy their headquarters and trainedformations immediately to operations.

1st (UK) Armoured Division 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division,

The three remaining divisional headquarters (referred to as Regenerative Divisions), plus the LondonDistrict and Northern Ireland HQ, act as regional commands in the UK itself and train subordinateformations and units under their command for UK and overseas operations; the divisions would only berequired to generate field formations in the event of a general war. These Divisions are:

2nd Division - (Scotland and the North of England) 4th Division — (East Midlands, South and East England) 5th Division — (Wales, West Midlands and South West England)

A further two regional headquarters exist - Headquarters Northern Ireland and London District, atthe Divisional level .

Although the security situation in Northern Ireland has eased greatly in recent years and the BritishArmy's presence there has been reduced, Headquarters Northern Ireland remains in being for the present.It contains the Territorial Army British 107 (Ulster) Brigade, which has no Internal Security role, plusBritish 8th Infantry Brigade and British 39th Infantry Brigade.

London District's most public concern is the administration of ceremonial units and provision ofgarrisons for such installations as the Tower of London. However, its primary responsibility is tomaintain units directly for the defence of the capital. 56 (London) Brigade was disbanded in 1993.

Brigades

A brigade usually includes three or four battalion-sized units - around 5000 personnel. See LandCommand for details of specific brigades within the divisions. However it should be noted that 3Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, is an additional deployable formation, outside the operationalcontrol of the Army but containing a number of army units.

When deployed on operations, the primary tactical formation is the battlegroup. This is a mixedformation formed around the core of one unit (either an armoured regiment or infantry battalion), witharmour, infantry, artillery, engineers etc attached as needed. On operations, a brigade could be expectedto be able to deploy up to three seperate battlegroups.

Key

o 1) Armoured Regimento 2) Armoured Infantry Battaliono 3) Artillery Regimento 4) Army Air Corps Detachmento 5) Provost Unito 6) Royal Logistic Corps Squadrono 7) Engineer Squadrono 8) Javelin Air Defence Batteryo 9) Long-Range Anti-Tank Guided Weapons Troopo 10) Mechanised Infantry Battalion

Administrative Formations

United Kingdom Special Forces 1 Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade 1 Artillery Brigade 7 Air Defence Brigade 12 (Air Support) Engineer Brigade 29 (Corps Support) Engineer Brigade 101 Logistics Brigade (3rd Mechanised Division) 102 Logistics Brigade (1st Armoured Division) 104 Logistic Support Brigade (PJHQ) 2 (National Communications) Signal Brigade 11 Signal Brigade

Order of Precedence

For the purposes of parading, the British Army is listed according to an order of precedence. This is theorder in which the various corps of the army parade, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme rightbeing highest.

The Household Cavalry have the highest precedence, apart from the Royal Horse Artillery when itparades with its guns.

Arms and Services

Combat Arms

The Combat Arms are the "teeth" of the British Army - the infantry and armoured units which haveresponsibility for closing with and killing the enemy.

Royal Armoured Corps

The regiments of line cavalry and the Royal Tank Regiment are grouped together as the RoyalArmoured Corps. These units operate either as armoured regiments with main battle tanks, or asformation reconnaissance units. The Household Cavalry is a separate corps formed of two regiments.One of these, the Household Cavalry Regiment, forms the fifth formation reconnaissance regiment.

Armoured Regiments Formation ReconnaissanceRegiments

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniersand Greys) The Household Cavalry Regiment

The Royal Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own andRoyal Irish)

9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince ofWales's)

The King's Royal Hussars The Light Dragoons2nd Royal Tank Regiment The Queen's Royal Lancers

1st Royal Tank Regiment operates in a dual role; two squadrons serve in the NBC role as part of theJoint CBRN Regiment, while the other two are main battle tank training squadrons that serve as part ofthe Combined Arms Training Battlegroup at the Land Warfare Centre at Warminster.

Infantry

As of 2006, the Infantry is divided for administrative purposes into divisions. These are not the same asthe divisions that are sent into combat, which are a mixture of infantry, armoured and support units. Itshould be noted that the formar Scottish Division is now called The Royal Regiment of Scotland, as itcontains 5 battalions, but only one Regiment. Instead they are groupings of regiments based on eithergeographical location or historical connection. Infantry battalions operate in one of five main roles:

Armoured Infantry Mechanised Infantry Air Assault Infantry Light Infantry Public Duties

Under the arms plot system, a battalion would normally spend between two and six years in one role,before re-training for another. However, plans are currently in place to phase out the arms plot system,and in future to have battalions specialise in individual roles.

GuardsDivision

RoyalRegiment ofScotland

King'sDivision

Prince ofWales'Division

Queen'sDivision Light Division

1st Bn,GrenadierGuards

The RoyalScotsBorderers,(1st Bn, TheRoyalRegiment ofScotland)

1st, 2nd &3rd Bn, TheDuke ofLancaster'sRegiment(King'sLancashireandBorder)[2]

1st Bn, The22nd (Cheshire)Regiment

1st & 2nd Bn,The Princessof Wales'sRoyalRegiment(Queen's andRoyalHampshires)

1st Bn, TheDevonshire andDorset LightInfantry

1st Bn,ColdstreamGuards

The RoyalHighlandFusiliers(2nd Bn, TheRoyalRegiment ofScotland)

1st, 2nd &3rd Bn TheYorkshireRegiment(14th/15th,19th and33rd/76thFoot)

1st & 2nd Bn,The RoyalWelsh

1st & 2nd Bn,The RoyalRegiment ofFusiliers

1st & 2nd Bn,The LightInfantry

1st Bn,ScotsGuards

The BlackWatch (3rdBn, TheRoyalRegiment ofScotland)

1st Bn, TheWorcestershireand SherwoodForestersRegiment(29th/45thFoot)

1st & 2nd Bn,The RoyalAnglianRegiment

1st Bn, TheRoyalGloucestershire,Berkshire andWiltshire LightInfantry

1st Bn,IrishGuards

TheHighlanders(4th Bn, TheRoyalRegiment ofScotland)

1st Bn, TheStaffordshireRegiment (ThePrince ofWales's)

1st & 2nd Bn,The Royal GreenJackets

1st Bn,WelshGuards

The ArgyllandSutherlandHighlanders(5th Bn, TheRoyalRegiment of

Scotland)

↑1st July 2006 - March 2007

There are three further infantry units in the regular army that are not grouped in the various infantrydivisions:

1st Bn, The Royal Irish Regiment (27th Inniskillings, 83rd, 87th & The UlsterDefence Regiment)

2nd & 3rd Bn, The Parachute Regiment 1st & 2nd Bn, The Royal Gurkha Rifles

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment can also be considered part of the infantry, although its primaryresponsibility is the home defence of Gibraltar.

Royal Irish Regiment

The Royal Irish Regiment shares the status of the largest infantry regiment in the British Army with theParachute Regiment. The Royal Irish has a total of four battalions. The 1st Battalion, as has beenstated, is a general service battalion that is part of the main body of infantry. However, the 2nd, 3rd and4th Battalions are home service battalions, purely for service in Northern Ireland.

2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regiment (Belfast and Antrim) 3rd Bn, Royal Irish Regiment (Down, Armagh and Tyrone) 4th Bn, Royal Irish Regiment (Fermanagh and Londonderry)

With the announcement of the IRA ceasefire in 2005 came the end of military support to the police inNorthern Ireland, and a normalisation of the army's presence in the province. This has led to theannouncement that the three home service battalions will be disbanded with the end of Operation Bannerin August 2007.

Brigade of Gurkhas

The Royal Gurkha Rifles is the largest part of the Brigade of Gurkhas, which also has its own supportarms. These units are affiliated to the equivalent British units, but have their own unique cap badges.

Support units of the Brigade of Gurkhaso Queen's Gurkha Engineers: The Queen's Gurkha Engineers consists of: 69 Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers 70 Field Support Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment, Royal

Engineerso Queen's Gurkha Signals: The Queen's Gurkha Signals consists of: 246 Gurkha Signal Squadron, 2 Signal Regiment, Royal Signals 250 Gurkha Signal Squadron, 30 Signal Regiment, Royal Signalso Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment: The Queen's Own Gurkha

Logistic Regiment consists of:

- 28 Transport Squadron, 10 Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps

- 94 Stores Squadron, 9 Supply Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps.

Special Forces

Special Air Service Regiment - The regular army's special forces unit, 22 SASRegiment is a battalion sized formation and considered as infantry.

Special Reconnaissance Regiment - A tri-service element of the United KingdomSpecial Forces alongside the SAS and Special Boat Service.

Special Forces Support Group - A tri-service unit formed around 1st Battalion,Parachute Regiment and enhanced with personnel from Combat Support Services, theRoyal Marines and RAF Regiment. SFSG is designed to provide support to SpecialForces operations.

Combat Support Arms

The Combat Support Arms include the artillery, engineer, signals and aviation units. Their role is todirectly support the Combat Arms in combat.

Royal Regiment of Artillery

The Royal Artillery, despite its name, is a corps sub-divided into 16 regiments. Of these, four retain thename, cap badge and traditions of the Royal Horse Artillery. The sixteen regiments are divided intoseven specialities:

HomeDefence

AirDefence

GeneralSupport(MLRS)

CloseSupport(AS90)

CloseSupport(L118 LightGun)

Surveillanceand TargetAcquisition

Training

King'sTroop,RHA

12Regiment,RA

39Regiment,RA

1Regiment,RHA

7 (Para)Regiment,RHA

5 Regiment,RA

14Regiment,RA

16Regiment,RA

3Regiment,RHA

29 (Cdo)Regiment,RA

32 Regiment,RA

47Regiment,RA

4Regiment,RA

40Regiment,RA

19Regiment,RA

26Regiment,RA

Corps of Royal Engineers

Engineering support for the army is provided by the Royal Engineers, of which there are a total of 15regiments in the regular army. Of these, 25 Engineer Regiment is a field regiment dedicated to service inNorthern Ireland, 33 Engineer Regiment is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, and 42 EngineerRegiment is a dedicated Geographic unit. The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME), also hastwo regiments, which are the parent units for recruits to the RSME:

1 RSME Regiment - Construction Engineer School 3 RSME Regiment - Combat Engineer School

The remainder are field regiments attached to various deployable formations:

21 Engineer Regiment - 4th Armoured Brigade 22 Engineer Regiment - 1st Mechanised Brigade 23 Engineer Regiment - 16th Air Assault Brigade 24 Engineer Regiment - 3 Commando Brigade (Forming 2007) 26 Engineer Regiment - 12th Mechanised Brigade 28 Engineer Regiment - British 1st Armoured Division 32 Engineer Regiment - 7th Armoured Brigade 35 Engineer Regiment - 20th Armoured Brigade 36 Engineer Regiment - British 3rd Infantry Division 38 Engineer Regiment - 19th Light Brigade

In addition, there are a number of independent squadrons in the Royal Engineers:

59 Independent Commando Squadron - 59 Squadron is the engineers unitassigned to 3 Commando Brigade. This will form part of 24 Engineer Regiment on itsformation.

62 Cyprus Squadron - 62 Squadron provides the engineering support for BritishForces in Cyprus.

Within the structure of the Royal Engineers are two squadrons that are cap-badged as the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, manned predominantly by Gurkhas.

The operational structure of the Royal Engineers also includes two specialist support groups:

12 (Air Support) Engineer Group - this is organised to provide support to airborneforces, and is composed of both regular and TA units. Regular units assigned to 12Engineer Group include:

o 39 Engineer Regiment - engineering support to the RAFo Works Group, RE (Airfields) - infrastructure support to the RAFo 529 Specialist Team Royal Engineers

170 (Infrastructure Support) Engineer Group - formerly known as the MilitaryWorks Force, this has responsibility for both permanent and temporary infrastructuredevelopment in several areas, including water, fuel, communications and utilities:

o HQ 170 Engineer Group, REo 62 Works Group, RE - Water Infrastructureo 63 Works Group, RE - Utilities Infrastructureo 64 Works Group, RE - Fuel Infrastructure

Royal Corps of Signals

In the British Army, communications below brigade level are maintained by individual units. Forformations of Brigade level and above, communications and ICT are provided by the Royal Signals,which has a total of ten regiments, and 13 separate squadrons:

Regimentso 1 (UK) Armoured Division HQ and Signal Regimento 2 Signal Regiment - 11 Signal Brigadeo 3 (UK) Division HQ and Signal Regimento 7 Signal Regiment - 1 Signal Brigade (Allied Rapid Reaction Corps)o 10 Signal Regiment - 2 (National Communications) Signal Brigadeo 11 Signal Regiment - Royal School of Signals (Training)o 14 Signal Regiment - 11 Signal Brigade (Electronic Warfare)o 15 Signal Regiment - HQ Northern Irelando 16 Signal Regiment - 1 Signal Brigadeo 18 Signal Regiment - UK Special Forceso 21 Signal Regiment - Joint Helicopter Commando 22 Signal Regiment (Forming 2007)o 30 Signal Regiment - 11 Signal Brigade Squadronso 200 Signal Squadron - 20 Armoured Brigadeo 204 Signal Squadron - 4 Armoured Brigadeo 207 Signal Squadron - 7 Armoured Brigadeo 209 Signal Squadron - 19 Light Brigadeo 213 Signal Squadron - 39 Infantry Brigade (NI)o 215 Signal Squadron - 1 Mechanised Brigadeo 216 Signal Squadron - 16 Air Assault Brigadeo 218 Signal Squadron - 8 Infantry Brigade (NI)o 228 Signal Squadron - 12 Mechanised Brigadeo 261 Signal Squadron - 101 Logistic Brigadeo 262 Signal Squadron - 102 Logistic Brigadeo 628 (UK) Signal Troop - Allied Forces North (AFNORTH)o Cyprus Communications Unit Within the structure of the Royal Signals are two squadrons that are cap-badged

as the Queen's Gurkha Signals, manned predominantly by Gurkhas.

Army Air Corps

The Army Air Corps provides the battlefield support element of the army's aviation needs (the heavytransport element comes from the helicopters of the RAF, while the amphibious element is provided bythe FAA). The AAC has six regiments, and a number of independent squadrons and flights:

1 Regiment, AAC - 1st (Armoured) Division. 2 Regiment, AAC - Training Regiment 3 Regiment, AAC - Attack Regiment - 16 Air Assault Brigade 4 Regiment, AAC - Attack Regiment - 16 Air Assault Brigade 5 Regiment, AAC - Northern Ireland 9 Regiment, AAC - Attack Regiment - 16 Air Assault Brigade

657 Squadron, AAC 7 Flight - Aviation support to British Forces in Brunei 8 Flight - Aviation support for the SAS 12 Flight - Part of 1 Regiment, AAC 25 Flight - Aviation support to British Forces in Belize

Intelligence Corps

The Intelligence Corps is the army's main tool for the gathering and collating of intelligence, and for theorganisation of the army's counter-intelligence apparatus.

1 Military Intelligence Battalion 2 Military Intelligence Battalion 4 Military Intelligence Battalion 15 (UK) Psychological Operations Group

Joint CBRN Regiment

The Joint CBRN Regiment is a specialised corps of the army tasked with defence against nuclear,biological, radiological and chemical weapons. The regiment is a joint Army/RAF unit, made up of thefollowing regular units:

1st Royal Tank Regiment No 27 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment

Combat Service Support Arms

The Combat Service Support Arms have the role of providing the services necessary for sustaining theArmy.

Royal Logistic Corps

The Royal Logistic Corps is the largest single corps in the British Army, and is responsible for thesupply and movement of material to all units. Within the corps there are 21 separate regiments:

1 Logistic Support Regiment 12 Logistic Support Regiment

2 Logistic Support Regiment 13 Air Assault Support Regiment3 Logistic Support Regiment ARRC Support Battalion4 Logistic Support Regiment 17 Port and Maritime Regiment

6 Supply Regiment 21 Logistic Support Regiment7 Transport Regiment 23 Pioneer Regiment8 Transport Regiment 24 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment

9 Supply Regiment 27 Transport Regiment10 Transport Regiment, QOGLR 29 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment5 Training Regiment 25 Training Support Regiment

There are also a number of other regular army units:

20 Logistic Support Squadron (London District) 44 Support Squadron (Royal Military Academy Sandhurst) 89 Postal and Courier Unit (SHAPE) 105 Logistic Support Squadron (BATUS) 132 Aviation Supply Squadron (16 Air Assault Brigade) Cyprus Service Support Unit (British Forces Cyprus)

Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers have responsibility for the maintenance of all of theBritish Army's equipment. Almost every unit will have REME tradesmen attached normally designatedas a "Light Aid Detachment (LAD)" or "Workshop (Wksp)". The corps provides detachments to eachformation of brigade level and higher from its total of seven battalions:

1st Battalion, REME - 4 Armoured Brigade 2nd Battalion, REME - 7 Armoured Brigade 3rd Battalion, REME - 20 Armoured Brigade 4th Battalion, REME - 12 Mechanised Brigade 5th Battalion, REME - 19 Light Brigade 6th Battalion, REME - 1 Mechanised Brigade 7th Battalion, REME - 16 Air Assault Brigade

Other Services

Army Medical Serviceso Royal Army Medical Corps - The Royal Army Medical Corps has a total

of five regiments in the regular army: 1 Close Support Medical Regiment - 1st Armoured Division 3 Close Support Medical Regiment - 3rd Mechanised Division 4 General Support Medical Regiment - 101 Logisitc Brigade 5 General Support Medical Regiment - 102 Logistic Brigade 16 Close Support Medical Regiment - 16 Air Assault Brigadeo Royal Army Dental Corpso Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corpso Royal Army Veterinary Corps Adjutant General's Corps - The Adjutant General's Corps, unlike the Army

Medical Services, is a single corps; however, three of the units that wereamalgamated to form it were permitted to retain their own cap badges:

o Corps of Royal Military Police - While the majority of the AdjutantGeneral's Corps forms part of other operational units, the Royal Military Police isformed into two regular regiments. In addition, there are regular provost companies inthe TA regiments of the RMP, plus a single independent air assault trained company:

1 Regiment, Royal Military Police 3 Regiment, Royal Military Police 160 Provost Company - 4 RMP 101 Provost Company - 5 RMP 114 Provost Company - 5 RMP 156 Provost Companyo Military Provost Staff Corpso Army Legal Corps

Royal Army Chaplains' Department Army Physical Training Corps Small Arms School Corps Corps of Army Music

Training

There are two phases in the training for recruits into the army:

Phase 1: the initial phase features the basic training for all new recruits. There aretwo main strands, one for officers and one for other ranks.

o Officers: Prospective officers first attend the Regular CommissionsBoard to determine whether they are suited to become officers. Once they pass theRCB, they attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where they undergo basictraining, not just in the elements of soldiering, but also leadership. TheCommissioning Course, which is the standard course for new officers, lasts 44

weeks. However, there are also short course for those with professional qualificationsjoining one of the services (Medicine, Law etc) that provides basic military training.

o Soldiers: Prospective ordinary soldiers (other than the infantry) attendeither one of four Army Training Regiments or the Army Foundation College:

Army Foundation College, Harrogate ATR Bassingbourn ATR Lichfield ATR Pirbright ATR Winchester

Here they undergo basic training, learning how to become soldiers. The basic course is the ArmyDevelopment Course, which lasts for 20 weeks.

Once new recruits have passed their initial courses, either at RMAS or an ATR, then they move to Phase2 Training.

Phase 2: the second phase involves the new officer or soldier choosing whichbranch of the service they wish to specialise in, and then undergoing the specifictraining. This is with one of the specialist schools located around the country:

o Infantry Training Centre (see below) - the ITC is responsible for bothPhase 1 and Phase 2 infantry training for soldiers. Officers undergo their Phase 1training at Sandhurst.

o Armour Centreo Royal School of Artilleryo School of Army Aviationo Royal School of Military Engineeringo Royal School of Signalso Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Training Groupo Defence Logistic Support Training Groupo Defence Medical Services Training Centreo AGC Training Groupo Royal Military School of Music

Infantry Training Centre

As of 2001, infantry training is undertaken as a single 24 week course at the Infantry Training Centre atCatterick Garrison, as opposed to being divided into Phase 1 and Phase 2 training. The ITC is dividedinto four separate battalions; these are divided into companies, each of which are responsible for one ofthe infantry's administrative divisions:

1st Battalion, Infantry Training Centreo Queen's Division Companyo King's Division Companyo Light Division Company 2nd Battalion, Infantry Training Centreo Scottish Division Company

o Prince of Wales's Division Companyo Somme Company 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centreo Guards Division Companyo Parachute Regiment Companyo Gurkha Companyo Gurkha Language Wing 4th Battalion, Infantry Training Centreo HQ Companyo Williams Companyo Hook Companyo Army School of Ceremonialo Army School of Bagpipe Music & Highland Drumso Gym EL Wing

Units of the Territorial Army

Armour (TA)

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

Royal Yeomanry Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry Royal Wessex Yeomanry Queen's Own Yeomanry

Infantry (TA)

The 1999 reorganisation of the Territorial Army saw a number of new, multi-cap badge battalions takethe place of the old territorial battalions of regular regiments. However, starting in 2006, these regimentswill be replaced by a number of single cap-badged battalions attached to the new large infantryregiments:

3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The London Regiment The Rifle Volunteers Royal Irish Rangers

Royal Rifle Volunteers 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers West Midlands Regiment 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artist's) 23rd Special Air Service Regiment

A further infantry unit, not officially on the British Army list but still technically a British unit, is TheBermuda Regiment. This is a territorial infantry battalion which is responsible for the internal security ofBermuda.

