British Army Unveils Most Radical Transformation In Decades

[Bob Bacon]

The British Army has unveiled ‘Future Soldier’ today, its most radical transformation programme in over 20 years.

Following on from the Integrated Review and the significant increase in defence spending announced by the Government last year, Future Soldier demonstrates how the Army is modernising to address next-generation threats across the globe.

This will be bolstered by an additional investment of £8.6