Royal Artillery (TA)

Air Defence General Support(MLRS)

Close Support(Light Gun)

Surveillance and TargetAcquisition

104 Regiment,RA(V)

101 Regiment,RA(V)

100 Regiment,RA(V)

Honourable ArtilleryCompany

105 Regiment,RA(V)

103 Regiment,RA(V)

106 Regiment,RA(V)

Note: The Honourable Artillery Company does not come under the RoyalArtillery's order of battle, but is instead a separate regiment.

Royal Engineers (TA)

71 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) - Air Support Regiment 73 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) - Air Support Regiment 75 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) - Field Regiment 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) - Explosive Ordnance

Disposal Regiment Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) - Field Regiment 131 Independent Commando Squadron (Volunteers) - Commando Support 135 Independent Geographic Squadron (Volunteers) - Topography 65 Works Group, RE (Volunteers) - Communications Infrastructure

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

Royal Signals (TA)

31 (City of London) Signal Regiment 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment

33 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment 34 (Northern) Signal Regiment 35 (South Midlands) Signal Regiment 36 (Eastern) Signal Regiment 37 (Wessex and Welsh) Signal Regiment 38 (City of Sheffield) Signal Regiment 39 (Skinners) Signal Regiment 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment

Intelligence Corps (TA)

3 (Volunteer) Military Intelligence Battalion (Strategic Intelligence) 5 (Volunteer) Military Intelligence Battalion (Tactical Intelligence)

Army Air Corps (TA)

6 Regiment, Army Air Corps (Volunteers) 7 Regiment, Army Air Corps (Volunteers)

Services (TA)

In addition to the combat units, there are Territorial Army units in:

Adjutant General's Corpso 4 Regiment, Royal Military Policeo 5 Regiment, Royal Military Police Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineerso 101 Battalion (V), REMEo 102 Battalion (V), REMEo 103 Battalion (V), REMEo 104 Battalion (V), REME Royal Logistic Corpso 87 Postal and Courier Regimento 88 Postal and Courier Regimento 150 (Northumbrian) Transport Regimento 151 (Greater London) Logisitic Support Regimento 152 (Ulster) Transport Regimento 155 Transport Regimento 156 (North-West) Transport Regimento 157 (Wales and Midlands) Logistic Support Regimento The Scottish Transport Regimento 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regimento 159 Logistic Support Regimento 160 Transport Regimento 162 Movement Control Regiment

o 163 Movement Control Regimento 165 Port Regimento 166 Supply Regimento 168 Pioneer Regimento Catering Support Regimento 383 Commando Petroleum Troopo 395 Air Despatch Troop Army Medical Serviceso 144 Field Ambulanceo 152 Ambulance Regimento 201 (Northern) Field Hospitalo 202 (Midlands) Field Hospitalo 203 (Welsh) Field Hospitalo 204 (North Irish) Field Hospitalo 205 (Scottish) Field Hospitalo 207 (Manchester) Field Hospitalo 208 (Liverpool) Field Hospitalo 212 (Yorkshire) Field Hospitalo 220 (1st Home Counties) Field Ambulanceo 222 (East Midlands) Field Ambulanceo 243 (The Wessex) Field Hospitalo 253 (North Irish) Field Ambulanceo 254 (City of Cambridge) Field Ambulanceo 256 (City of London) Field Hospitalo 306 Field Hospitalo 335 Medical Evacuation Regimento First Aid Nursing Yeomanry

Ceremonial Units

Although the majority of the British Army performs both operational and ceremonial roles, there aresome units that are purely ceremonial. These are manned by fully trained soldiers who are periodicallytransferred from operational units.

Queen's Guard/Queen's Life Guard

The following are units of the regular army that most regularly mount the guard at Buckingham Palace,Horse Guards and Windsor Castle:

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards No 7 Company, Coldstream Guards F Company, Scots Guards

Gun Salutes

The following are units that provide gun salutes in various parts of London:

King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery Honourable Artillery Company

Sovereign's Bodyguard

The following are not part of the army, but perform the ceremonial role of Sovereign's Bodyguard.They tend to be made up of retired officers and NCOs:

Her Majesty's Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's Bodyguard in Scotland

One of the significant duties that all of the above units (with the exception of the King's Troop and theHonourable Artillery Company) perform is to guard the catafalque upon which the coffin of a statefuneral rests in Westminster Hall.

Others

Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower ofLondon: This corps provides the ceremonial guard at the Tower of London, withresponsibility for guarding any prisoners housed in the fortress, and ensuring thesecurity of the crown jewels. The most notable ceremony that the Yeoman Wardersparticipate in is the Ceremony of the Keys. However, they also form a guard ofhonour in the annexe of Westminster Abbey at the coronation service.

Military Knights of Windsor: This is a small formation of retired army officers,who receive a pension and accommodation at Windsor Castle. They lead theprocession of the Garter Knights on Garter Day.

High Constables of Holyroodhouse: This is the ceremonial guard of the Palace ofHolyroodhouse, which parades whenever the Sovereign is in Edinburgh.

In-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital: While not strictly speaking a corps, the In-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea form a significant part of the army'sheritage and history, and often take part in major occasions, especially those ofremembrance.

Atholl Highlanders: A further ceremonial unit is the Atholl Highlanders. This isunique in that it is the only legal private army in Europe; instead of being in theservice of the Crown, it is in the service of the Duke of Atholl.

Restructuring

In July 2004, the Government announced its proposals for restructuring of the armed forces. The mainpoints concerning the army included:

Cutting four infantry battalions (three English and one Scottish) with theremaining single battalion regiments of the Scottish Division, King's Division andPrince of Wales's Division amalgamating. These will see either one regiment of fouror more battalions, or two regiments of between two and three battalions in eachdivision.

One armoured regiment being re-roled as force reconnaissance, with sevenChallenger 2 squadrons being cut.

One heavy artillery regiment being re-roled as light artillery, with six AS-90batteries being cut.

A reduction in the number of Ground Based Air Defence units, with thedisbandment of the RAF Regiment squadrons, and a reduction in the size of the RoyalArtillery batteries.

On 16 December 2004, Geoff Hoon announced restructuring plans. The new operational structure of thearmy will feature:

Two Armoured Brigades - these will be 7 Armoured Brigade and 20 ArmouredBrigade.

Three Mechanised Brigades - these will be 1 Mechanised Brigade and 12Mechanised Brigade, to be joined by the current 4 Armoured Brigade, which willconvert to mechanised by 2006.

One Light Role Brigade - this will see 19 Mechanised Brigade convert to the lightrole, beginning at the start of 2005.

One Air Assault Brigade - 16 Air Assault Brigade.

Rumours were also confirmed, with the restructuring of the infantry along the large regiment lines. Thisinvolved the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers amalgamating into a single battalion onthe 1st August 2006, after the two regiments had formed single battalions of the Royal Regiment ofScotland in March 2006, with battalions retaining their former titles. The regiments of the King'sDivision and the Prince of Wales's Division will also merge, with one battalion lost from the King'sDivision, and two from the Prince of Wales's. Thus, each will have one regiment of three battalions andone regiment of two battalions.

The restructuring will be as follows:

Royal Armoured Corps restructuring

In 2005, the Queen's Royal Lancers will begin conversion from the Armoured role, equipped withChallenger 2, to the Formation Reconnaissance role, equipped with Scimitar.

Royal Artillery restructuring

In 2005, 40 Regiment, Royal Artillery will begin conversion to the L118 Light Gun from the AS-90.

Royal Engineers restructuring

Engineering support for 3 Commando Brigade to be expanded to a full regiment with the establishmentof 24 Commando Engineer Regiment. This brings it into line with the other brigade sized formations.

Royal Signals restructuring

Establishment of a new signals regiment, 22 Signal Regiment.

Infantry restructuring

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

Guards Division

Although there will remain five single battalion Guards regiments, operationallythese will conform to the new structure, with each battalion being given a specificrole (1 armoured infantry, 2 light infantry, 2 public duties). Operationally therefore,the Guards will be a single large regiment. The London Regiment will be transferredto the Guards Division, and become the Guards TA battalion.

Scottish Division

Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers to amalgamate into a singlebattalion. The combined Royal Scots/KOSB to merge with the Royal HighlandFusiliers, Black Watch, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and The Highlanders intothe Royal Regiment of Scotland.

o The Royal Scots Borderers (1st Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland)o The Royal Highland Fusiliers (2nd Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland)o The Black Watch (3rd Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland)o The Highlanders (4th Bn, Royal Regiment of Scotland)o The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5th Bn, Royal Regiment of

Scotland) The 52nd Lowland Regiment with form the 6th Bn, and the 51st Highland the 7th.

Prince of Wales's Division

The breakup of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment hasbeen cancelled. It will merge directly with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment toform 1st Battalion, The Light Infantry.

The Staffordshire Regiment, 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment and Worcestershire andSherwood Foresters Regiment to merge into the Mercian Regiment.

o 1st Bn, Mercian Regiment (Cheshires)o 2nd Bn, Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters)o 3rd Bn, Mercian Regiment (Staffords) A 4th Bn will be formed from the TA West Midlands Regiment and the Cheshires

element of the Kings and Cheshire Regiment The Royal Welch Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Wales to merge into the Royal

Welsh.o 1st Bn, Royal Welsh (Royal Welch Fusiliers)o 2nd Bn, Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales) The TA Royal Welsh Regiment will become 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh

King's Division

The King's Own Royal Border Regiment, King's Regiment and Queen'sLancashire Regiment to merge into the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King'sLancashire and Border).

o 1st Bn, Duke of Lancaster's Regimento 2nd Bn, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 4th Bn, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment will be formed from the Kings Regiment

elements of the TA Kings and Cheshire Regiment and Lancastrian and CumbrianVolunteers Regiment.

The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment ofYorkshire and the Green Howards to merge into the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th,19th and 33rd/76th Foot).

o 1st Bn, Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)o 2nd Bn, Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards)o 3rd Bn, Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) 4th Bn, Yorkshire Regiment will be formed from the TA East and West Riding

Regiment and the Green Howards elements of the Tyne Tees Regiment.

Queen's Division

The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires), RoyalRegiment of Fusiliers and the Royal Anglian Regiment are unaffected.

The RRF and R ANGLIAN gain a Territorial Army Battalion. The Tyne-TeesRegiment will be the 5th Bn, RRF and the East of England Regiment will become the3rd Bn R ANGLIAN.

Light Division

As of November 2005, in a change to the original plans, a new large regiment willbe created from the merger of the The Light Infantry, the Royal Green Jackets, theRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the Devonshire andDorset Regiment and will be called The Rifles.

1st Bn, The Rifles (from the merger of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire andWiltshire Regiment and the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment)

2nd Bn, The Rifles (redesignated of 1st Bn, The Royal Green Jackets) 3rd Bn, The Rifles (redesignation of 2nd Bn, The Light Infantry) 4th Bn, The Rifles (redesignation of 2nd Bn, The Royal Green Jackets) 5th Bn, The Rifles (redesignation of 1st Bn, The Light Infantry) 6th (V) Bn, The Rifles (formed from the majority of The Rifle Volunteers) 7th (V) Bn, The Rifles (formed from the majority of the Royal Rifle Volunteers)

[The Parachute Regiment

1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment remains in the infantry order of battle roledto form the core of the Special Forces Support Group in support of United KingdomSpecial Forces. Battalion strength is reduced to 450 men, with the remainderdistributed among the remaining two battalions.

2nd and 3rd Battalions, the Parachute Regiment remain unaffected. 4th Battalion will conform it the new TA infantry structure but is otherwise

unaffected.

Royal Irish Regiment

In order to retain an 'infantry footprint' in Northern Ireland, the Royal IrishRegiment will retain its single general service battalion.

The Royal Irish Rangers will become TA battalion of the R IRISH. With the announcement by the Provisional IRA that they will cease armed

conflict, the three home service battalions will be disbanded.

Royal Gurkha Rifles

The Royal Gurkha Rifles remain unaffected by the changes to the infantrystructure.

Special Forces

Special Forces Support Group has been formed around a core of 1 PARAsupplemented by a Squadron of RAF Regiment and a company of Royal Marines.SFSG provides infantry support of Special Forces Operations falls under thecommand of Director Special Forces. Administered as a regiment the SFSG is basedat RAF St Athan.

Territorial Army

With the exception of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, every infantry regiment willreceive one Territorial Army battalion, with the exception of the Royal Regiment ofScotland and The Rifles, which will receive two. The Guards Division will gain anaffiliated TA battalion.

Bands

The British Army has 29 military bands of varying strength. The seven bands ofthe Household Division each have 49 musicians, whereas the other bands each have35 musicians. All bands can play in many different formats, but primarily as amarching band or a concert band.

Brief comment

While the Government maintains that regimental traditions will remain through the addition of subtitlesto battalions, it should be noted that in the reforms of the 1960s, which brought the likes of the Queen'sRegiment, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Royal Green Jackets and Light Infantry, the individualregiments that made them up also retained their individual titles for only a brief period, before thesewere removed to promote the harmonisation of the new regiments.

The government has also announced that the concept of arms plotting will be ended; however, since theannouncement of reorganisation, it has been revealed that light infantry battalions will continue to berotated, to prevent units staying in unpopular postings (Cyprus, Northern Ireland, public duties etc) fortoo long.

New Infantry Structure and Order of Precedence

Regular Army

GuardsDivision

ScottishDivision

King'sDivision

Prince ofWales'Division

Queen'sDivision

LightDivision

1st Bn,GrenadierGuards

1st, 2nd, 3rd,4th & 5th Bn,RoyalRegiment ofScotland

1st & 2nd Bn,Duke ofLancaster'sRegiment

1st & 2ndBn, RoyalWelsh

1st & 2nd Bn,Princess ofWales's RoyalRegiment

1st, 2nd,3rd, 4th &5th Bn, TheRifles

1st Bn,ColdstreamGuards

1st, 2nd & 3rdBn, YorkshireRegiment

1st, 2nd &3rd Bn,MercianRegiment

1st & 2nd Bn,RoyalRegiment ofFusiliers

1st Bn, ScotsGuards

1st & 2nd Bn,Royal AnglianRegiment

1st Bn, IrishGuards1st Bn,WelshGuards

1st Bn, Royal Irish Regiment 1st & 2nd Bn, Royal Gurkha Rifles 2nd & 3rd Bn, Parachute Regiment 22nd SAS Regiment 1st Bn, Parachute Regiment/JSFG Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Territorial Army

GuardsDivision

ScottishDivision King's Division

Prince ofWales'Division

Queen'sDivision

LightDivision

LondonRegiment

6th & 7th Bn,RoyalRegiment ofScotland

3rd Bn, King'sLancashire andBorder Regiment

3rd Bn,RoyalWelsh

3rd Bn,Princess ofWales's RoyalRegiment

6th & 7thBn, TheRifles

4th Bn,YorkshireRegiment

4th Bn,MercianRegiment

5th Bn, RoyalRegiment ofFusiliers3rd Bn, RoyalAnglianRegiment

Royal Irish Rangers 4th Bn, Parachute Regiment 21st and 23rd SAS Regiment

Territorial ArmyThe Territorial Army (TA) is a part of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom,and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, astheir Regular equivalents. It forms about a quarter of the strength of the Army. Its original purpose washome defence, but it is being restructured and reconceptualized to focus on providing support for theRegular army.

Territorial soldiers, or Territorials, are volunteers, not conscripts or a militia, and often undergo militarytraining in their spare time. They normally have a day job and often need to take leave or resign their jobif called up for military service. Some employers, such as the public service, have military leave to allowthese soldiers to be deployed without losing their full time job.

It was created in 1908, when the War Office took over and reorganised the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Army, folding its remaining Militia and Yeomanry units into it.

World War I and earlier

The Territorial Force was originally formed by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane,following the passage of the "Territorial and Reserve Forces Bill", which combined and re-organised theold Volunteer Army with the remaining units of militia and yeomanry, on August 2, 1907 and contained14 infantry divisions, each administered by a County Association. There were also 14 mountedyeomanry brigades.

The use of the word territorial signified that the volunteers who served with the force were under noobligation to serve overseas — in 1910, when asked to nominate for Imperial Service overseas in theevent of mobililzation, less than 10% of the Force chose to do so. In August 1914, after the outbreak ofWorld War I, Territorial units were given the option of serving in France and by August 25 in excess of70 battalions had volunteered. This question over the availability of Territorial divisions for overseasservice was one of Lord Kitchener's motivations for raising the New Army separately.

The original divisions of the Territorial Army were:

East Anglian Division East Lancashire Division Highland Division Home Counties Division (broken up in India, December 1914) Lowland Division 1st London Division 2nd London Division North Midland Division Northumbrian Division South Midland Division

West Lancashire Division West Riding Division Welsh Division Wessex Division

The divisions were assigned numbers in April 1915 so that, for example, the 'East Anglian Division'became the 54th Division.

Territorial Force battalion numbers were prefixed with '1', for instance the 1/5th Battalion, the EastSurrey Regiment. A second line of Territorial units were raised by the respective County Associations inAugust and September of 1914. These battalion and division names were prefixed with '2' to distinguishfrom the originals. For instance, the second line 'Wessex Division' was originally called the '2nd WessexDivision' (later the 45th Division) and the second line battalion for the 1/5th East Surreys was the 2/5thEast Surreys. When a first line battalion was sent overseas, a third line battalion, prefixed with '3', wasraised thus enabling the second line battalion to be released for overseas service as well. By the end ofthe war 692 Territorial Force battalions had been raised. In total, nine second line divisions were raised.No complete divisions of third line battalions were raised.

The second line Territorial Force divisions were:

45th (2nd Wessex) Division 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division 58th (2/1st London) Division 59th (2nd North Midland) Division 60th (2/2nd London) Division 61st (2nd South Midland) Division 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division (broken up in July 1916) 64th (2nd Highland) Division (lost territorial association early 1918) 65th (2nd Lowland) Division (broken up 18 March 1918) 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division 67th (2nd Home Counties) Division (lost territorial association early 1918) 68th (2nd Welsh) Division (lost territorial association early 1918) 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division (lost territorial association early 1918)

Also considered divisions of the Territorial Force were:

71st - 73rd Divisions which were formed late 1916 as Home Service divisions.All broken up early 1918

74th (Yeomanry) Division, formed early 1917 from dismounted Yeomanry 75th Division, formed early 1917 from various Territorial Force and Indian Army

battalions

Territorial units initially saw service in Egypt and India and other Empire garrisons such as Gibraltar,thereby releasing regular units for service in France and enabling the formation of an additional fiveregular army divisions (for a total of eleven) by early 1915. The first Territorial division to join the

fighting on the Western Front was the 46th Division in March 1915. The 42nd and 52nd divisions weresent to Gallipoli as reinforcements for the Helles front in May and June of 1915.

As the war progressed and casualties mounted, the distinctive character of Territorial units was dilutedby the inclusion of conscript and New Army drafts. Following the Armistice all units of the TerritorialForce were gradually disembodied.

Interwar and World War II

New recruiting started in early 1920, and the Territorial Force was reconstituted 7 February 1920. On 1October 1920 the Territorial Force was renamed the Territorial Army. The 1st Line divisions (that werecreated in 1907 or 1908) were reconstituted in that year. The 2nd Line was reconstituted in April 1939 inreaction to the declaration of war.[1] When the 2nd Line was reformed they were a little different fromtheir WWI predecessors. They had slightly different names and the regiments assigned were different.

List of TA Divisions, World War II

The Territorial Army armoured and infantry divisions during World War II were:

o 1st Line: 1st Cavalry Division (1st Line Yeomanry) 10th Armoured Division (1st Line Yeomanry) 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division 51st (Highland) Infantry Division 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division 53rd (Welsh) Division 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division 56th (London) Infantry Division

o 2nd Line

9th (Highland) Infantry Division 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division 23rd (Northumbrian) Division

38th (Welsh) Infantry Division 45th (Wessex) Infantry Division 46th (West Riding) Infantry Division 47th (London) Infantry Division 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division 61st (South Midland) Infantry Division 66th (East Lancashire) Infantry Division

Postwar

The TA kept its former role of supplying complete divisions to the regular Army for twelve years afterWW II. The manoeuvre divisions established or restablished in 1947 were:

42nd Infantry Division 43rd Infantry Division 44th Infantry Division 49th (West Riding & North Midland) Armoured Division 50th Infantry Division 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division 53rd Infantry Division 56th (London) Armoured Division

It also furnished much of the anti-aircraft cover for the United Kingdom during that period. However, asthe 1950s drew to a close, British forces contracted dramatically as the end of conscription in 1960 camein sight. The TA was thus re-roled into its modern form. Instead of supplying complete combatdivisions, its function was to round out regular formations by supplying units of up to battalion size(including infantry and light artillery, but not tracked armour), and supply extra support functions suchas engineers, medical units and military police.

After the Strategic Defence Review of 1998, the TA's size was further reduced. As of 2006 it has anauthorised strength of 42,000 though recruiting difficulties put the actual strength of the TA below thatfigure (manning is currently at approx 82% which equates to 34 000).

TA soldiers have seen service in almost every conflict the UK has been involved with since 1945.However, they served in particularly large numbers in three conflicts. The Korean War and Suez Crisiswere during the 1950s, when the UK still had an imperial role. However, in 2003, 9,500 reservists, thevast majority of them from the TA, were mobilised to take part in Operation Telic, the invasion of Iraq.Given the current state of world politics and security, it seems inconceivable that the TA will not seefurther extensive service during the remainder of the early part of the 21st century.

Present-day units

Royal Armoured Corps

Royal Yeomanry

Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry Royal Wessex Yeomanry Queen's Own Yeomanry

Infantry

52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 51st Highland, 7th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland 3rd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal

Hampshires) The London Regiment 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border) 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) West Midlands Regiment 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh Royal Irish Rangers 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment The Rifle Volunteers Royal Rifle Volunteers

Special Forces

21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Volunteers) 23rd Special Air Service Regiment

Royal Artillery

100 Regiment, Royal Artillery 101 (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers) 103 (Lancastrian Artillery Volunteers) Regiment, Royal Artillery 104 Regiment, Royal Artillery 105 Regiment, Royal Artillery 106 (Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery

Though not part of the Royal Artillery, the Honourable Artillery Company is a further artillery unitwithin the Territorial Army.

Royal Engineers

71 Engineer Regiment 72 Engineer squadron 73 Engineer Regiment 75 Engineer Regiment 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment

131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers) to form 24Commando Regiment Royal Engineers in early 2007

Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers

Royal Signals

2 (City of Dundee) Signal Squadron 31 (City of London) Signal Regiment 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment 33 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment 34 (Northern) Signal Regiment 35 (South Midlands) Signal Regiment 36 (Eastern) Signal Regiment 37 (Wessex and Welsh) Signal Regiment 38 (City of Sheffield) Signal Regiment 39 (Skinners) Signal Regiment 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers) 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment

Army Air Corps

6 (Volunteer) Regiment AAC 7 (Volunteer) Regiment AAC

Intelligence Corps

3 (Volunteer) Military Intelligence Battalion

Overseas territories

During the imperial age, home defence units were raised in various British colonies with the intention ofallowing Regular Army units tied-up on garrison duty to be deployed elsewhere. These have generallybeen organised along Territorial Army lines. There are three units, today, in the remaining BritishOverseas Territories (BOT): the Bermuda Regiment, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, and the FalklandIslands Defence Force. Although the British Government, as national government, is responsible for thedefence of the territories, and holds direct control of military units raised within them, the local forcesare raised and funded by the governments or the territories. These units must meet British Armystandards in organisation and efficiency. Their officers are commissioned by Sandhurst, and theirsergeants attend the Platoon Sergeants course at Brecon (itself having been begun as a course forParachute Regiment NCOs, created by a Bermudian officer, Major-General Glyn Charles AnglimGilbert). Although OT units may have no tasking under the Ministry of Defence, and members may notbe compelled to serve outside their territory, many serve voluntarily on attachment to Regular Armyunits. In the 1980s, a cadre of officers and NCOs from the Bermuda Regiment was briefly attached to abattalion of the affiliated Royal Anglian Regiment deployed to Belize, guarding against a threatenedinvasion by Guatemala. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is moving towards integration with the British

Army, having been added to the Army List, and with one of its three rifle companies having becomefull-time, following the withdrawal of the Regular Army garrison in 1991.

Services

In addition to the combat units, there are Territorial Army units in the Adjutant General's Corps, RoyalElectrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps and Army Medical Services. Manyuniversities also have Officer Training Corps units, which allow students to experience military life andprovided a source of TA officers; for a long time, this was the only route by which it was possible tobecome a British Army officer without attending RMC Sandhurst, but this anomaly was removed in themid 1980's. University Officer Training Corps(UOTCs) still officially form part of the TA. However,they fall into reserve category "B" meaning they cannot be called up for service unless there is a nationalemergency.

Basic training

Recruits have to pass the Common Military Standard (Recruits), which for TA Soldiers lasts two weeks(as opposed to fourteen weeks for regular recruits), normally held at an Army Training Regiment.

Restructuring

On December 16, 2004, then Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced a major restructuring of theinfantry. The 40 battalions of the regular army will be reduced to 36, with the majority of thoseremaining being amalgamated into larger regiments. The 14 TA infantry battalions will be included inthis structure, with each regiment having at least one TA battalion (the Royal Regiment of Scotland willhave two); the Guards Division will also have an affiliated TA battalion.

List of British Army RegimentsThis is a current and updated list of regiments of the British Army, changing as new regiments areformed following the defence review Delivering Security in a Changing World.

Cavalry

Household Cavalry

Household Cavalry Regiment and Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

The Life Guards The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)

Royal Armoured Corps

Heavy Cavalry

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) The Royal Dragoon Guards The King's Royal Hussars The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish)

Light Cavalry

9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) The Light Dragoons The Queen's Royal Lancers 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

The Royal Tank Regiment

1st Royal Tank Regiment 2nd Royal Tank Regiment

Infantry

Foot Guards

Grenadier Guards - 1 battalion Coldstream Guards - 1 battalion Scots Guards - 1 battalion Irish Guards - 1 battalion Welsh Guards - 1 battalion

Line Infantry

The Royal Regiment of Scotland - 5 battalions The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) - 2

battalions Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border) - 3 battalions (Jul

06-Feb 07) The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - 2 battalions The Royal Anglian Regiment - 2 battalions The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry - 1 battalion The Light Infantry - 2 battalions The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) - 3 battalions 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment -1 battalion The Royal Welsh - 2 battalions The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster

Defence Regiment) - 1 battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry - 1 battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) - 1

battalion

The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's) - 1 battalion The Parachute Regiment - 3 battalions (1 Battalion forms part of SFSG) The Royal Gurkha Rifles - 2 battalions Royal Green Jackets - 2 battalions Royal Gibraltar Regiment - 1 battalion

Special Forces

Special Air Service Regiment Special Reconnaissance Regiment Special Forces Support Group

Support Arms and Services

Support Arms

Royal Regiment of Artillery Corps of Royal Engineers Royal Corps of Signals Army Air Corps Intelligence Corps

Services

Royal Army Chaplains Department Royal Logistic Corps

Royal Army Medical Corps Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Adjutant General's Corps Royal Army Veterinary Corps Small Arms School Corps Royal Army Dental Corps Army Physical Training Corps General Service Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Corps of Army Music

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore theSenior Service). From the early 18th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the largest andmost powerful navy in the world, helping to establish the British Empire as the dominant power of the18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. During the Cold War, it was transformed into primarily an anti-submarine force, hunting for Soviet submarines, being mostly active in the North Atlantic Ocean. Withthe collapse of the Soviet Union, its role for the 21st century has returned to focus on globalexpeditionary (blue water) operations.

The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the world in terms of gross tonnage. There are currently 90commissioned ships in the Royal Navy, including aircraft carriers, submarines, mine counter-measuresand patrol vessels as well as the ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The Royal Navy is a constituent component of the Naval Service, which also comprises the RoyalMarines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and associated reserve forces under command. The Naval Service had39,400 regular personnel as of April 2006.

Role

The role of the Royal Navy (RN) is to protect British interests at home and abroad, executing the foreignand defence policies of Her Majesty's Government through the exercise of military effect, diplomaticactivities and other activities in support of these objectives. The RN is also a key element of the UKcontribution to NATO, with a number of assets allocated to NATO tasks at any time. These objectivesare delivered via a number of capabilities:

Maintenance of the UK Nuclear Deterrent through a policy of Continuous at SeaDeterrence

Delivery of the UK Commando force Contribution of assets to Joint Force Harrier Contribution of assets to the Joint Helicopter Command Maintenance of standing patrol commitments; Atlantic Patrol Task (North),

Atlantic Patrol Task (South), Persian Gulf patrols etc. Delivery of Mine Counter Measures capability to UK and allied commitments Provision of Hydrographic and meteorological capabilities deployable worldwide Protection of UK and EU fisheries

Command, Control and Organisation

HMS Manchester a Type 42 destroyer

The Royal Navy is established under the Royal Prerogative, hence members of the Navy (unlike theBritish Army and Royal Air Force) have never been required to take the oath of allegiance to theSovereign. The head of the Royal Navy is the Lord High Admiral, the overall head of the Armed Forcesis the British Sovereign with the two roles currently vested in the same individual, Queen Elizabeth II.

The professional head of the service is the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, who is a memberof the Defence Council and of the Admiralty Board, which undertakes the management as delegated bythe Defence Council. The Navy Board, a sub-committee of the Admiralty Board, is responsible for therunning of the Naval Service. These are all based in Ministry of Defence Main Building in London,where First is supported by the Naval Staff Department.

Full Command of all deployable Fleet units including the Royal Marines and the Fleet Auxiliary isdelegated to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, with a CommandHeadquarters at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth and an Operational Headquarters at Northwood,Middlesex, co-located with the Permanent Joint Headquarters and a NATO Regional Command, AlliedMaritime Component Command Northwood. CINCFLEET is dual hatted as Commander AMCCN.

CINC is supported by:

Second Sea Lord, based in HMS Excellent, Principal Personnel Officer for theNaval Service. Also Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm.

Deputy CINC, based in HMS Excellent, who commands the HQ Commander Operations, based at Northwood, responsible for operational

command of RN assets. Also Rear Admiral Submarines and Commander SubmarineAllied Forces North (NATO)

Commander UK Maritime Forces, the deployable Force Commander responsiblefor the Maritime Battle Staffs; UK Task Group, UK Amphibious Task Group, UKMaritime Component Command.

Commander UK Amphibious Force/ Commandant General Royal Marines

The three Naval Bases; Portsmouth, Clyde and Plymouth each host a Flotilla Command under aCommodore responsible for the provision of Operational Capability using the ships and submarines

within the flotilla. 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines is similarly commanded by a Brigadier andbased in Plymouth.

The purpose of CINCFLEET is to provide ships and submarines and commando forces at readiness toconduct military and diplomatic tasks as required by the UK government, including the recruitment andtraining of personnel.

Significant numbers of naval personnel are employed within the Ministry of Defence, Defence LogisticsOrganisation, Defence Procurement Agency and on exchange with the Army and Royal Air Force.Small numbers are also on exchange within other government departments.

In earlier times the office of Lord High Admiral was delegated to a naval officer. The office later cameto be frequently put into commission, during which time the Royal Navy was run by a board headed bythe First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1964 the functions of the Admiralty were transferred to the Secretaryof State for Defence and the Defence Council of the United Kingdom. Since then, the historic title ofLord High Admiral has been restored to the Sovereign.

History of the Commanders-in-Chief

Well dock of HMS Albion

Historically, the Royal Navy has usually been split into several commands, each with a Commander-in-Chief, e.g. Commander-in-Chief Plymouth, Commander-in-Chief China Station, etc. There now remainonly two Commanders-in-Chief, Commander-in-Chief Fleet and Commander-in-Chief Naval HomeCommand.

In 1971, with the withdrawal from Singapore, the Far East and Western fleets of the Royal Navy wereunified under the Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET), initially based in HMS Warrior, a landbase in Northwood, Middlesex. This continued the trend of shore-basing the home naval command thathad started in 1960 when the Home Fleet command was transferred ashore. The majority of the staffhave transferred to a new facility in HMS Excellent.

The Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME) has traditionally also beenknown as the Second Sea Lord (2SL) and is responsible for the shore-based establishments andmanpower of the Royal Navy, and is based in Portsmouth. The Second Sea Lord and his staff wereresident in Victory Building, Portsmouth Dockyard, and he formally flies his flag aboard HMS Victory.

In 2006 the staffs of CINCFLEET and 2SL merged, with the majority of 2SL's staff joining theCINCFLEET staff in Excellent.

Titles and naming

Of the Royal Navy

The British Royal Navy is commonly referred to as the "Royal Navy" both inside and outside the UnitedKingdom. Commonwealth navies also include their national name e.g. Royal Australian Navy.However, there are other navies, such as the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) which arealso called the "Royal Navy" in their own language.

Of ships

Royal Navy ships in commission are prefixed with Her Majesty's Ship (His Majesty's Ship), abbreviatedto HMS e.g. HMS Ark Royal. Submarines are styled HM Submarine, similarly HMS. Names areallocated to ships and submarines by a naming committee within the MOD and given by class, with thenames of ships within a class often being thematic (e.g. the Type 23 class are named after British Dukes)or traditional (e.g. the Invincible class all carry the names of famous historic aircraft carriers). Names arefrequently re-used offering a new ship the rich heritage, battle honours and traditions of herpredecessors.

As well as a name each ship, and submarine, of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is given apennant number which in part denotes its role.

History

The Royal Navy has historically played a central role in the defence and wars of England, Great Britainand later the United Kingdom. As Britain is an island nation, any enemy power would have to cross thesea to invade. Attainment of naval superiority by a hostile power would have placed the nation in greatperil. Moreover, a large navy was vital in maintaining the security of supply and communication withthe Empire.

England - Saxon navy (c. 800-1066)

England's first navy was established in the 9th century by Alfred the Great but, despite inflicting asignificant defeat on the Vikings in the Wantsum Channel at Plucks Gutter near to Stourmouth, Kent , itfell into disrepair. It was revived by King Athelstan and at the time of his victory at the Battle ofBrunanburh in 937, the English navy had a strength of approximately 400 ships. Just Prior to theNorman invasion, King Harold had put his trust in his navy, which was to halt William the Conqueror's

invasion fleet from crossing the Channel, although, obviously failed to defend against William's superiornavy.

England - Norman and Medieval, to 1485 - The Cinque Ports

Saxon naval forces having failed to prevent William the Conqueror from crossing the channel andwinning the Battle of Hastings, the Norman kings started an equivalent force in 1155, with shipsprovided by the Cinque Ports alliance (possibly created by Norman, possibly pre-existing thendeveloped by them for their own purposes). The Normans probably did establish the post of LordWarden of the Cinque Ports.

King John had a fleet of 500 sail. In the mid-fourteenth century Edward III's navy had some 712 ships.There then followed a period of decline.

Sir Francis Drake, c. 1540–1596.

England - The Tudors and the Royal Navy

The first reformation and major expansion of the Navy Royal, as it was then known, occurred in the16th century during the reign of Henry VIII whose ships, Henri Grâce a Dieu ("Great Harry") and MaryRose, engaged the French navy in the battle of the Solent in 1545. By the time of Henry's death in 1547his fleet had grown to 58 vessels.

In 1588 the Spanish Empire, at the time Europe's superpower, threatened England with invasion and theSpanish Armada set sail to enforce Spain's dominance over the English Channel and transport troopsfrom the Spanish Netherlands to England. However, the armada failed, due to bad weather and a revoltby the Dutch in Spain's territories across the Channel. The defeat of the armada is the first major 'victory'by the English at sea. However, the Drake-Norris Expedition of 1589 saw the tide of war turn against theRoyal Navy. England continued to raid Spain's ports and ships travelling across the Atlantic Oceanunder the reign of Elizabeth I but was to suffer a series of damaging defeats against a reformed Spanishnavy.

1692-1815

A permanent Naval Service did not exist until the mid 17th century, when the Fleet Royal was takenunder Parliamentary control following the defeat of Charles I in the English Civil War. This secondreformation of the navy was carried out under 'General-at-Sea' (equivalent to Admiral) Robert Blakeduring Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. The incorporation of the Royal Navy was in contrast to theland forces, which are descended from variety of different sources including both royalist andParliamentary forces.

Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1758–1805

After defeats in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars the Royal Navy gradually developed into thestrongest navy in the world. From 1692 the Dutch navy was placed under the command of the RoyalNavy's admirals (though not incorporated in it) by William III's command following the GloriousRevolution. In 1707, the Royal Navy absorbed the Royal Scots Navy per the Acts of Union. The early18th century saw the Royal Navy with a superior number of ships to contemporary navies, although itsuffered severe financial problems throughout this period, and found itself in heavy debt, which affectedmost of its operations and administration. As the 18th century drew on the government developedimproved means of financing the Royal Navy through bonds. With improved cash flow, the Royal Navybegan to develop the strategic ability to counteract the movements of other countries' naval forces by themeans of blockades, supported by unprecedented naval logistics, the gradual development of superiornaval tactics and strategy and consistently high morale. This eventually led to almost uncontested powerover the world's oceans from 1805 to 1914, when it came to be said that "Britannia ruled the waves".Even before 1805, the Royal Navy suffered only one strategic defeat - during the American Revolutionat the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 against a French fleet commanded by the able Comte de Grasse(although in 1796 a French invasion fleet was prevented from landing in Bantry Bay, Ireland only by theweather). The Napoleonic Wars saw the Royal Navy reach a peak of efficiency, dominating the navalforces of all Britain's adversaries. The height of the Navy's achievements came on 21 October 1805 atthe Battle of Trafalgar where a combined French and Spanish fleet was decisively beaten by anumerically smaller but more experienced British fleet under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson.

The victory at Trafalgar consolidated the United Kingdom's advantage over other European maritimepowers. By concentrating its military resources in the navy it could both defend itself and project itspower across the oceans as well as threaten rivals' ocean trading routes. The United Kingdom thereforeneeded to maintain only a relatively small, highly mobile, professional army that could be dispatched towhere it was needed by sea, as well as be given support by the navy with bombardment, movement,supplies and reinforcement. Meanwhile rivals could have their sea-borne supplies cut off, as hadoccurred with Napoleon's army in Egypt. Other major European powers were forced to split theirresources between maintaining both a large navy and enormous armies and fortifications to defend theirland frontiers. The domination of the sea therefore allowed the United Kingdom to rapidly build itsempire from the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and throughout the 19th century, giving it enormousmilitary, political and commercial advantages.

HMS Victory

Unlike the French navy of pre-revolutionary France, the highest commands of the Royal Navy wereopen to all within its ranks showing talent. This greatly increased the pool available, even if there was abias towards the upper class. Furthermore, the French revolution's anti-aristocratic purges caused theloss of most of the French navy's experienced commanders, increasing the Royal Navy's advantage.

Despite the success of the Royal Navy during this period, the conditions of service for ordinary seamen,including no increases in pay for a century, late payment of wages and maintaining ships in commissionfor years without shore leave, all set against the background of harsh and arbitrary discipline, eventuallyresulted in serious mutinies in 1797 when the crews of the Spithead and Nore fleets refused to obey theirofficers and some captains were sent ashore. This resulted in the short-lived "Floating Republic" whichat Spithead was quelled by promising improvements in conditions, but at the Nore resulted in thehanging of 29 mutineers.

Napoleon acted to counter Britain's maritime supremacy and economic power, closing European ports toBritish trade. He also unleashed a storm of privateers, operating from French territories in the WestIndies, which placed great pressure on British mercantile shipping in the western hemisphere. The Royal

Navy was too hard-pressed in European waters to release significant forces to combat the privateers. Itslarge ships-of-the-line were not useful, in any case, for seeking out and running down the nimbleprivateers, which operated individually, or in small numbers, scattered far-and-wide. The Royal Navyreacted by commissioning small warships, of traditional Bermuda design. The first three ordered fromBermudian builders, HMS Dasher, HMS Driver and HMS Hunter, were each sloops of 200 tons, armedwith twelve 24-pounders. A great many more ships of this type were ordered, or bought up from trade,primarily for use as advice ships. The most notable was HMS Pickle, the former Bermudianmerchantman that carried news of victory back from Trafalgar.

In the years following Trafalgar, there was increasing tension at sea between the Britain and the UnitedStates. American traders took advantage of their country's neutrality to trade with both the Frenchcontrolled parts of Europe and Britain. Both France and Britain tried to prevent trade but only the RoyalNavy was in a position to enforce a blockade. Another irritant was the suspected presence of Britishdeserters aboard US merchant and naval vessels. Royal Navy ships often attempted to recover thesedeserters. In one notorious instance in 1807, otherwise known as the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, HMSLeopard fired on USS Chesapeake causing significant casualties before boarding and seizing suspectedBritish deserters.

In 1812, while the Napoleonic wars continued, the United States declared war on the United Kingdomand invaded Canada. At sea, the war was characterised by single ship actions between small ships, anddisruption of merchant shipping. The better designed American frigates were heavier and faster thantheir counterparts, and handled well under volunteer crews. As a result a number of British ships weredefeated and mid-way through the war, the Admiralty was forced to issue the order to not engageAmerican frigates individually. Additionally, there were also significant merchant losses of merchantshipping to American privateers, 866 merchant vessels; however, the Royal Navy gradually reinforcedthe blockade of the American coast, virtually halting all trade by sea and capturing many merchant shipsand forcing the US navy frigates to stay in harbour or risk being captured.

Admiral Sir George Cockburn

By this time, the Royal Navy had begun building a naval base and dockyard in Bermuda, which hadbecome the winter location of the Admiralty previously based in Newfoundland. The Royal Navy hadbegun development after American independence had deprived it of bases on most of the NorthAmerican seaboard. In time, Bermuda would become the headquarters for Royal Naval operations in thewaters of southern North America and the West Indies. During the War of 1812, the Royal Navy'sblockade of the US Atlantic ports was orchestrated from Bermuda and HalifaxNova Scotia. Theblockade kept most of the American navy trapped in port. The Royal Navy also occupied coastal islands,encouraging American slaves to defect. Units of Royal Marines were raised from these freed slaves.After British victory in the Peninsular War, part of Wellington's Light Division was released for servicein North America. This 2,500 man force, composed of Major-General Ross and detachments from the 4,21, 44, and 85 Regiments, with some elements of artillery and sappers, arrived in Bermuda in 1815aboard a fleet composed of the 74-gun HMS Royal Oak, three frigates, three sloops and ten othervessels. It had been thought to use the combined force to launch raids on the coastlines of Maryland andVirginia, with the aim of drawing US forces away from the Canadian border. Following Americanatrocities at Lake Erie, however, Sir George Prevost requested a punitive expedition which would 'deterthe enemy from a repetition of such outrages'. The British force arrived at the Patuxent on 17 August. Itlanded the soldiers within 36 miles of Washington DC. Led by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, theforce drove the US government out of Washington, DC. Ross shied from the idea of burning the City,but Cockburn and others set it alight. Buildings burned included the US Capitol and the US President'sMansion.

Between 1793 and 1815 the Royal Navy lost 344 vessels to non-combat causes - 75 by foundering, 254shipwrecked and 15 from accidental burnings or explosions. In the same period it lost 103,660 seamen -84,440 by disease and accidents, 12,680 by shipwreck or foundering, and 6,540 by enemy action.

1815-1914

During the 19th century the Royal Navy enforced a ban on the slave trade and the suppression of piracy.Another job of the Royal navy was given during the 19th century (and before and after as well), was tomap the world. Mostly, this involved recording every coastline to provide this information for humanity.To this day, Admiralty charts are maintained by the Royal Navy.

Royal Navy vessels on surveying missions carried out extensive scientific work. On one voyage, CharlesDarwin travelled around the world on the Beagle, making scientific observations which later influencedhis theory of evolution.

HMS Dreadnought

Life in the early Royal Navy would be considered harsh by today's standards; discipline was severe andflogging was used to enforce obedience to the Articles of War. The law allowed the navy to use theunpopular practice of impressment where seamen were forced to serve in the navy during times ofmanpower shortage, usually in wartime. Impressment reached its peak in the 18th and early 19th centurybut was abandoned after the end of the Napoleonic Wars as the peacetime navy was smaller.

During the later half of the 19th century, ships of the Royal Navy were used for 'gunboat diplomacy'.For this, large, heavily armed boats with shallow draught were employed in coastal areas in the farreaches of the Empire, mostly to assure the local population/ruler of the United Kingdom's power andalso to interfere where the UK's interests were at stake.

By the end of the 19th century though, the Royal Navy, despite being the largest in the world, was not aspowerful as it seemed to be. It was a collection of new, powerful pre-Dreadnoughts such as the RoyalSovereign Class, and of old ironclad vessels and even sailing ships, by then several decades old. Mainlythanks to the efforts of John Arbuthnot Fisher, then First Lord of the Admiralty, many of the oldervessels were retired, scrapped, or placed into reserve, freeing up funds and manpower for newer ships.He also was the main force behind the development of the HMS Dreadnought, the first all big gun shipand possibly one of the most influential ships in naval history. At one stroke, this ship rendered all otherbattleships then existing totally obsolete, and started an arms race in which Great Britain had a lead overall others. Fisher was also a proponent of submarines, and bought a few based on John Holland's designfrom Vickers.

At this time, other changes also took place. Admiral Percy Scott introduced new gunnery trainingprograms and a central fire control station, greatly improving accuracy and ship effectiveness in battle.Telegraphs were introduced onto flagships, and the Parson Turbine and experimentation with oil as fuelled to greatly increased range and speed.

1914–1945

Landing craft convoy crossing the English Channel in 1944

During the two World Wars, the Royal Navy played a vital role in keeping the United Kingdom suppliedwith food, arms and raw materials and in defeating the German campaigns of unrestricted submarinewarfare in the first and second battles of the Atlantic.

During the First World War the majority of the Royal Navy's strength was deployed at home in theGrand Fleet in an effort to blockade Germany and to draw the Hochseeflotte (the German "High SeasFleet") in to an engagement where a decisive victory could be gained. Although the latter nevermaterialised, the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine fought many battles; Battle of HeligolandBight, Battle of Coronel, Battle of the Falkland Islands, Battle of Dogger Bank and the Battle of Jutland.The latter engagement is the best-known and was a somewhat indecisive affair, with the Royal Navysuffering heavier losses yet succeeding in its strategic goal of blockading the Hocheseeflotte. The RoyalNavy was also heavily committed in the Dardanelles Campaign against the Ottoman Empire. During thewar, the Navy contributed the Royal Naval Division to the land forces of the New Army.

In the inter war period, the Royal Navy was stripped of much of its power. The Washington NavalTreaty of 1922 imposed limits on individual ship tonnage and gun calibre, as well as total tonnage of thenavy. The treaty, compounded by the deplorable financial conditions during the immediate post-warperiod and the Great Depression, forced the Admiralty to scrap all capital ships from the Great War witha gun calibre under 15 inches and to cancel plans for new construction. Three planned units of the Hoodclass of battlecruiser and a class of 16-inch battlecruisers and 18-inch battleships - the G3 and N3classes respectively - were cancelled. Also under the treaty, three "large light cruisers" - Glorious,Courageous and Furious - were converted to aircraft carriers. New additions to the fleet were thereforeminimal during the 1920s, the only major new vessels being the two units of the Nelson class ofbattleships and fifteen heavy cruisers of the County and York classes.

The London Naval Treaty of 1930 deferred new capital ship construction until 1937 and reiteratedconstruction limits on cruisers, destroyers and submarines. As international tensions increased in themid-1930s the Second London Naval Treaty of 1935 failed to halt the deterioration into a naval armsrace and by 1938 treaty limits were effectively null and void. The re-armament of the Royal Navy waswell under way by this point however. This resulted in the new capital ship construction, in the shape ofthe King George V class of 1936, being limited to the 35,000 tons and 14-inch armament. Othersignificant new construction included the carriers Ark Royal and of the Illustrious classes, the Town andCrown Colony classes of light cruiser and the Tribal class destroyers. In addition to new construction,several changes were made to existing ships, such as the reconstruction of old battleships, battlecruisersand heavy cruisers and the reinforcement of anti-aircraft weaponry.

As a result, the Royal Navy entered the Second World War as a relatively heterogeneous forcecomposed of World War I veterans, inter war ships limited by close adherence to treaty restrictions andnew construction. It remained, however, a powerful force, though smaller and more aged than it wasduring World War I.

During the earlier phases of World War II, the Royal Navy provided critical, if depressing cover duringBritish evacuations from Dunkirk and Crete. In the latter operation, Admiral Cunningham ran great risksto extract the Army, but saved many men to fight another day. It suffered a massive blow however,when the battlecruiser HMS Hood was sunk by the German battleship Bismarck. The Bismarck was alsosunk a few days later, though public pride in the Royal Navy was severely damaged as a result of theloss of Hood.

The Royal Navy was also vital in guarding the sea lanes that enabled British forces to fight in remoteparts of the world such as North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Far East. Naval supremacy was vital

to the amphibious operations carried out, such as the invasions of Northwest Africa, Sicily, Italy, andNormandy. By the end of the war however, it was clear that aircraft carriers were the new dominantweapon of naval warfare, and that Britain's former naval superiority in terms of battleships had beenrendered null.

The Cold War

After World War II, the growing power of the United States and the decline of the British Empire,reduced the role of the Royal Navy. However, the threat of the Soviet Union and British commitmentsthroughout the world created a new role for the Navy. In the 1960s, the Royal Navy received its firstnuclear weapons and was later to become responsible for the maintenance of the UK's nuclear deterrent.In the latter stages of the Cold War, the Royal Navy was reconfigured with three anti-submarine warfare(ASW) aircraft carriers and a force of small frigates and destroyers. Its purpose was to search for anddestroy Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic.

HMS Warspite, the Royal Navy's third nuclear-powered submarine.

Recent operations

The most important post-war operation conducted predominantly by the Royal Navy was the defeat in1982 of Argentina in the Falkland Islands War. Despite losing four naval ships and other civilian andRFA ships the Royal Navy proved it was still able to fight a battle 8,000 miles (12,800 km) from GreatBritain. HMS Conqueror is the only nuclear-powered submarine to have engaged an enemy ship withtorpedoes, sinking the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano. The war also underlined theimportance of aircraft carriers and submarines and exposed the service's late 20th century dependence onchartered merchant vessels.

The Royal Navy also participated in the Gulf War, the Kosovo conflict, the Afghanistan Campaign, andthe 2003 Iraq War, the last of which saw RN warships bombard positions in support of the Al Faw

Peninsula landings by Royal Marines. Also during that war, HM submarines Splendid and Turbulentlaunched a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Iraq.

In August 2005 the Royal Navy rescued seven Russians stranded in a submarine off the Kamchatkapeninsula. Using its Scorpio 45, a remote-controlled mini-sub, the submarine was freed from the fishingnets and cables that had held the Russian submarine for three days.

The Royal Navy has deployed a number of Naval Task Groups to the Far East including "NTG 03" in2003, HM ships Exeter, Echo, RFAs Diligence and Grey Rover in 2004 and HMS Liverpool and RFAGrey Rover in 2005.

The Royal Navy today

HMS Invincible the former flagship of the Royal Navy

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Royal Navy was a force designed for the Cold War with a focus onblue water ASW, its purpose was to search for and destroy Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic,complemented by the nuclear deterrent submarine force. However, the Falklands War proved a need forthe Royal Navy to regain an expeditionary and littoral capability which, with its resources and structureat the time, would prove difficult. With the UK government developing its Foreign Policy following theend of the Cold War this has been demonstrated by a number of operations which have required anaircraft carrier to be deployed globally such as the Adriatic, Peace Support Operations in Bosnia andHerzegovina and Kosovo, Sierra Leone, the Persian Gulf. Destroyers and Frigates have also beensimilarly deployed conducting anti-piracy in the Malacca Straits or Horn of Africa. So, over the courseof the 1990s, the navy began a series of projects to refresh the fleet, with a view to bringing itscapabilities into the 21st century and allow it to turn from a North Atlantic-based anti-submarine forceinto an expeditionary force.

Current Deployments

The Royal Navy is currently deployed in many areas of the world, including a number of standing RoyalNavy deployments.

North Atlantic Tasks

Fleet Ready Escort HMS NorthumberlandMine Countermeasures Force (Group 1) HMS MiddletonFishery Protection Squadron River class patrol vessel and rotation of Hunt classMCMV

Mediterranean Tasks

Standing NRF Maritime (Group 2) HMS York [1]

Mine Countermeasures Force (Group 2) HMS Hurworth

Caribbean Tasks

Atlantic Patrol Task (North) HMS Iron Duke, RFA Wave Ruler

South Atlantic Tasks

Atlantic Patrol Task (South) HMS Chatham, RFA Gold RoverFalkland Islands Patrol Vessel HMS Dumbarton CastleIce Patrol Ship HMS Endurance

East-of-Suez Tasks

Armilla Patrol HMS Sutherland, RFA Diligence, HMS EchoFar-East/Pacific Tasking HMS Westminster

Custom and tradition

Heraldry

Commissioned ships and submarines wear the White Ensign at the stern whilst alongsideduring daylight hours and at the main-mast whilst under way. When alongside, the UnionJack is flown from the jackstaff at the stem, and can only be flown under way either tosignal a court-martial is in progress or to indicate the presence of an Admiral of the Fleeton-board (including the Lord High Admiral, the Monarch.)[2].

Fleet reviews

HMS Endurance carries the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, HM Queen Elizabeth II, aspart of the Trafalgar bi-centennial Fleet Review, 28 June 2005

The Fleet Review is an irregular tradition of assembling the fleet before the monarch. For example, atthe most recent on 28 June 2005 to mark the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar; 167 ships of theRN, and 30 other nations, were present.

Service nicknames

Nicknames for the service include "The Andrew" (of uncertain origin, possibly after a zealous pressganger) and "The Senior Service". It has also been referred to as the "Grey Funnel Line".

Naval salute

Traditionally, subordinates would uncover, remove their head dress, to a superior. In a book called NewArt of War, printed in 1740, it is stated that;

When the King or Captain General is being saluted each Officer is to time his salute so as to pull off hishat when the person he salutes is almost opposite him.

Queen Victoria instituted the hand salute in the Navy to replace uncovering; The occasion being whenshe sent for certain Officers and men to Osborne House to thank them for rendering help to a distressedGerman ship, and did not like to see men in uniform standing uncovered.

The personal salute with the hand is borrowed from the military salute of the Army, and there arevarious theories concerning its origin. There is the traditional theory that it has been the custom fromtime immemorial for a junior to uncover to a superior, and even to-day men on Captains Defaultersremove their hats. In this theory, the naval salute is merely the first motion of removing one's head dress.It was officially introduced into the Navy in 1890, but during the First World War a large number of oldretired officers were in the habit of doffing their head gear instead of saluting, this, of course, being themethod to which they were accustomed.

Another theory holds that in the age of sail, hemp ropes were preserved in tar, causing the sailor's handsto become stained. It would have been a discourtesy to show the dirty palm to one's superior, thereforethe naval salute differs from the military salute in that it has the palm turned down, rather than outwards[7]. The Royal Marines, with their military origin, use the military rather than the naval salute.

Affiliation

Ships will engage in a number of affiliations with cities, e.g. HMS Newcastle with Newcastle uponTyne, elements of the other forces, e.g. HMS Illustrious with 30 Signal Regiment, schools, cadet unitsand charities.

Naval slang

The RN has evolved a rich volume of slang, known as "Jack-speak". Nowadays the British sailor isusually "Jack" (or "Jenny") rather than the more historical "Jack Tar", which is an allusion to either theformer requirement to tar long hair or the tar-stained hands of sailors. Nicknames for a British sailor,applied by others, include "Matelot" (pronounced matlow), derived from French or "Limey".[5] RoyalMarines are fondly known as "Bootnecks" or often just as "Royals".[5]

Uckers and Ucker

Uckers is a four player board game similar to Ludo that is traditionally played in the Royal Navy. It isfiercely competitive and rules differ between ships and stations (and between other services). Ucker,pronounced you-ker, is a card game also played on board ships and in naval establishments. It is similarto Trumps, is highly competitive and extremely difficult to learn.

The Royal Navy in Fiction

The Napoleonic campaigns of the navy have been the subject of many novels including Patrick O'Brian'sseries featuring Jack Aubrey, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, and Alexander Kent's RichardBolitho. Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series though primarily involving the Peninsular War of the time,includes several novels involving Richard Sharpe at sea with the Navy. Alexander Kent is a pen name ofDouglas Reeman who, under his birth name, has written many novels featuring the Royal Navy in thetwo World Wars. Other well known novels include Alistair MacLean's HMS Ulysses and NicholasMonsarrat's The Cruel Sea, both set during World War II.

Royal Navy timeline and battles

1588 The Spanish Armada 1589 The English Armada 1652 Battle of Dungeness 1690 Battle of Beachy Head 1692 Battle of La Hougue 1692 Battle of Plaisance (Placentia) 1759 Battle of Quiberon Bay and Battle of Lagos 1762 Battle of Signal Hill

1780 Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780) 1781 Battle of the Chesapeake and Battle of Dogger Bank (1781) 1782 Battle of St. Kitts and Battle of the Saintes 1794 The Glorious First of June 1797 Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797) 1798 Battle of the Nile 1801 Battle of Copenhagen 1805 Battle of Trafalgar 1808–1814 Peninsular war 1812–1814 War of 1812 1821 First steam paddle ships for auxiliary use (tugs etc.) 1839-1842 Opium War First Anglo-Chinese war. 1840 First screw driven Steamship, Rattler 1860 First Iron-hulled armoured battleship, Warrior 1902 First Royal Navy submarine, Holland 1 1905 First Steam turbine and all big-gun battleship, Dreadnought 1914–1918 First Battle of the Atlantic 1914 Battle of Heligoland Bight, Battle of Coronel, Battle of the Falkland Islands 1915 Battle of Dogger Bank (1915) and Dardanelles Campaign 1916 Battle of Jutland 1919 Russian Civil War 1931 Invergordon Mutiny 1939–1945 Second Battle of the Atlantic 1939 Battle of the River Plate 1940 Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk) 1941 Battle of Cape Matapan 1941 Sinking of HMS Hood and the German battleship Bismarck 1943 Battle of North Cape 1944 Operation Tungsten 1944 Operation Neptune (Normandy) 1946 Mining of Saumarez and Volage in the Corfu Channel Incident 1949 Amethyst incident on the Yangtze River 1950 Korean War begins 1956 Suez campaign 1962 Indonesian Konfrontasi begins in Borneo 1963 First British nuclear submarine, Dreadnought 1965 Beira Patrol against Rhodesia begins 1980 Armilla Patrol in the Persian Gulf begins 1982 Falklands War 1991 Gulf War 1999 Kosovo conflict 2000 Operation Palliser 2001 Afghanistan Campaign 2003 Iraq War

Royal MarinesHis/Her Majesty's Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navy'sLight Infantry, the United Kingdom's amphibious force and specialists in Arctic and Mountain Warfare.A core component of the country's Rapid Deployment Force, the Corps is able to operate independentlyin all terrains, and are highly trained as commando forces. The high levels of training and competence,coupled with a unique mix of capabilities, are regarded as comparable to those found in SpecialForces.[citation needed]

The Royal Marines are a component part of the Naval Service which encompasses the Royal Navy andother units.

Role

Corps of Royal Marines

Cap Badge of the Royal Marines

Active 26 April 1755-

Country United Kingdom

Branch Royal Navy

Type Commando

Role Rapid reaction force/Home defence

Size Six battalions

Part of Naval Service

Garrison/HQ 40 Commando - Taunton42 Commando - Plymouth45 Commando - ArbroathFleet Protection Group - HMNB ClydeCommando Logistic Regiment -Chivenor1 Assault Group - Poole

Nickname The Royals, HM Jollies, Bootnecks

Motto Per Mare Per Terram (By Sea By Land)

(Latin)

March Quick - A Life on the Ocean WaveSlow - Preobrajensky

Commanders

Currentcommander

Naval Service

Captain-General HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Commandant-General

Major General Garry Robison RM

Insignia

Commando Flash

The Royal Marines are a maritime focussed, amphibious, light infantry force capable of deploying atshort notice in support of the United Kingdom Government's military and diplomatic objectives overseasand are optimised for highly manoeuvreable operational situation. As the United Kingdom ArmedForces' specialists in cold weather warfare the Corps will provide lead element expertise in the NATONorthern Flank and are optimised for high altitude operations.

In common with the other armed forces the Royal Marines can provide resources for Military Aid toCivil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power.

Command, Control and Organisation

Command of the Royal Marines is vested in Commander in Chief Fleet with Commandant GeneralRoyal Marines, a Major General, embedded within the CINCFLEET staff as Commander UKAmphibious Force (COMUKAMPHIBFOR).

The operational capability of the Corps comprises a number of Battalion-sized units, three of these aredesignated as "Commandos":

40 Commando (known as Forty Commando) based at Norton Manor Barracks,Taunton, Somerset

42 Commando (known as Four Two Commando) based at Bickleigh Barracks,Plymouth, Devon

45 Commando (known as Four Five Commando) based at Condor Barracks,Arbroath, Angus, Scotland

Commando Logistic Regiment based at Chivenor, Devon

UK Landing Force Command Support Group based at Stonehouse Barracks,Plymouth

Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines based at HM Naval Base Clyde,Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute

Special Boat Service based at Royal Marines Barracks Poole, Dorset

Each of these formations is commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Marines, who may havesub-specialised in a number of ways throughout his career.

3 Commando Brigade

Operational Control (OPCON) of the three Commandos and the Commando Logistics Regiment isdelegated to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines based at Stonehouse Barracks which exercises controlas directed by either CINCFLEET or the Permanent Joint Headquarters. As the main combat formationof the Royal Marines the Brigade has its own organic capability to support it in the field:

UK Landing Force Command Support Group which comprises[1]:

CSG Headquarters Troop Signals Squadron

Two HQ Satcomm Troops

Brigade Staff Squadron Support Squadron

Brigade Patrol Troop Electronic Warfare Troop (Y Troop) Air Defence Troop Tactical Air Control Parties Police Troop

Logistics Squadron

Motor Transport Troop QMs Troop Equipment Support Troop

539 Assault Squadron

The Brigade also holds Operational Control of attached Royal Artillery and Royal Engineer assets.

Independent Elements

The independent elements of the Royal Marines are:

Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines is responsible for the security of the UnitedKingdom's nuclear deterrent and other security-related duties. It also providesboarding party support for the embargo enforcement, counter narcotics and counterinsurgency activities of the Royal Navy. It is commando-sized, however the structurediffers to reflect its role, it bears the colours, battle honours and customs of 43Commando.

Commando Training Centre: This is the training unit for the entire corps, andconsists of three separate sections:

o Commando Training Wing: This is the initial basic commando trainingsection for new recruits to the Royal Marines, and the All Arms Commando Course.

o Specialist Wing. This provides specialist training in the various tradeswhich Marines may elect to join once qualified and experienced in a Rifle Company.

o Command Wing: This provides command training for both officers andNCOs of the Royal Marines.

1 Assault Group Royal Marines: Provides training in the use of landing craft andboats, and also serves as a parent unit for the three assault squadrons permanently-embarked on the Royal Navy's amphibious ships.

o 4 Assault Squadron - HMS Bulwarko 6 Assault Squadron - HMS Albiono 9 Assault Squadron - HMS Ocean

Special Boat Service (SBS) are maritime special forces and under the OperationalControl of Director Special Forces. The Service is battalion-sized and commanded bya Lieutenant Colonel with previous experience as a Swimmer Canoeist.Responsibilities include Maritime Counter-Terrorism operations and other specialforces tasks.

Royal Marines Band Service provides regular bands for the Royal Navy andprovides expertise to train RN Volunteer Bands. Bandsmen have a secondary role asfield hospital orderlies. Personnel may not be commando trained, wearing a blue beretinstead of green, the band service is the only branch of the Royal Marines whichadmits women.

Structure of a Commando

The Commando Flash, sewn to the upper sleeve of a DPM shirt.

The three Commandos are each organised into six companies, further organised into platoon-sizedtroops) as follows:

Command Companyo Main HQo Tactical HQo Reconnaissance Troop (includes a sniper section)o Mortar Troop (81 mm) (Includes 4 MFC pairs)o AT Troop (Milan - to be replaced Javelin ATGW)o Medium Machine Gun Troop One Logistic Companyo A Echelon 1 (A Ech1)o A Echelon 2 (A Ech2)o FRTo RAPo B Echelon (B Ech) Two Close Combat Companieso Company Headquarters (Coy HQ)o 3 Close Combat Troops (Troop HQ, 3 Rifle Sections, Manoeuvre Support

Section) Two Stand Off Companieso Company Headquarters (Coy HQ)o Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) Troop (0.5" heavy machine guns)o Anti-Tank Troop (Milan - to be replaced with Javelin)o Close Combat Troop

In general a rifle company Marine will be a member of a four-man fire team, the building block ofcommando operations. A Royal Marine works with his team in the field and lives with them in hisaccommodation (if he lives in barracks).

This structure is a recent development, formerly Commandos were structured similarly to light InfantryBattalions. During the restructuring of the United Kingdom's military services the Corps evolved from aCold War focus on NATOs Northern Flank towards a more expeditionary posture.

Amphibious Ready Group

Royal Marines in a Rigid Raider assault watercraft

The Amphibious Ready Group is a mobile, balanced amphibious force, based on a Commando Groupand its supporting assets, that can be kept at high readiness to deploy into an area of operations. TheAmphibious Ready Group is normally based around specialist amphibious ships, most notably HMSOcean, the largest ship in the British fleet. Ocean was designed and built to accommodate an embarkedcommando and its associated stores and equipment. The strategy of the Amphibious Ready Group is towait "beyond the horizon" and then deploy swiftly as directed by HM Government. The wholeamphibious force is intended to be self-sustaining and capable of operating without host-nation support.The concept was successfully tested in operations in Sierra Leone.

Commando Helicopter Force

The Fleet Air Arm Commando Helicopter Force uses both Sea King transport and Lynx Light lift/ lightattack helicopters to provide aviation support for the Royal Marines. It consists of both Royal Navy andRoyal Marines personnel, who need not be commando trained.

Training

Marines undergo the longest basic training regimen of any Infantry force in the world (32 weeks), at theCommando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone, Devon. The Royal Marines is theonly part of the British Armed Forces where Officers and Other Ranks are trained at the same location.Much of the basic training is carried out on the rugged terrain of Dartmoor and Woodbury common witha significant proportion taking place at night. Before beginning Royal Marines recruit training thepotential recruit must attend a PRMC known as Potential Royal Marines Course held at CTCRM.PRMC lasts 3 days and asseses measuring physical ability and intellectual capacity to undertake therecruit training. Officer candidates must also undertake the Admiralty Interview Board.

Officers and Marines undergo the same training up to the commando tests, thereafter Marines go on toemployment in a rifle company while Officers continue training. Officer courses are required to meethigher standards in the Commando tests.

Basic training

The first weeks of training are spent learning basic skills that will be used later. This includes much timespent on the parade ground and on the rifle ranges. Physical training at this stage emphasizes all-roundbody strength, in order to develop the muscles necessary to carry the heavy weights a marine will use inan operational unit. Key milestones include a gym passout at week 9 (not carried out with fightingorder), which shows that a recruit is ready for the Bottom Field, a battle swimming test, and learning todo a "regain" (i.e. climb back onto a rope suspended over a water tank). Most of these tests arecompleted with the ever present "fighting order" of 32 lb of equipment. Individual fieldcraft skills arealso taught at this basic stage.

The Commando Course

The culmination of training is a period known as the Commando Course. Since the creation of theBritish Commandos during World War II, all Royal Marines, except those in the Royal Marines BandService, complete the Commando course as part of their training (see below). Key aspects of the courseinclude climbing and ropework techniques, patrolling, and amphibious operations.

This intense phase ends with a series of tests which have remained virtually unchanged since World WarII. Again these tests, and indeed virtually all the training, is done with a "fighting order" of 32 lb(14.5kg) of equipment.

The commando tests are taken on consecutive days, they include;

A nine-mile (14.5 km) speed march, carrying full fighting order, to be completedin 90 minutes; the pace is thus 10 minutes per mile (6 min/km or 6 mph).

The Endurance course is a six mile, (9.65 km), course across rough terrain atWoodbury Common near Lympstone, which includes tunnels, pipes, wading pools,and an underwater culvert. The course ends with a four-mile run back to CTCRM.Followed by a marksmanship test, where the recruit must hit 6 out of 10 shots at atarget representing a fig. 11 target at 200 m. To be completed in 73 minutes (71minutes for Royal Marine officers), these times were recently increased by oneminute as the route of the course was altered. The Course ends at the 25m rangewhere the recruit must then put at least 6 out of 10 shots on target without cleaningtheir weapon.

The Tarzan Assault Course. This is an assault course combined with an aerialconfidence test. It starts with a death slide and ends with a rope climb up a thirty footvertical wall. It must be completed with full fighting order in 13 minutes, 12 minutesfor Royal Marine officers. The Potential Officers Course also includes confidencetests from the Tarzan Assault Course, although not with equipment.

The Thirty miler. This is a 30 mile (48 km) march across Dartmoor, wearingfighting order, and additional safety equipment. It must be completed in 8 hours forrecruits and 7 hours for Royal Marine officers, who must also navigate the routethemselves, rather than following a DS with the rest of a syndicate and carry theirown equipment.

The day after the 30 mile (48 km) march, any who failed any of the tests may attempt to retake them.

Completing the Commando Course successfully entitles the recruit or officer to wear the coveted greenberet but does not mean that the Royal Marine has finished his training. That decision will be made bythe troop or batch training team and will depend on the recruit's or young officer's overall performance.Furthermore, officer training still consists of many more months.

After basic and commando training, a Royal Marine Commando will normally join a unit of 3Commando Brigade. There are three Royal Marines Commando infantry units in the Brigade:40 Commando located at Norton Manor Camp near Taunton in Somerset, 42 Commando at BickleighBarracks, near Plymouth, Devon, and 45 Commando at HMS Condor, Arbroath on the east coast ofScotland.

[edit] Specialist training

Royal Marines may then go on to undertake specialist training in a variety of skills; Platoon WeaponsInstructor, Mortar operator, signals, clerks, sniper, PT instructor, Mountain Leader, Swimmer Canoeist,chef, Landing Craft coxwain etc.

Training for these specialisations may be undertaken at CTCRM or in a joint environment, such asRoyal School of Signals or the Defence Police College.

Some Marines undergo military parachute training at RAF Brize Norton without having to undergo P-Company training with the Parachute Regiment. This allows flexibility of insertion methods for all forceelements.

Current weapons

L85A2 IW - 5.56 x 45 mm (Individual Weapon) L86A2 LSW - 5.56 x 45 mm (Light Support Weapon) L110A1 Light Machine Gun 5.56 x 45 mm belt or magazine. L82A1 Barret - .50 inch (12.7 mm) BMG (Browning Machine gun) anti-materiel

sniper rifle L96A1 Sniper Rifle - 7.62 x 51 mm Accuracy International bolt-action sniper rifle L7A2 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) - the FN MAG 7.62 x 51 mm belt-

fed machine gun. L1A1 Heavy Machine Gun .50 inch (12.7 mm) BMG (Browning Machine gun) LAW 80 ((Light Anti-tank Weapon)) MILAN wire guided anti-tank missile (in the process of being replaced by the

Javelin Anti-Tank missile)

L16A2 81 mm Mortar (High Explosive, Smoke and Illuminating ammunition) L9A1 Browning - 9 x 19 mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistol L107A1 - 9 x 19 mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistol L17A2 UGL (Under-slung Grenade Launcher) - Attachment to L85A2

History

Origin

The first unit of English Naval Infantry, originally called the Duke of York and Albany's MaritimeRegiment of Foot and soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment, was formed on October 28,1664, with an initial strength of 1200 Infantrymen recruited from the Trained Bands of London as partof the mobilisation for the Second Dutch War. It was the fourth European Marine unit formed, beingpreceded by the Spanish Marines (1537), the Portuguese Marines (1610) and the French Marines (1622).Later followed by the formation of the Dutch Marines in 1665. James (later King James II), the Duke ofYork, Lord High Admiral and brother of King Charles II, was Captain-General of the Company of theArtillery Garden, now the Honourable Artillery Company, the unit that trained the Trained Bands. TheRegiment was very distinct, being dressed in yellow rather than the red of the other Regiments until1685. The name "Marines" first appeared in official records in 1672. John Churchill, the 1st Duke ofMarlborough, was the most famous member of this Regiment. A Company of Guards served as Marinesto augment the Marines of the Admiral's Regiment during the Naval battle of Sole Bay in 1672.Marlborough's conduct as an ensign in the Guards during the battle so impressed James that hecommissioned him a Captain in the Admiral's Regiment after four Marine Captains died during thebattle. Marlborough later led a Battalion of the Regiment in the land battle of Enzheim in 1674. TheRegiment was disbanded in 1689 shortly after James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution and TheBuffs replaced them as third in precedence in the British Army.

Portrait of a Marine officer, by William Dobson, 17th century

The Marine Regiments of the Army were revived in 1690 and disbanded again in 1699. In 1702 sixRegiments were formed for the War of Spanish Succession. The most historic achievement of theseMarines was the capture of the mole during the assault on Gibraltar (sailors of the Royal Navy capturedthe Rock itself) and the subsequent defence of the fortress alongside the Dutch Marines in 1704. In 1713three of these Regiments were transferred to the Line and the others disbanded. Only four Companies ofMarine Invalids remained.

Six Marine Regiments were raised for the War of Jenkins Ear in 1739 with four more being raised later.One large Marine Regiment (Spotswood's Regiment later Gooch's Marines, the 61st Foot) was formedof American colonists and served alongside British Marines at Cartegena, Columbia and Guantanamo,Cuba in the War of Jenkin's Ear (1741). Among its officers was Lawrence Washington, the half-brotherof George Washington. In 1747, the remaining regiments were transferred to the Admiralty and thendisbanded in 1748.

Even though they were part of the Army, these Marines were quite nautical at times. Some Royal Navyofficers began in these Marine regiments and some kept their Marine rank throughout their careers, oneRoyal Navy Captain even serving as the Captain of Marines on his own ship. They were used by theAdmiralty to rig ships before they were placed in commission as the Royal Navy had no extra sailors,the law requiring that all sailors must be part of a commissioned vessel. It was another law requiring thatin order for Army Regiments to be paid, the entire Regiment had to muster that led to their transfer tothe Admiralty. This requirement was hard for the Marine Regiments to follow as their Companies werestationed on many different ships.

In 1755 His Majesty's Marine Forces, fifty Companies in three Divisions, headquartered at Chatham,Portsmouth, and Plymouth, were formed under Admiralty control. During the rest of the 18th century,they served in numerous landings all over the world, the most famous being the landing at Bellisle onthe Brittany coast in 1761. They also served in the American Revolutionary War, being particularlycourageous in the Battle of Bunker Hill led by Major John Pitcairn. These Marines also often took to theship's boats to repel attackers in small boats when RN ships on close blockade were becalmed. In 1802,largely at the instigation of Admiral the Earl St. Vincent, they were titled the Royal Marines by KingGeorge III.

The Royal Marine Artillery (RMA) was formed as a separate unit in 1804 to man the artillery in bombketches. This had been done by the Royal Regiment of Artillery, but a lawsuit by a Royal Artilleryofficer resulted in a court decision that Army officers were not subject to Naval orders. As theiruniforms were the blue of the Royal Regiment of Artillery this group was nicknamed the "BlueMarines" and the Infantry element, who wore the scarlet uniforms of the British infantry, became knownas the "Red Marines", often given the derogatory nickname "Lobsters" by sailors.

The Royal Marines Artillery (RMA) & Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) where almalgamated in1929.

Pursuing a career in the Marines was considered social suicide - the Marines were deeply unpopular insociety as most Marines were failures in life running away from their problems on land. Marinesofficers, unlike their counterparts in the Army or regular Navy, faced obstacles when trying to climb thesocial ladder, as officers in the Marines were widely perceived as failures unable to obtain commissions

in the Army. In addition, the Royal Navy began handing out positions previously held by RM Colonelsto post-captains on half-pay, meaning that the farthest most RM officers could advance was to Major.

[edit] 19th Century

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy suffered from manpower problems in the Marines, and soregular Infantry units from the Army often had to be used as shipboard replacements. In the War of1812, escaped American slaves were formed into the Corps of Colonial Marines and fought atBladensburg. Other Royal Marines units raided up and down Chesapeake Bay, fought in the Battle ofNew Orleans and later helped capture Fort Bowyer in Mobile Bay in the last action of the war.

In 1855 the Infantry forces were re-named the Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) and in 1862 thename was slightly altered to Royal Marine Light Infantry. The Royal Navy did not fight any otherships after 1850 (until 1914) and became interested in landings by Naval Brigades. In these NavalBrigades, the function of the Royal Marines was to land first and act as skimishers ahead of the sailorInfantry and Artillery. This skirmishing was the traditional function of Light Infantry. For most of theirhistory, British Marines had been organised as fusiliers. It was not until 1923 that the separate Artilleryand light Infantry forces were formally amalgamated into the Corps of Royal Marines.

In the rest of the 19th Century the Royal Marines served in many landings especially in the First andSecond Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) against the Chinese. These were all successful exceptfor the landing at the Mouth of the Peiho in 1859, where Admiral Sir James Hope ordered a landingacross extensive mud flats even though his Brigadier, Colonel Thomas Lemon RMLI, advised against it.

During the Crimean War in 1854 and 1855, three Royal Marines earned the Victoria Cross, two in theCrimea and one in the Baltic. The use of the new "torpedoes" (mines) by the Russians in the Baltic madethe campaign there particularly suited to RM raiding and reconnaissance parties. Landings by the Britishand French Navy and Marines in 1854 were repulsed by the Russians at Petropavlovsk on the Pacificcoast of Russia.

[edit] 20th Century

The Royal Marines also played a prominent role in the Boxer Rebellion in China (1900), where a RoyalMarine earned a Victoria Cross. For the first part of the 20th Century, the Royal Marines' role was thetraditional one of providing shipboard Infantry for security, boarding parties and small-scale landings.The Marines' other traditional position on a Royal Navy ship is manning "A" (the forwardmost) gunturret.

[edit] First World War

During the First World War, in addition to their usual stations aboard ship, Royal Marines were part ofthe Royal Naval Division which landed in Belgium in 1914 to help defend Antwerp and later took partin the amphibious landing at Gallipoli in 1915. It also served on the Western Front. The Division's firsttwo commanders were Royal Marine Artillery Generals. Other Royal Marines acted as landing parties inthe Naval campaign against the Turkish fortifications in the Dardanelles before the Gallipoli landing.They were sent ashore to assess damage to Turkish fortifications after bombardment by British and

French ships and, if necessary, to complete their destruction. The Royal Marines were the last to leaveGallipoli, replacing both British and French troops in a neatly planned and executed withdrawal from thebeaches. It even required some Marines to wear French uniforms as part of the deception. In 1918 RoyalMarines led the raid at Zeebrugge. Five Royal Marines earned the Victoria Cross in the First WorldWar, two at Zeebrugge, one at Gallipoli, one at Jutland and one on the Western Front. After the warRoyal Marines took part in the allied intervention in Russia. In 1919, the 6th Battalion RMLI mutiniedand was disbanded at Murmansk.

[edit] Second World War

During the Second World War, a small party of Royal Marines were first ashore at Namsos in April1940, seizing the approaches to the Norwegian town preparatory to a landing by the British Army twodays later. The Royal Marines formed the Royal Marine Division as an amphibiously trained division,parts of which served at Dakar and in the capture of Madagascar. In addition the Royal Marines formedMobile Naval Base Defence Organisations (MNBDOs) similar to the US Marine Corps DefenseBattalions. One of these took part in the defence of Crete. Royal Marines also served in Malaya and inSingapore, where due to losses they were joined with remnants of the 2nd Battalion , Argyll andSutherland Highlanders to form the "Plymouth Argylls". The Royal Marines formed one Commando (ACommando) which served at Dieppe. One month after Dieppe, most of the 11th Royal Marine Battalionwas killed or captured in an amphibious landing at Tobruk in Operation Daffodil , again the Marineswere involved with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders this time the 1st Battalion. In 1943 theInfantry Battalions of the Royal Marine Division were re-organised as Commandos, joining the ArmyCommandos. The Division command structure became a Special Service Brigade command. Thesupport troops became landing craft crew.

Men of No 4 Commando engaged in house to house fighting with the Germans at Riva Bella,near Ouistreham.

A total of four Special Service, later Commando, Brigades were raised during the war, and RoyalMarines were represented in all of them. A total of nine RM Commandos (Battalions) were raisedduring the war, numbered from 40 to 48.

1 Commando Brigade had just one RM Battalion, No 45 Commando. 2 Commando Brigade had twoRM battalions, Nos 40 and 43 Commandos. 3 Commando Brigade also had two, Nos 42 and 44Commandos. 4 Commando Brigade was entirely Royal Marine after March 1944, comprising Nos 41,46, 47 and 48 Commandos.

1 Commando Brigade took part in the assaults on Sicily and Normandy, campaigns in the Rhineland andcrossing the Rhine. 2 Commando Brigade was involved in the Salerno landings, Anzio, Comacchio, andoperations in the Argenta Gap. 3 Commando Brigade served in Sicily and Burma. 4 Commando Brigadeserved in Normandy and in the Battle of the Scheldt on the island of Walcheren during the clearing ofAntwerp.

In January 1945, two further RM Brigades were formed, 116th Brigade and 117th Brigade. Both wereconventional Infantry, rather than in the Commando role. 116th Brigade saw some action in theNetherlands, but 117th Brigade was hardly used operationally. In addition one Landing Craft Assault(LCA) unit was stationed in Australia late in the war as a training unit.

In 1946 the Army Commandos were disbanded, leaving the Royal Marines to continue the Commandorole (with supporting Army elements).

A number of Royal Marines served as pilots during the Second World War. It was a Royal Marinesofficer who led the attack by a formation of Blackburn Skuas that sank the German cruiser Königsberg.Eighteen Royal Marines commanded Fleet Air Arm squadrons during the course of the war, and withthe formation of the British Pacific Fleet were well-represented in the final drive on Japan. Captains andMajors generally commanded squadrons, whilst in one case Lt. Colonel R.C.Hay on HMS Indefatigablewas Air Group Co-ordinator from HMS Victorious of the entire British Pacific Fleet.

Only one Marine was awarded a Victoria Cross in the Second World War, for action at Lake Comacchioin Italy. So far that is the last awarded to a Royal Marine.

After 1945

Royal Marines in 1972

Royal Marines were involved in the Korean War. 41 (Independent) Commando was reformed in 1950,and was originally envisaged as a raiding force for use against North Korea. It performed this role inpartnership with the US Navy until after the landing of United States Army X Corps at Wonsan. It thenjoined the 1st Marine Division at Koto-Ri. As Task Force Drysdale with Lt. Col. D.B. Drysdale RM incommand, 41 Commando, a USMC company, a US Army company and part of the divisional trainfought their way from Koto-Ri to Hagaru after the Chinese had blocked the road to the North. It thentook part in the famous withdrawal from Chosin Reservoir. After that, a small amount of raidingfollowed, before the Marines were withdrawn from the conflict in 1951. It received the US PresidentialUnit Citation after the USMC got the regulations modified to allow foreign units to receive the award.

After playing a part in the long-running Malayan Emergency, the next action came in 1956, during theSuez Crisis. Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade, and Nos 40, 42 and 45 Commandos took part in theoperation. It marked the first time that a helicopter assault was used operationally to land troops in anamphibious attack. British and French forces defeated the Egyptians, but after pressure from the UnitedStates, and French domestic pressure, they backed down.

Further action in the Far East was seen during the Konfrontasi. Nos 40 and 42 Commando went toBorneo at various times to help keep Indonesian forces from causing trouble in border areas. The mosthigh profile incident of the campaign was a company strength amphibious assault by Lima Company of42 Commando at the town of Limbang to rescue hostages.

From 1969 onwards Royal Marine units regularly deployed to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

The Falklands War provided the backdrop to the next action of the Royal Marines. Argentina invadedthe islands in April 1982. A British task force was immediately despatched to recapture them, and giventhat an amphibious assault would be necessary, the Royal Marines were heavily involved. 3 CommandoBrigade was brought to full combat strength, with not only 40, 42 and 45 Commandos, but also the 2ndand 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment attached. The troops were landed at San Carlos Water atthe western end of East Falkland, and proceeded to "yomp" across the entire island to the capital,Stanley, which fell on 14 June 1982. Not only was 3 Commando Brigade deployed, but also a RoyalMarines divisional headquarters, under Major-General Jeremy Moore, who was commander of Britishland forces during the war.

3 Commando Brigade was not deployed in the 1991 Gulf War, but was deployed to northern Iraq in theaftermath to provide aid to the Kurds. The remainder of the 1990s saw no major warfightingdeployments, other than a divisional headquarters to control land forces during the short NATOintervention that ended the Bosnian War.

More recently Royal Marines detachments have been involved in operations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone,and East Timor.

From 2000 onwards, the Royal Marines began converting from their traditional light infantry roletowards an expanded force protection type role, with the introduction of the Commando 21 concept,leading to the introduction of the Viking, the first armoured vehicle to be operated by the Royal Marinesfor half a century.

In November 2001, after the seizure of Bagram Air Base by the Special Boat Service, Charlie Companyof 40 Commando became the first British regular forces into Afghanistan, using Bagram Air base tosupport British and US Special Forces Operations. With the arrival Bravo Company 40 Commando inDecember 2001 then moving into Kabul itself, beginning the building of the infrastructure whichbecame ISAF.

2002 Saw the deployment of 45 Commando Royal Marines to Afghanistan, where contact with enemyforces was expected to be heavy. However little action was seen, with no Al-Qaida or Taliban forcesbeing found or engaged.

3 Commando Brigade deployed on Operation TELIC in early 2003 with the USMC's 15th MarineExpeditionary Unit under command. The Brigade conducted an amphibious assault on the Al Fawpeninsula in Iraq, securing the port and oil installations to assure continued operability of the Iraqsexport capability. The attack proceeded well, with light casualties. 3 Commando Brigade served as partof the US 1st Marine Division and received the US Presidential Unit Citation.

In late 2006, 3 Commando Brigade relieved 16 Air Assault Brigade in Helmand Province, Afghanistan,as part of Operation Herrick.

Traditions and insignia

The Royal Marines have a proud history and unique traditions; they have so many battle honoursthat the "globe itself" has become the symbol of the Corps.

The badge of the Royal Marines is designed to commemorate the history of the Corps. The Lion andCrown denotes a Royal regiment. King George III conferred this honour in 1802 "in consideration of thevery meritorious services of the Marines in the late war."

The "Great Globe itself" surrounded by laurels was chosen by King George IV as a symbol of theMarines' successes in every quarter of the world. The laurels are believed to honour the gallantry theydisplayed during the investment and capture of Belle Isle, off Lorient, in April through June 1761.

The word "Gibraltar" refers to the Siege of Gibraltar in 1704. It was awarded in 1827 by George IV as aspecial distinction for the services of four of the old Army Marine regiments (Queen's Own Marines, 1stMarines, 2nd Marines, 3rd Marines). All other honours gained by the Royal Marines are represented bythe "Great Globe". As a consequence, there are no battle honours displayed on the colours of the fourbattalion sized units in the corps.

When referring to individual Commandos: 45 Commando is referred to as "four-five" rather than "forty-five commando" as is 42 Commando, 40 Commando is "forty".

The only units which carry colours are 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 45 Commando, and the FleetProtection Group (which is the custodian of the colours of 43 Commando).

The fouled anchor, incorporated into the emblem in 1747, is the badge of the Lord High Admiral andshows that the Corps is part of the Royal Navy.

Per Mare Per Terram ("By Sea, By Land"), the motto of the Marines, is believed to have been used forthe first time in 1785.

The regimental quick march of the Corps is A Life on the Ocean Wave, while the slow march isPreobrajensky.

Dress headgear is a white Wolseley pattern pith helmet surmounted by a ball, a distinction once standardfor artillerymen. This derives from the part of the Corps that was once the Royal Marine Artillery.

The Royal Marines are one of six regiments allowed by the Lord Mayor of London to march through theCity as a regiment in full array. This dates to the charter of Charles II that allowed recruiting parties ofthe Admiral's Regiment of 1664 to enter the City with drums beating and colours flying.

Order of Precedence

As the descendant of the old Marine Regiments of the British Army, the Royal Marines has a position inthe Order of Precedence of the Infantry; this is after the 49th Regiment of Foot, the descendant of whichis the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. Therefore, the Royal Marines wouldparade after the RGBW. This is because the 49th Foot was the last Regiment raised prior to theformation of the Corps of Marines as part of the Royal Navy in 1755. However, when the Royal Navy ison parade, then the RM parades with them at the extreme right of the line.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a component of the Naval Service that keeps the Royal Navy ofthe United Kingdom running around the world. Its main function is to supply the Royal Navy with fueland supplies. It also counts a repair ship, and amphibious assault vessels amongst its assets. RFApersonnel are civilians of the Ministry of Defence civil service who wear Merchant Navy-style uniformsand rank insignia and who are under naval discipline when the vessel is engaged on warlike operations.RFA vessels are manned predominantly by the civilians, augmented with regular Royal Navy personnelto perform specialised military functions, such as operating and maintaining helicopters or manninghospital facilities.

History

The RFA was first established in 1905 to provide coaling ships for the Navy in an era when the changefrom sail to coal as the main means of propulsion for the navies of the world meant that a network ofbases around the world with coaling facilities or a fleet of ships able to supply coal were necessary for afleet to operate away from its home country. Since the Royal Navy of that era possessed the largestnetwork of bases around the world of any fleet, the RFA at first took a relatively minor role.

The RFA really came into its own in World War II when the British fleet was often far from availablebases, either due to the enemy capturing available bases, or, in the Pacific, the sheer distances involved.WWII also saw naval ships staying at sea for much longer periods than had been the case since the daysof sail. Techniques of underway replenishment, or Replenishment At Sea (RAS), were developedparticularly by the United States Navy. The British auxiliary fleet was never up to the standards of thatof the American fast carrier taskforces in the Pacific. The auxiliary fleet was a polyglot collection withnot only RFA ships, but commissioned warships and merchantmen as well. However, the need for sucha fleet was unambiguously demonstrated by WWII.

After 1945, the RFA assumed centre stage in supporting the operations of the Royal Navy in the manyconflicts that the Navy was involved in. The RFA performed important service to the Far East Fleet offKorea from 1950 until 1953, when sustained carrier operations were again mounted in Pacific waters.During the extended operations of the Konfrontasi in the 1960s, the RFA was also heavily involved. Asthe network of British bases overseas shrank during the end of the Empire, the Navy increasingly reliedon the RFA to supply its ships during routine deployments.

The RFA played an important role in the largest naval war since 1945, the Falklands War in 1982(where 1 vessel was lost and another badly damaged), and also the Gulf War, Kosovo War, AfghanistanCampaign and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. With the end of the Cold War, and the resumption of theworldwide role for the Royal Navy, the RFA will be called on a great deal in the next few decades.

Fleet

Three RFAs accompanying HMS Invincible and three Leander class frigates

Ships in RFA service carry the prefix RFA, standing for Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and wearthe Blue Ensign defaced with an upright gold killick anchor. All Royal Fleet Auxiliariesare built and maintained to Lloyd's Register and Department for Transport standards.Most RFA ships are armed, typically with at least two 20 mm GAM-B01 anti-aircraftguns and a number of 7.62mm L7 GPMGs.

The most important role provided by the RFA is replenishment at sea (RAS)[1], thereforethe mainstay of the current RFA fleet are the tankers and replenishment ships. There arethree classes of tankers (oilers), one of combined oiler / replenisher and one class ofreplenisher in service. The new fast fleet tankers of the Wave class class, the small fleettankers of the Rover class and the support tankers of the Leaf class provide under wayrefuelling facilities to the RN. The Leaf class are occasionally tasked with the bulkmovement of oil between terminals and MoD facilities. The Rover and Leaf classes arenearing the end of their active lives and will soon be due for replacement. The FortVictoria class are "one-stop" replenishment oilers, capable of supplying refuelling,rearming and victualling services while the older Fort Rosalie class provide onlyrearming and victualling of "dry" cargoes. The Wave and both the Fort classes havegenerous aviation facilities, providing aviation support and training facilities andsignificant VERTREP (vertical replenishmet) capabilities.

The RFA is also tasked with a role supporting British amphibious operations and socontains a number of amphibious assault ships. The newest such ships are the four Bayclass Landing Ship Dock (LSD) of which two are currently in service, one is working upand the fourth is fitting out (as of November 2006). The Bays are complemented by thelast of the Round Table class Landing Ship Logistics (LSL), Sir Bedivere, which is due tobe retained until 2011, since it underwent a SLEP from 1994 until 1998. Sir Galahad ofthis class was sunk in the Falklands War, and a ship of the same name was built post-waras a replacement. She, however, made her last journey under the RFA's flag as she sailedto Portsmouth to be decommissioned on July 20, 2006[2].

Two unique support ships in the fleet are the repair vessel Diligence and the aviationtraining ship Argus. Both of these ships are converted former merchantmen. Diligence isa former North Sea oil industry support ship tasked with fleet repairs and maintenance.Argus, a converted Roll On/Roll Off (RoRo) container ship, is tasked with peacetimeaviation training and support. On active operations, she becomes the Primary CasualtyReceiving Ship (PCRS); essentially a hospital ship. She cannot be described as such - andis not afforded such protection under the Geneva Convention - as she is armed. She can,however, venture into waters too dangerous for a normal hospital ship. Argus is slated forreplacement, but the new vessel is not forthcoming.

Recently, two fast sealift ships were also in the fleet, Sea Crusader and Sea Centurion.They were merchant Ro-Ro ships chartered as a stopgap measure to increase the strategiclift of the RFA, enabling faster deployment of British forces. Sea Centurion was returnedto its owners in 2002 and Sea Crusader in 2003, after performing cargo hauling duties forthe campaign in Iraq. They have been replaced by newly built Point class vesselsoperated under a Private Finance Initiative; these vessels will be ordinary merchant shipsleased to the Ministry of Defence as and when needed, and not in the RFA.

Current ships

Wave-class fast fleet tankerso Wave Knighto Wave Ruler

Rover-class small fleet tankerso Gold Rovero Black Rover

Leaf-class support tankerso Brambleleafo Bayleafo Orangeleafo Oakleaf

Fort Rosalie or Fort (i) class replenishment shipso Fort Rosalie (ex-Fort Grange)

o Fort Austin Fort Victoria or Fort (ii) class replenishment oilerso Fort Victoriao Fort George

Aviation training / Primary Casualty Receiving Shipo Argus

Forward repair shipo Diligence

Bay-class Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary)o Largs Bayo Lyme Bay, not yet in service.o Mounts Bayo Cardigan Bay, not yet in service.

Round Table-class Landing Ships Logisticso Sir Bedivere

Point class sealift ships

o MV Hurst Pointo MV Eddystoneo MV Longstoneo MV Beachy Heado MV Hartland Pointo MV Anvil Point

Royal Naval Reserve

Blue Ensign flown by merchant vessels commanded by officers in the RNR.

The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the UnitedKingdom.

The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958, merging the former Royal Naval Reserve,founded in 1859 as a reserve of professional seamen, and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), areserve of volunteers founded in 1903. The RNR is often called the "Wavy Navy" after the wavy sleevestripes of officers in the RNVR and RNR during World War II. These have since been replaced by thestraight rank lacing used in the full-time RN, with the addition of a small 'R' in the centre of theexecutive curl. There are plans in motion now to remove this R, as the RNR is further integrated withthe regular Royal Navy.

The modern RNR has fourteen Royal Naval Reserve Units (with 7 satellite units). These are:

HMS Scotia (Rosyth)o Tay Division (Dundee)o Forth Division (Edinburgh) HMS Cambria (Sully, Wales)o Tawe Division (Swansea) HMS Dalriada (Greenock)o Govan Division HMS Flying Fox (Bristol) HMS Calliope (Gateshead) HMS President (London)o Medway Division (Chatham, Kent) HMS Eaglet (Liverpool)o Menai Division (Llandudno) HMS Vivid (Devonport) HMS Sherwood (Nottingham)o Ceres Division (Leeds) HMS King Alfred (Portsmouth) HMS Forward (Birmingham) HMS Caroline (Belfast)

HMS Wildfire (Northwood) HMS Ferret (Chicksands)

The University Royal Naval Units, although under the jurisdiction of BRNC Dartmouth, are also a partof the Royal Naval Reserve, with students holding the title "Midshipman RNR".

There are also naval reserve forces operated by other Commonwealth of Nations navies, e.g. the RoyalAustralian Naval Reserve (RANR), the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR),Canadian Naval Reserve, etc. Previously there were also colonial RNVR units, e.g. the StraitsSettlements Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (SSRNVR), Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve(HKRNVR) and the South African Division of the RNVR.

Royal Marines ReserveThe role of the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) [1] of the United Kingdom is to support the regularRoyal Marines[2]in times of war or national crisis.

All the volunteers within the RMR pass through the same rigorous commando course as the regulars.The former may be civilians with no previous military experience or men who transfer from theTerritorial Army (the reserve component of the British Army) or are former regular Royal Marines.

The RMR consists of some 600 trained ranks distributed among the five RMR Centres within the UK.About 10 percent of the RMR are working with the Regular Corps on long-term attachments in all of theRoyal Marines regular units.

Mission

The mission of the RMR is to act as a general reserve to the Royal Marines command and to promote anationwide link between the military and civilian community. Specifically it is to:

Enforce the Royal Marines when required, with individuals and sub-unitsworldwide.

Promote a nationwide link between the Royal Marines and civilian communities.

Provide a nationwide infrastructure for strengthening and replacing the regularforces in times of national emergency.

The History of the RMR

The RMR can trace their roots back to the Royal Marines Forces Volunteer Reserve (RMFVR) formedin the City of London under the Royal Marines Act 1948. The RMFVR were officially formed on the5th November 1948 at a ceremonial parade on Bunhill Fields, the same place the Royal Marines wereformed on 28th October 1664.

In the beginning, Reservists were chiefly former hostilities only (HO) personnel. They were mainly, butnot solely, Royal Marines who had gained experience in WWII and trained in order to support the Corpsagainst the threat from the Soviet Bloc. However, today the majority of Reservists have no previousmilitary experience. Their transition from civilian to Marine, is therefore more challenging. Moreover,21st century threats compel the training to be more comprehensive to equip the Marine with an arsenalof skills to face any eventuality. The RMR have adapted to these changes and remains flexible,continuing to train in order to support properly the Corps that Sir Winston Churchill described as "Thefinest in the world".

What happens during RMR basic training?

RMR Basic Training and the Commando Course are not for the fainthearted. It requires realcommitment and determination, as it puts great demands on the recruits spare time and dedication. Inorder to complete RMR Basic Training and prepare for the Commando Course. Over a period of 8 - 10months, recruits are required to attend training at their RMR Units, one evening a week and usually twoweekends a month. In addition when not training with the RMR they must work on their physical fitnessin their own time.

To undergo and complete RMR Basic Training a recruit must remain self-motivated and dedicated,while balancing this with the support, co-operation and understanding of families, girlfriends, wives andemployers.

However, it is these very challenges that attract the calibre of recruit the RMR are looking for. The factthey are willing to undergo one of the toughest courses any Reservist can attempt, to have the pride ofwearing the coveted Green Beret that signifies their achievement.

Outline of RMR Basic Training Basic Training for RMR recruits is divided into three parts: Phase 1A- Individual Skills Training Phase 1B - Tactics Training & Commando Course Phase 2 - Advanced &Commando Skills Training

Phase 1A - Individual Skills Training Phase 1A lasts for approximately four to five months and is thebeginning of RMR Basic Training. It is designed to introduce recruits to the rudiments of IndividualSkills and Fieldcraft. Recruits must complete 6 Weekend training periods in addition to training for twohours for one evening a week. On completion of their Phase 1A training, recruits are required to attend a2-week course at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM).

Phase 1A - The Blue Beret Phase 1A Recruits wear the blue beret with red badge backing issued to RMpersonnel who have not passed the Commando Course.

Basic Fieldcraft Instruction on how to fend for themselves under field conditions. This covers theconstruction of different types of shelters ("bivvies"), the use of the different types of ration pack, howto maintain themselves and their standards of hygiene under arduous conditions. Camouflage andconcealment.

Navigation Theoretical and practical aspects of finding their way over all types of terrain by day andnight.

Weapon Training Instruction on how to handle, maintain, strip and clean their 5.56mm Rifle correctly.

Physical Training - is important from the outset, it is progressive and prepares recruits for BattlePhysical Training (BPT) in Phase 1B. Physical Training periods concentrate on introducing anddeveloping the techniques required for rope climbing, regains, fireman's carry and obstacle courses withan introduction to speed marching and load carries. However, it is necessary for recruits to continuefitness training in their own time in order to build their strength and endurance to the required level.

Field Exercises - recruits are taught and tested on how they fend for themselves under field conditions,they soon learn that their comfort and survival in the field and on operations begins with good personalorganisation and preparedness. To bring these points home there is usually an inspection every morning- the NCOs have an eagle eye for detail.

PHASE 1A Course at CTCRM The two-week course is designed as a confirmation of the recruit'sindividual and physical skills. Also the recruit's abilities are tested over an extended period to ensure thatthey are capable of proceeding on to Phase 1B. The course also introduces the recruits to CTCRM andprovides an insight into the conduct of the Commando Tests. Phase 1A Recruit Weapon TrainingCamouflage & Concealment Assault Course at CTCRM

Phase 1B - Tactics Training & Commando Course Phase 1B lasts for approximately four to five monthsand is designed to equip recruits with the skills and knowledge required to act as a Rifleman in aCommando Unit. In addition to preparing them for the rigours of the Reserve Forces CommandoCourse. Recruits must complete 8 Weekend training periods in addition to training for two hours for oneevening a week. On completion of their Phase 1B training, recruits are required to attend the 2 weekReserve Forces Commando Course at CTCRM.

Phase 1B - The Cap Comforter On the successful completion of Phase 1A, Phase 1B Recruits areentitled to wear The Cap Comforter. Since WW II, this headgear has traditionally been worn by thoseranks undergoing Commando Training.

Battle Physical Training - BPT - is designed to develop physical military skills, strength andendurance, whilst preparing recruits to withstand mental pressure. The BPT is designed to prepareRecruits for their BPT Pass Out and the Commando Course.

Physical Training is now undertaken wearing personal load carrying equipment (PLCE/FightingOrder/Webbing). Throughout Phase 1B training, weight is gradually added to the Recruit's FightingOrder until it weighs the 22lbs required during the Commando Course. In addition the Recruits willcarry their 5.56mm Rifle (a further 10lbs).

Fieldcraft and Tactics - The development and practise of the recruit's Individual and Fieldcraft skillscontinues. Tactical instruction begins with Basic Patrolling Techniques before moving onto ReccePatrols, Observation Posts and finally Fighting Patrols and Ambushes.

RESERVE FORCES COMMANDO COURSE at CTCRM The two week Reserve ForcesCommando Course (RFCC) at CTCRM is the culmination of the Recruit's Basic Training. The course isdesigned to test whether the Recruits professional and physical abilities are of the standard required by aCommando.

On successful completion of the RFCC, RMR Recruits are awarded the coveted Green Beret. As newMarines in the RMR they continue to learn Commando Skills during their Phase 2 Training.

Phase 2 - Advanced & Commando Skills Training Phase 2 is designed to equip Marines who haverecently passed the Reserve Forces Commando Course with the remaining skills and knowledge theyrequired to possess if they are to serve with the Royal Marines on Exercise or Deployment. The Phase 2

Course is normally conducted over a period of 2 weeks, usually divided into two separate weeklongpackages based at CTCRM.

Live Field Firing Exercise (FFX) - Marines are introduced to realistic live firing exercises conductedon field firing areas. Exercises progress from individual shooting on a simple range through to a livefiring troop attack involving 30 Marines. At first this can be somewhat nerve-racking, but Marinesquickly learn that they must trust the men around them and act responsibly and professionallythemselves to earn the trust of others. In addition to firing small arms, Marines are given the opportunityto throw live grenades and fire the 94mm Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW).

Amphibious Exercise - Marines are taught the theory and drills associated with Amphibious Warfare.Practical training then takes place using Rigid Raiding Craft (RRC) during an Amphibious Exercise,where the Marines conduct Landing Raids from the sea.

Helicopter Drills - Marines are taught the theory and drills associated with the Operational use ofHelicopters. Practical training then takes place, using Helicopters.

Quarry Day - The purpose of this day is to teach the Marines roping skills. The Marines practiseabseiling and other Cliff Assault techniques.

Further Training and Specialist Qualification Training On completion of their Phase 2 Training,Marines are considered fully trained Riflemen capable of serving with the Regular Corps. Marines arenow able to embark on Further Training e.g. Mountain & Cold Weather Warfare Training. In timeMarines will also have the opportunity to attend Specialist Courses and gain Specialist Qualifications(SQ) e.g. Assault Engineer.

Special Qualifications

After gaining experience as a General Duties Rifleman (GD) within their RMR Units Marines, subject tosuitability, will then be given the opportunity to attend Specialist Courses and gain a SpecialistQualification (SQ).

RMR Units have the responsibility of providing a pool of suitably trained volunteers for certainspecialisations in order to augment the regular Corps if required. These specialisations are Landing CraftCoxswains, Assault Engineers, Heavy Weapons (Mortars) and Swimmer Canoeists. In addition here aremany other specialisations open to RMR ranks.

Additional Qualifications

In addition to the Specialist Qualifications on offer, ranks are able to attend specific courses to gain anumber of Additional Qualifications (AdQuals) to increase their employability with the Corps. Havinggained certain AdQuals, ranks can join specialist organisations within the RMR. For example, a rankqualified as a Recce Leader would be in a position to join the RMR Brigade Patrol Troop.

The majority of courses are abridged versions of those undertaken by regulars, courses usually last twoto four weeks. Four-week courses are divided up into separate two-week packages. As reservists

progress through the ranks in the RMR, they can attend further courses in their chosen specialisation thatare of a more advanced nature (e.g.. LC3 - Marine; LC2 - Corporal; LC1 - Sergeant). However, manyreservists are given the opportunity to attend the full courses undertaken by regulars if they are able tomake the time available.

Reservists continue to develop and practise their chosen specialisation or AdQual within their RMRUnits. In addition members of the RMR are encouraged to work, exercise and operate with theirspecialist counterparts within the regular Corps whenever possible. There are constant opportunities forFull Time Reserve Service (FTRS) for specialists within the Regular Corps.

Life as a Reservist

On earning their Green Beret following completion of Phase 1B Training, Marines join 'CommandoCompany' within their RMR units. Only on completion of Phase 2 of Basic Training are Marinesconsidered fully trained General Duties (GD) Riflemen, capable of serving with the Regular Corps onExercise or Deployment.

Commando Company Training

The purpose of Commando Company is to continue to expand and build on the Marine's individual andteam skills through further training, in order to develop Marines capable of deploying with and in aid ofthe Royal Marines Command (RMC).

Within their RMR Units Marines will train so as to consolidate their basic soldiering skills such asWeapon Training, First Aid, Signals, Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) Warfare, Physical Fitness,etc. In addition to learning and developing more advanced skills such as conducting amphibious raidsand learning how to conduct Operations in Built Up Areas (OBUA).

Throughout each year Commando Company conduct a number of weekend exercises where they aregiven the opportunity to learn and develop new skills. For example - a unit live field firing exercise,where they would employ and practise weapon drills, marksmanship and troop tactics using liveammunition. During the lead up to any exercise the Marines would normally use the week night trainingperiods to revise or learn the skills required during the forthcoming exercise.

In addition to participating in Commando Company Training within their own RMR Units, Marineshave the opportunity to attend a wide variety of training courses. For example - military parachutecourse, combat medic course, recce leader etc. They assist with the annual charitable fund raising eventthe Dartmoor Beast. [3]

Serving with the Corps

All trained ranks within the Royal Marines Reserve have the opportunity to serve with the regular Corpsanywhere in the world, on exercise or operations, whenever their time and circumstances permit. Theseperiods can vary from 2 weeks up to 6 months and provide RMR ranks with excellent scope to learn anddevelop new skills. These opportunities normally occur on a regular basis and are advertised within theRMR Units.

Further Training

The Royal Marines are trained to fight in many places where the environment is as hostile as the enemy.Members of the RMR also have the opportunity to train in these environments, either with RMR Unitsor the Corps.

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. The RAF is the oldestindependent air force in the world, formed on April 1, 1918. The RAF has taken a significant role inBritish military history since then, playing a large part in World War II, and more recently in conflictssuch as the recent war in Iraq. With some 998 aircraft and in 2006, 46,880 personnel, the RAF is thefifth largest air force in the world. It is also one of the most technologically advanced, a position that isbeing enhanced significantly with the purchase of 232 Eurofighter Typhoons. The only foundingmember of the RAF still living today is Henry Allingham at age 110.

Mission

The RAF's mission is to "Produce a battle-winning agile air force: fit for the challenges of today; readyfor the tasks of tomorrow; capable of building for the future; working within Defence to achieve sharedpurpose." This is to support the MOD's objectives, which are to "provide the capabilities needed: toensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories, including againstterrorism; to support the Government’s foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting internationalpeace and security."

History

The RAF was founded on April 1, 1918, during the First World War, by Viscount Trenchard when heamalgamated the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. After the war, the service wascut drastically and its inter-war years were relatively quiet, with only minor actions being undertaken insome parts of the British Empire.

The RAF Memorial on the Victoria Embankment, London, commemorating RAF personnel killedin the two World Wars

The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War. Under the BritishCommonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of other members of the BritishCommonwealth trained and formed squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individualpersonnel from these countries and from continental Europe also served with RAF squadrons.

A defining period of the RAF's existence came during the Battle of Britain when it held off theLuftwaffe and helped to turn the tide of the war.

The largest and most controversial RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaignagainst Germany by RAF Bomber Command. Under the leadership of Air Chief Harris, RAF forces fire-bombed Dresden, causing the death of ca. 35,000 civilians. On 3 May 1945, in the last days of the war,three ships (Cap Arcona, Thielbek, and Deutschland) were sunk in the Bay of Lübeck, after fourseparate attacks by RAF planes. Around 7,000 civilians of many nations were killed, most of themconcentration camp prisoners from the Neuengamme, Stutthof and Mittelbau-Dora camps. The RAF hassealed all documents pertaining to these attacks until 2045.

Royal Air Force badge. The RAF Motto is Per Ardua ad Astra (Latin), which translates asThrough Struggle to the Stars

During the Cold War years the main role of the RAF was the defence of the continent of Europe againstpotential attack by the Soviet Union, including holding the UK's nuclear deterrent for a number of years.Since the end of the Cold War, several large scale operations have been undertaken by the RAF,including the Kosovo War, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Structure of the RAF

The professional head of the RAF is known as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), currently Air ChiefMarshal Sir Glenn Torpy. The CAS heads the Air Force Board, which is a committee of the DefenceCouncil. The Air Force Board (AFB) is the management board of the RAF and consists of theCommanders-in-Chief of the Commands, together with several other high ranking officers. The CASalso has a deputy known as the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (ACAS); currently this post is held byAir Vice-Marshal Chris Moran.

Commands

Authority is delegated from the AFB to the RAF's commands. While there were once individualcommands responsible for bombers, fighters, training, etc, only two commands exist currently:

Strike Command — HQ at RAF High Wycombe — responsible for all of theoperations of the RAF.

Personnel and Training Command — HQ now also at RAF High Wycombe —responsible for recruitment, initial, trade training, including flying training.

Groups

Groups are the subdivisions of operational Commands, responsible for certain types of operation or foroperations in limited geographical areas. As from 1 April 2006, Strike Command is made-up of twoGroups following the disbandment of No.3 Group:

1 Group — the Air Combat Group, controls the RAF's combat fast jet aircraft,including Joint Force Harrier, and has seven airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit GooseBay in Canada, which is used extensively as an operational training base.

2 Group — the Air Combat Support Group, controls the Strategic and Tactical airtransport aircraft, the RAF Regiment, the RAF's Air to Air Refuelling aircraft as wellas ISTAR and Search & Rescue assets.

Only one group exists within Personnel and Training Command, namely 22 Group.

Stations

The RAF's roundel was adopted during the First World War. The roundel has been adopted andmodified by Commonwealth air forces, often replacing the red circle with a national symbol.

An RAF Station is ordinarily subordinate to a Group and it is administratively sub-divided into Wings.Since the mid to late 1930s RAF stations have controlled a number of flying squadrons or other units atone location by means of a station headquarters.

Wings

A Wing is either a sub-division of a Group acting independently or a sub-division of an RAF Station.

Independent Wings are a grouping of two or more squadrons, either flying squadrons or ground supportsquadrons. In former times, numbered flying Wings have existed, but more recently they have only beencreated when required, for example during Operation Telic, Tornado Wings were formed to operatefrom Ali Al Salem and Al Udeid Air Bases; each of these were made up of aircraft and crews fromseveral squadrons.

On 31st March 2006, the RAF formed nine Expeditionary Air Wings (EAW). The Expeditionary AirWings have been established to support operations. They have been formed at the nine main operatingbases; RAF Coningsby, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Kinloss, RAF Leeming, RAF Leuchars, RAFLossiemouth, RAF Lyneham, RAF Marham, and RAF Waddington. These units will be commanded bya Group Captain who is also the Station Commander. The unit is formed around the squadrons based atthe stations housing the wing, however, they are flexible and can be quickly adapted for operations anddeployment. [4]

On RAF Stations, a Wing is an administrative sub-division. For a flying station these will normally beEngineering Wing, Operations Wing and Administration Wing. Aside from these, the only Wings

currently in permanent existence are the Air Combat Service Support wings of 2 Group which providesupport services such as communications, supply and policing to operationally deployed units.

Squadrons

The term squadron (sqn) can be used to refer to an administrative sub-unit of a station, e.g. Air TrafficControl sqn, Personnel Management sqn; there are also ground support squadrons, e.g. 2 (MT) Sqn.

However, the primary use for the term is as the name of the flying squadrons which carry out theprimary tasks of the RAF. RAF squadrons are somewhat analogous to the regiments of the British army,in that they have histories and traditions going back to their formation, regardless of where they arecurrently based, which aircraft they are operating, etc. They can be awarded standards and battlehonours for meritorious service.

Whilst every squadron is different, most flying squadrons are commanded by a Wing Commander and,for a fast-jet squadron, have an establishment of around 100 personnel and 12 aircraft, but 16 aircraft forTornado F3 Squadrons.

Flights

A flight is a sub-division of a squadron. Flying squadrons are often divided into two flights, under thecommand of a Squadron Leader; administrative squadrons on a station are also divided into flights.

There are several flying units formed as Flights rather than Squadrons, due to their small size.

RAF Personnel

In 2006 the RAF employed 52,804 active duty personnel and more than 12,000 reservists.At its heightduring the Second World War, in excess of 1,000,000 personnel were serving at any one time.

Officers

Main article: RAF officer ranks

Officers hold a commission from the Sovereign, which provides the legal authority for them to issueorders to subordinates. The commission is granted after successfully completing the 30-week-longInitial Officer Training course at the RAF College, Cranwell.

The titles and insignia of RAF Officers were derived from those used by the Royal Navy, specificallythe Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during World War I. For example, the rank of Squadron Leaderderived its name from the RNAS rank of Squadron Commander. RAF officers fall into three categories:air officers, senior officers and junior officers.

Other Ranks

Other Ranks attend the Recruit Training Squadron at RAF Halton for basic training, with the exceptionof the RAF Regiment, which trains its recruits at RAF Honington.

The titles and insignia of Other Ranks in the RAF was based on that of the Army, with some alterationsin terminology. Over the years, this structure has seen significant changes, for example there was once aseparate system for those in technical trades and the rank of Chief Technician continues to be held onlyby personnel in technical trades. RAF other ranks fall into four categories: warrant officers, senior non-commissioned officers, junior non-commissioned officers and airmen.

Branches and Trades

All Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (formerly known as Navigators) in theRAF are commissioned officers.

Non-commissioned aircrew fulfil roles such as Air Loadmasters (ALM), AirSignallers, Air Electronics Operators (AEO), etc, although they are now all known asWeapon Systems Operators.

The majority of the members of the RAF serve in vital support roles on the ground.

Officers and Gunners in the RAF Regiment, which was created during World WarII, defend RAF airfields from attack. They have infantry and light armoured units toprotect against ground attack and until recently they operated surface-to-air missiles [Rapiers ] to defend against air attack - this role was given to the Royal Artillery in2005 and was taken against the wishes of the RAF, which wanted to retain andmaintain its organic ground-to-air defence capability.

The RAF Police are the military police of the RAF and are located wherever theRAF is located. Unlike the UK Civil Police, the RAF Police are armed as needed.Since 2003 the RAF Police have stop and search, arrest, and search and seizurepowers outside RAF Stations.

Intelligence Officers and Analysts of the RAF Intelligence Branch support alloperational activities by providing timely and accurate Indicators and Warnings. Theyconduct military intelligence fusion and analysis by conducting imagery andcommunications analysis, targeting, and assessment of the enemies capabilities andintent.

Engineering Officers and technicians are employed to maintain and repair theequipment used by the RAF. This includes routine preparation for flight andmaintenance on aircraft, as well as deeper level repair work on aircraft systems, ITsystems, ground based radar, MT vehicles, etc.

Fighter Controllers (FC) and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) control RAF andNATO aircraft from the ground. The FC control the interception of enemy aircraftwhile the ATC provide air traffic services at RAF stations and to the majority of en-route military aircraft in UK airspace.

Administrative Officers and associated trades perform a range of secretarial tasksas well as fulfilling training management, physical education and catering roles.

Royal Air Force Chaplains are trained by the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre atAmport House.

The Royal Air Force Medical Branch provides healthcare at home and ondeployed operations, including aeromedical evacuation services. Medical officers arethe doctors of the RAF and have specialist expertise in aviation medicine to supportaircrew and their protective equipment. Medical Officers can go on aeromedicalevacuations, providing vital assistance on search-and-rescue missions or emergencyrelief flights worldwide.

The RAF Legal Branch provides legal advice on discipline / criminal law andoperations law.

Aircraft

Many types of aircraft currently serve with the RAF, although there is less variety in the order of battleof the organisation than in previous decades due to the increasing cost of military systems. The typescurrently in the RAF inventory are listed below.

The code which follows each aircraft's name describe the role of the variant. For example, the TornadoF.3 is designated as a fighter by the 'F', and is the third variant of the type to be produced.

Strike, attack and offensive support aircraft

The mainstay of what the RAF calls its Offensive Support fleet is the Tornado GR.4. This supersonicaircraft can carry a wide range of weaponry, including Storm Shadow cruise missiles, laser guidedbombs and the ALARM anti-radar missile. The Tornado is supplemented by the Harrier GR.7 & GR.7Aand Jaguar GR.3 & GR.3A, which are used in the close air support role and to counter enemy airdefences. The Harrier is being upgraded to GR.9 standard with newer systems and more powerfulengines. The Harrier GR9 was formally accepted into RAF service in late September 06.

Air defence and Airborne Early Warning Aircraft

The Tornado F.3 is the RAF's air defence fighter aircraft, based at RAF Leuchars and RAF Leeming todefend the UK’s airspace. The Sentry AEW.1 provides airborne radar to detect incoming enemy aircraftand to co-ordinate the aerial battlefield. Both the Sentry and the F.3 have been involved in recentoperations including over Iraq and the Balkans. The Tornado, in service in the air defence role since thelate 1980s, is due to be replaced by the state of the art, Typhoon F.2.

Reconnaissance Aircraft

Variants of attack aircraft, the Jaguar GR.3/GR.3A and Tornado GR.4A are fitted with specialistreconnaissance pods and squadrons exist with both types in the reconnaissance role. The elderlyCanberra PR.9 was also used in this role for its ability to fly at high altitude for long duration sorties,however was recently retired from service. All three types are/were equipped with a range of camerasand sensors in the visual, infra-red and radar ranges of the spectrum. Providing electronic and signalsintelligence is the Nimrod R.1. The new Sentinel R.1 provides ASTOR ground radar surveillanceplatform based on the Bombardier Global Express long range business jet.

Search and Rescue Aircraft

Three squadrons of helicopters exist with the primary role of rescuing aircrew who have ejected orcrash-landed their aircraft. These are 22 Sqn and 202 Sqn with the Sea King HAR.3/HAR.3A in the UKand 84 Sqn with the Griffin HAR.2 in Cyprus. Although established in a military role, most of theiroperational missions are to rescue civilians from ships at sea, mountains and other locations.

Maritime Patrol

The Nimrod MR2 primary role is that of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface UnitWarfare (ASUW). The Nimrod MR2 is additionaly used in a Search and Rescue (SAR) role, where itslong range and extensive communications facilities allow it to co-ordinate rescues by acting as a linkbetween rescue helicopters, ships and shore bases. It can also drop pods containing life rafts and survivalsupplies to people in the sea.The already very capable MR2,will begin to be replaced by 12 NIMRODMRA4 aircraft in the next few years.The NIMROD MRA4 is described by BAE Systems as a worldleader in terms of maritime patrol platforms.

Support helicopters

An important part of the work of the RAF is to support the Army by ferrying troops and equipment toand across the battlefield. The support helicopters are organised into the tri-service Joint HelicopterCommand with Army and Navy aircraft. The large twin- rotor Chinook HC.2/HC.2A, based at RAFOdiham provides heavy lift and is supported by Merlin HC.3 and the smaller Puma HC.1, based at RAFBenson and RAF Aldergrove.

Transport and Air-to-Air Refuelling aircraft

Having refuled the former Queen's Flight in 1995, 32 (The Royal) Squadron uses the BAe 125 CC.3,Agusta A109 and BAe 146 CC.2 in the VIP transport role, based at RAF Northolt in west London. Moreroutine air transport tasks are carried out by the Tristars and VC10s based at RAF Brize Norton, bothused to transport troops and cargo, and for air-to-air refuelling. Shorter range tactical transport isprovided by the C-130 Hercules, the fleet including both older K-model and new J-model aircraft. TheRAF has leased 4 C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Boeing to provide a strategic heavy airlift capability; itwas announced in 2004 that these will be purchased, together with a further example, once the leaseexpires. The MOD as expressed a wish to buy a further 3 C-17's, but due to budget constraints the MODcan only afford to buy one each year, running the risk that the production line may be shut down beforethe RAF gets the aircraft it needs.

Training aircraft

A wide range of aircraft types are used for training aircrew in their duties. At the more advanced stage intraining, variants of front-line aircraft have been adapted for operational conversion of trained pilots,these include the Canberra T.4, Harrier T.10, Jaguar T.4 and Typhoon T.1. Advanced flying training forfast-jet, helicopter and multi-engine pilots is provided using the Hawk T.1, Griffin HT.1 and Super KingAir T.1 respectively.

Basic pilot training is provided on the Tucano T.1 and Eurocopter Squirrel HT.1, while navigatortraining is in the Dominie T.1. Elementary flying training is conducted on either the Slingsby Firefly orTutor T.1, depending on the new pilot's route of entry to the service. The Tutor is also used, along withthe Viking T.1 and Vigilant T.1 gliders, to provide air experience for Air Cadets.

Future aircraft

The aircraft operated by the RAF continue to be upgraded and improved throughout their service life. Inaddition, new aircraft to replace existing fleets or fill new roles come into service every so often.

Aircraft in development or soon to be deployed include the Airbus A400M, of which 25 are to be usedto replace the remaining Hercules C-130Ks. (Some of the C-130K fleet was replaced by 25 new C-130JHercules in 1999, 5 C-17s will be retained). A new version of the Chinook, the HC.3, with improvedavionics and increased range, was developed mainly for special forces missions. Service entry has beendelayed due to software problems and legal issues. The Eurofighter Typhoon is entering service and theRAF will be the largest operator of the type. The Typhoon will replace the Tornado F3 interceptor andthe Jaguar GR3A ground attack aircraft by 2010. The Hawk 128 will replace the existing Hawks in

service; the newer model being more similar in equipment and performance to modern front line aircraft.The ageing aerial refuelling fleet of VC10s and Tristars should be replaced with the Airbus A330 MRTTunder the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme. Problems with contract negotiations have led tounsolicited proposals for the conversion of civil Tristars or DC-10s. The Joint Combat Aircraft (theBritish designation for the F-35 Lightning II) will replace the Harrier GR.7 and GR.9. Studies havebegun regarding the long term replacement for the Tornado GR.4 (Although the Future Offensive AirSystem project was cancelled in 2005). The RAF transport helicopter force, the Puma and Sea Kings,are to be replaced by the Support Amphibious and Battlefield Rotorcraft (SABR) project, likely a mix ofMerlins and Chinooks.

RAF deployments

Country Dates Deployment Details

Lithuania 2004 Baltic AirPolicing

4 Tornado F3 for a 3 months rotation under NATOmonitoring mission

Afghanistan 2001– OperationVeritas

Chinooks provided airlift support to coalition forces.Since late 2004 six Harriers have providedreconnaissance and close air support to the ISAF.

Bosnia 1995– Merlinhelicopters

RAF enforced no-fly zones over the Balkans in thelate 1990s and participated in the NATOinterventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Today, RAFhelicopters remain to provide support to the UnitedNations.

AscensionIsland 1981– Ascension

Island Base

Used as an air bridge between the UK and theFalkland Islands. United States Air Force alsostationed at this base.

Canada 1940s–RAF UnitGoose Bay,Canada

RAF aircraft train in low-level tactical flying at CFBGoose Bay, an air force base of the Canadian AirForce.

Cyprus 1956– RAF AkrotiriLocated in the British Sovereign Base Area onCyprus, the airfield acts a forward base fordeployment of UK forces in the Middle East

FalklandIslands 1984– RAF Mount

Pleasant

Built after the Falklands War to allow a fighter andtransport facility on the islands, and to strengthen thedefence capacity of the British Forces. A detachmentof RAF Regiment provides anti-aircraft support.

Gibraltar 1940s–RAF Gibraltar No permanently stationed aircraft. RAF aircraft, e.g.Hercules transports, make regular visits.

Indonesia 2005 Support andtransport

RAF dispatched to South East Asia following the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake disaster to provide aidrelief support

Middle East 1990– VariousRAF fighters based in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait priorto and during the 1990 Gulf War, and later to enforceno-fly zones over Iraq. Following the 2003 invasion

of Iraq and the occupation of southern Iraq by BritishForces, the RAF is deployed at Basra. SH is providedin Iraq by Merlin, Puma and Chinook

Norway 1960s–Bardufoss AirStation

RAF fighter and/or helicopter squadrons undergowinter-training here most years.

Symbols, flags and emblems

Royal Air Force Ensign

Following the tradition of the other British fighting services, the RAF has adopted various symbols torepresent it and act as a rallying point for its members [2].

The RAF Ensign is flown from the flagstaff on every RAF station during daylight hours. It is hoistedand hauled down by station duty staff daily. The design was approved by King George V in 1921, aftermuch opposition from the Admiralty, who have the right to approve or veto any flag flown ashore or onboard ship.

British aircraft in the early stages of the First World War carried the Union Flag as an identifyingfeature, however this was easy to confuse with the German Iron Cross motif. Therefore in October 1914the French system of three concentric rings was adopted, with the colours reversed to a red discsurrounded by a white ring and an outer blue ring. The relative sizes of the rings have changed over theyears and during World War II an outer yellow ring was added. Aircraft serving in the Far East duringWorld War II had the red disc removed to prevent confusion with Japanese aircraft. Since the 1970s,camouflaged aircraft carry low-visibility roundels, either red and blue on dark camouflage, or washed-out pink and light blue on light colours. Most uncamouflaged training and transport aircraft retain thetraditional red-white-blue roundel.

The Latin motto of the RAF, "Per Ardua ad Astra", is usually translated as "Through Adversity to theStars". The choice of motto is attributed to a junior officer by the name of J S Yule, in response to arequest from the first Commander of the RFC, Colonel Sykes, for suggestions.

Royal Air Force fin flash (non combat version)

The badge of the RAF, shown at the top of this article, is in heraldic terms: "In front of a circle inscribedwith the motto Per Ardua Ad Astra and ensigned by the Imperial Crown an eagle volant and affrontyHead lowered and to the sinister." It was approved in 1923 based on a design by a tailor at Gieves Ltd ofSavile Row, although the original had an albatross rather than the eagle and was surrounded by a garterbelt rather than the plain circle.

In 2006 a flash was designed and issued to personnel with the same design as the tail panel for wear oncombat clothing. It is 45mm squared. There is also a badge to go over the right chest pocket with the textROYAL AIR FORCE in black capitals on a green background. There is no desert pattern available.

The RAF also has its own tartan. Designed in 1988, it was only officially recognised by the Ministry ofDefence in 2001. It is used by the RAF Pipes Band and may be worn by Officers serving at Scottishunits with their No.5 HD Mess Dress.

Royal Auxiliary Air ForceThe Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) is the volunteer reserve part of the Royal Air Force. Itconsists of volunteers who give up some of their weekends to train at one of a number of Squadronsaround the United Kingdom

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force owes its origin to Lord Trenchard's vision of an elite corps of civilianswho would serve their country in flying squadrons in their spare time. Instituted by Order in Council on9th October 1924, the first Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) squadrons were formed the following year.

World War II

By September 1939, there were 20 Flying Sqns, equipped with a variety of operational aircraft whichincluded Hurricanes and Spitfires; there were also 47 Balloon Squadrons. These AAF Squadrons scoreda number of notable successes before and during World War ll: the flight over Mount Everest, the firstGerman aircraft destroyed over British territorial waters - and over the mainland, the first U-boat to bedestroyed with the aid of airborne radar, the first kill of a VI flying bomb; the first to be equipped withjet-powered aircraft, and the highest score of any British Night Fighter Sqn. In the Battle of Britain, theAAF provided 14 of the 62 Squadrons in Fighter Command's Order of Battle and accounted forapproximately 30% of the accredited enemy kills. The Balloon Squadrons also played their part,downing and deterring many hostile aircraft and were accredited with the destruction of 279 VI flyingbombs.

Cold War

These achievements were honoured by the prefix Royal conferred by King George VI in 1947. Eventspost WWII heralded a time of great danger for the UK. The onset of the Cold War with the CommunistBloc leading to the Berlin Air Lift and ultimately the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. Duringall these crises the RAuxAF fighter squadrons, and other RAuxAF units, played their part in the UK's airdefenceand participated in many NATO air exercises. In 1951, at the height of the Korean War, all 20RAuxAF fighter squadrons representing one third of Fighter Command strength were called up forthree-months full-time service. They were required for home defence in place of regular squadronsearmarked for deployment to Korea. In the event RAF fighter squadrons were not needed in Korea, butthe RAuxAF squadrons were retained for intensive refresher training at their home bases

The 10 March 1957 saw the disbandment of all 21 Royal Auxiliary Air Force Flying Squadrons and alsothe Light Anti-Aircraft Squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment. In the following twoyears or so, the Auxiliary Fighter Control Units associated with them were also disbanded. On the 16March 1960, the Air Commodore-in-Chief and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,invited the Squadron Commanders and Flight Commanders of all the disbanded Royal Auxiliary AirForce units to a Reception at Buckingham Palace. (All were given a letter from the Air Commodore-in-Chief and this is reproduced below)

The renaissance of the RAuxAF began in 1979 with the formation of three Regiment Field Sqns, andcontinued with a Movements Sqn in 1982, and, following lessons learned during the Falklands conflict;

an Aeromedical Evacuation Sqn in 1983. A more recent addition, in 1987, was an auxiliary element(The Grampian Troop) formed within a regular RAF Regiment Rapier Air Defence Sqn. Another stepforward was taken in 1986, with the raising of four Defence Force Flts with the role of ground defenceof key points on air bases. In 1984, the RAuxAF's Diamond jubilee was marked by the award to theService of its own badge, which forms the basic motif of the Sovereign's Colour for the Royal AuxiliaryForce presented by Her Majesty the Queen in 1989. The words of the badge motto COMITAMUR ADASTRA - We go with them to the stars.

Gulf War and beyond

During the Gulf War in 1991 the Aeromedical and Movements Sqns performed with great distinction intheatre and at other locations in the UK and overseas.

During 2003 the RAuxAF was involved in the first large-scale mobilisation for over 50 years. More than900 people, over 70% of its trained strength, were called into full-time service and were deployed tosupport RAF operations in Cyprus, Kuwait, Iraq and the Falkland Islands, as well as those in the UK.The RAuxAF enjoyed its 80th anniversary during 2004 and Lord Trenchard's vision has been amplyvindicated by its achievements spanning the years. Whilst the Auxiliary concept has moved away fromthe provision of Flying Sqns, the professional skill, enthusiasm and esprit-de-corps of his young men ofthe twenties and thirties are matched by the men and women who constitute the RAuxAF of today

Personal letter from Queen Elizabeth

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

I have welcomed this opportunity of taking leave of the Commanding Officers and senior Auxiliaryofficers of the squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force which are being disbanded and of sendingthrough them this message of appreciation and thanks to all their officers, airmen and airwomen.

The history of the Auxiliary Air Force has been a glorious one. The first Auxiliary squadrons wereincluded in the Air Defence of Great Britain in 1925. By the outbreak of war in 1939 the Auxiliaryfighter, coastal and balloon squadrons formed an integral and vital part of our forces. It was aircraft ofthese squadrons which shot down the first enemy bomber over this country; and Auxiliary squadronswere heavily engaged in the air over Dunkirk and throughout the Battle of Britain. Later they were towin battle honours over the Atlantic, in Malta, North Africa, Sicily and Italy, the Arakan and Burma,and in Normandy, France and Germany.

After the war, the fighter squadrons were reconstituted as the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and thetraditional spirit of voluntary service found new outlets with the formation of Regiment, Air OP, FighterControl and Radar reporting Units, some of which are to remain in being and provide furtheropportunities for voluntary service.

The association of the Force with my family has always been close. I was proud to become HonoraryAir Commodore of Nos 603, 2063 and 3603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadrons in 1951 and to succeed myfather as Honorary Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1952. Members of myfamily have always treasured their association with Auxiliary squadrons as Honorary Air Commodores.

I wish as Air Commodore-in-Chief to thank officers, airmen and airwomen of the Royal Auxiliary AirForce for all that they have given to the service of the country by their enthusiasm, their spirit and theirdevotion to duty in peace and war. It is a sad day when it is necessary to tell so many that it is no longerpossible to use their services on the duties they have assumed so willingly. I wish them to know thatthey can look back with pride and satisfaction to service well done.

16 March 1957 Elizabeth R

RAF RegimentThe Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is a specialist corps within the Royal Air Force,responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. Effectively, its membersare the RAF's soldiers. Members of the Regiment are known within the RAF as 'Rock Apes' or 'Rocks'and the corps itself is simply known as 'The Regiment'. In the past the nickname 'Rock Ape' has beenattributed to their traditional role guarding areas of Gibraltar, but this is not so. The term came into useafter an accident in the Western Aden Protectorate in November 1952. Two Regiment Officers servingwith the APL at Dhala decided to amuse themselves by going out to shoot some of the baboons (locallyreferred to as rock apes). The Officers drew rifles and split up to hunt the apes yet in the semi-darknessone of the Officers fired at a moving object in the distance. When he reached the target he discovered hehad shot the other Officer. After emergency treatment Flight Lieutenant Mason survived to return toservice a few months later. When asked why he had fired at his friend by a board of inquest the Officerreplied that his target had 'looked just like a rock ape' in the half light. The remark soon reverberatedaround the RAF and it was not long before the term was in general use.

Organisation and current role

The RAF Regiment comes under command of 2 Group, Strike Command. Its members are organisedinto ten regular squadrons. There are three Ground-Based Air Defence squadrons. These are responsiblefor defending airfields and other high value assets against air attack and are equipped with Rapiervehicle-portable surface-to-air missiles. The remainder of the regiment consists of nine Field squadronsincluding three Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) squadrons, responsible for defending againstground attack. Whilst apparently similar to British Army infantry, they are trained, equipped andmanned to deal with the requirements of protecting high value air assets during operations across thespectrum of conflict. They are particularly equipped with a range of direct and indirect fire systems andspecialist surveillance and night vision equipment. Unlike the infantry, each member of a field squadronis required to master a wide range of skills that include covert observation and target acquisition, anddismounted close combat. The unique nature of air operations is such that RAF Regiment personnelmust have a specific understanding of its requirements in order to ensure that the tactics, techniques andprocedures employed do not disrupt those operations. Additionally, because air bases are fixed andsupporting elements are unable to redeploy quickly, field squadrons must engage an attacking adversaryat the earliest opportunity to prevent air operations from being disrupted. This requires RAF Regimentpersonnel to operate in small groups and to be trained and prepared to engage the adversary in combatfrequently without the level of support that would be commonplace on an infantry battlegroup.

Field Squadrons employ a tactic of aggressive defence, seeking to dominate the wider area around thestation by mounting observation posts and employing patrols to locate and neutralize the enemy before itcan come within striking distance. Field Squadrons are divided into Flights, which are larger than anarmy platoon. Each squadron contains several Rifle Flights, whose task is to engage and destroy theenemy at close range, and a Support Weapons Flight, which provides fire support to the Rifle Flights byusing machine guns, mortars, portable anti-tank weapons, and snipers.

The Ground-Based Air Defence Squadrons are 108 strong and the field squadrons are 166 strong(increasing soon to 171 strong) making them considerably larger than an infantry company in the army.

All RAF Regiment personnel are male, in line with the British Government policy that women cannotserve in front line close-combat units. There are approximately 2,000 regular airmen (i.e. Other Ranks),300 regular officers, and 500 reservists. Since 1990, the RAF Regiment has taken part in operations inAfghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, Northern Ireland, SaudiArabia and Sierra Leone. Furthermore, RAF Regiment officers have been seconded as United NationsMonitoring Officers in support of UN peace-keeping mission in places such as Iraq, Cambodia andRepublic of Georgia. RAF Regiment units have frequently been tasked to form part of Army and otherformations to make use of their specialist skills and 51 Squadron RAF Regiment

Specialist squadrons and units

The Royal Air Force Regiment

Badge of the RAF Regiment

Active 1 February 1942-Present

Country United Kingdom

Branch Royal Air Force

Type Ground Defence

Role Ground Defence/Low Level AirDefence

Size 10 Squadrons

Part of Royal Air Force

Garrison/HQ No 1 Sqn - RAF ST MawganNo 2 Sqn - RAF HoningtonNo 3 Sqn - RAF AldergroveNo 15 Sqn - RAF HoningtonNo 16 Sqn - RAF HoningtonNo 26 Sqn - RAF WaddingtonNo 27 Sqn - RAF HoningtonNo 34 Sqn - RAF LeemingNo 51 Sqn - RAF Lossiemouth

No 63 Sqn (QCS) - RAF Uxbridge

Nickname The Rock Apes

Motto Per Ardua (Through Adversity)

March Quick - Holyrood

Commanders

Air Commodore-in-Chief

HM The Queen

Insignia

Tactical RecognitionFlash

I Squadron took part in the Berlin Airlift, the 1991 Gulf War, and the 2003invasion of Iraq.

II Squadron is a parachute-trained Field Squadron which is capable of inserting byparachute and securing forward airfields, a capability that was used during OperationPalliser in Sierra Leone in 2000.

3 Squadron is a Field Squadron deployed to guarantee the security of RAFAldergrove and Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland.

27 Squadron is a specialist unit that forms half of the Joint CBRN Regimenttogether with 1st Royal Tank Regiment.

In addition, the Regiment has a ground extraction unit attached to No. 28Squadron RAF, which provides Combat Search and Rescue teams to recover downedRAF Aircrew.

51 Squadron also took part in the 1991 Gulf War, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 63 Squadron, known as the Queen's Colour Squadron, is a Field Squadron which

represents the RAF at high profile ceremonial occasions (including mounting theQueen's Guard at Buckingham Palace), and is also responsible for guarding theQueen's Colour of the Royal Air Force. It was formerly purely a ceremonialsquadron, the Queen's Colour Squadron (with no number), with no other duties, but ithas now become a fully fledged field squadron.

The RAF Regiment provides training teams for all RAF stations, which areresponsible for training station personnel in Force Protection and operationaldeployment skills.

The Regiment is also responsible for the Defence CBRN Centre at WinterborneGunner which trains personnel from all 3 services and the civilian police in CBRNdefence skills. It also provides CBRN specialist advice and support to otherorganisations.

RAF Regiment personnel man a number of Tactical Air Control Parties, including3 in the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade. These parties contain RAF RegimentForward Air Controllers who are responsible for directing fire support from fast jetattack aircraft in support of ground combat forces.

A handful of RAF Regiment personnel are deployed as part of the tri-serviceSpecial Forces Support Group which provides support to the United Kingdom SpecialForces.

History

The genesis of the RAF Regiment was with the creation of No 1 Armoured Car Company RAF in 1921for operations in Iraq, followed shortly afterwards by Nos II and 3 companies. These were equippedwith Rolls Royce Armoured Cars and were highly successful in ground combat operations throughoutthe Middle East in the 1920s and 30s. The RAF Regiment came into existence, in name, on 1 February1942. From the start it had both field squadrons and light anti-aircraft squadrons, the latter originallyarmed with Hispano-Suiza and Bofors automatic cannon. Its role was originally purely defensive, butlater in the war it took on offensive tasks such as capturing enemy airfields and frequently worked asline infantry in all theatres of war. Several parachute squadrons were formed to assist in the capture ofairfields and the recovery of downed aircrew, and No II Squadron retains this capability. 284 FieldSquadron was the first RAF unit to arrive in West Berlin in 1945, to secure RAF Gatow.

World War II recruiting poster

The Regiment has a museum at RAF Honington near Bury St Edmunds. The RAF Regiment frequentlymounts the King's Guard/Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace, Windsor Castle andthe Tower of London, with the first occasion being on 1 April 1943.

During World War II, the RAF Regiment grew to a force of 66,000 men in 280 Squadrons of 185 meneach (each squadron including five officers). Each squadron consisted of a Headquarters Flight, threeRifle Flights, an Air-Defence Flight, and an Armoured-Car Flight. The flights were grouped togetherinto Wings as needed. It also operated six Armoured Car Squadrons to provide an area response

capability to several RAF stations. Light Armoured Squadrons, equipped with FV101 Scorpion andFV107 Scimitar light tanks, continued to be operated into the 1980s.

Formerly the RAF's firefighters were also members of the RAF Regiment, although they are nowindependent of it.

Further information on the history of the RAF Regiment:

'Through Adversity' by Kingsley M Oliver

Recent news

On 12 July 2004, it was announced by Geoff Hoon that the RAF Regiment will relinquish the Ground-Based Air Defence role as the threat from air attack had diminished. This role will now only be carriedout by the Royal Artillery, and the four RAF Regiment squadrons will be disbanded by 1 April 2008.The four squadrons to be disbanded are:

15 Squadron (March 2008) 16 Squadron (March 2007) 26 Squadron (March 2008) 37 Squadron (March 2006)

However, as part of the same re-organisation, it was announced that the RAF Regiment would make uppart of the new Ranger unit, designed to support the Special Forces. It is estimated that the RAFRegiment will supply approximately 100 members of this unit. In addition, a large number of personnelfrom the disbanding squadrons will be employed on other specialist tasks. The Special Forces SupportGroup was declared operational in April 2006.

As a result of the deletions of the GBAD squadrons, No 3 Squadron and No 63 (QCS) Squadron willeach receive an additional 40 personnel, in order to match their operational capabilities with the fourother field squadrons, while another two Force Protection units have been formed (No 5 FP Wing atLossiemouth and No 6 FP Wing at Leuchars). In addition, No 1 Squadron is to be moved from RAF StMawgan to RAF Honington, which will result in No 2625 Squadron, RAuxAF Regt also beingdisbanded.

Current RAF Regiment units

Field Squadronso 1 Squadrono II Squadron (Parachute)o 3 Squadrono 34 Squadrono 51 Squadrono 63 Squadron (Queen's Colour Squadron) Ground Based Air Defence Squadronso 15 Squadron

o 16 Squadrono 26 Squadron NBC Squadronso 27 Squadron (Joint NBC Regiment) Other Unitso Force Protection No 1 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 2 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 3 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 4 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 5 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 6 RAF Force Protection Wing HQo Combat Recovery Ground Extraction Force, E Flight, No 28 (AC) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment Squadronso 2503 Squadron (Ground Defence)o 2620 Squadron (Ground Defence)o 2622 Squadron (Ground Defence)o 2623 Squadron (CBRN)o 2625 Squadron (Ground Defence)

Royal Air Force PoliceThe Royal Air Force Police (RAFP), also called the RAF Provost Branch or Scuffers, is the militarypolice branch of the British Royal Air Force. It was formed on 1 April 1918, when the RAF was formedfrom the merger of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It isresponsible for policing the RAF and its installations.

Members of the RAFP are distinguished by their white-topped caps (giving rise to their nickname of"Snowdrops"), which they have worn since 1945, and black/red/black flashes worn below their rankslides, known as "Mars Bars". Unlike their Army colleagues in the Royal Military Police, they do notwear a distinctive red beret when wearing camouflaged uniform, although they do wear the same red'MP' flashes on the sleeve of their uniforms.

Organisation and current role

The RAF Police is headed by a Provost Marshal, who until recently held the rank of Air Commodore.The RAF Police have recently undergone a period of downsizing in line with reductions across the RAFin both manpower and aircraft. The Provost Marshal now holds the rank of Group Captain, with an AirCommodore of the RAF Regiment being in overall charge of security for the RAF. The Provost Marshalis assisted by other Provost Officers (formerly known as Assistant Provost Marshals - APM), who are incharge of the RAF Police on a unit level and are responsible for advising the Station Commander on allaspects of policing and security.

There is a detachment of RAFP on most RAF stations. Usually it is a flight, commanded by a FlyingOfficer or Flight Lieutenant (as OC), with either a Flight Sergeant or Sergeant as Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) RAFP (sometimes referred to as the "Sheriff"). A Warrant Officersometimes commands a police flight in place of a commissioned officer, or acts as second-in-commandin a larger flight.

Larger stations may have a security squadron, with a Squadron Leader in command as OfficerCommanding (OC) Security, who is also responsible for the general security of the station. The securitysquadron may also encompass a flight of RAF Regiment personnel. The police flight in such a squadronis usually commanded by a Flight Lieutenant as OC RAFP, with a Flight Sergeant as SNCO RAFP.

The RAF Police also fulfills the RAF's counter-intelligence (CI) role, similar to that carried out by theBritish Army Intelligence Corps. They provide specialist counter-intelligence and computer securitysupport. Unlike their Intelligence Corps counterparts, who tend to specialise in a particular area, RAFPolice CI specialists are trained in all aspects of the counter-intelligence field. Computer security (CSy)is a further specialisation within the CI field and personnel trained to this level are expected to performall CI and CSy related tasks.

The modern station RAF Police flight may operate shifts, but these are usually only involved incommunity policing and are normally commanded by a Corporal (larger shifts may require a Sergeant).Some stations with large airheads may also operate shifts for Air Transport Security (ATSy). The policeflight will normally consist of a Community Police Section, a Special Investigations Section

(investigators trained specifically for criminal investigations - known as SI), and a CI Section. Thespecial investigations role is undergoing a restructure that is centralising the task. In future specialinvestigations will be handled by regional teams that will replace the station SI sections.

Specialist units

Outside the unit level, the RAFP also has its own Special Investigation Branch (SIB) for theinvestigation of serious crime. This is effectively the RAF's version of civilian police CriminalInvestigation Departments. This is known as the Specialist Police Wing (SPW), and is split into fourgeographical regions covering the United Kingdom and Germany. This section of the RAFP is alsoresponsible for forensic investigation through the RAF's own Forensic Science Flight. SPW is alsoresponsible for the Counter Intelligence Field Force.

The RAFP also has a tactical deployable wing known as the Tactical Provost Wing, whose major role isforward policing and Line Of Communication Policing (LoCP) in conflict zones. The TPW was heavilyinvolved in the recent Gulf conflict.

Additionally, the RAFP operate a large Police Dog Section from a number of RAF bases.

Training

RAF Police are now trained at the Defence Police College, Southwick Park, along with the Royal NavyService Police and Royal Military Police.

The RAF Police were previously trained at RAF Halton. Until the late 1980s, training took place at RAFSt Athan, whilst RAF Police dog handlers were trained at RAF Newton.

TPW training includes:

police exams/assessments driving (on and off road) weapons training Lines of Communication Police training Air Transport Security Baton and handcuff training Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare

Personnel are also required to maintain good physical fitness and this is tested yearly.

Royal Auxillary Air Force (Police)

3 Suadron, Tactical Provost Wing is based at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire and is part of RAF Provostand Security Services (P&SS).

During 2005 elements of 3 TPW deployed on exercise with Territorial Army units of the Royal MilitaryPolice to Poland for Exercise Uhlan Eagle.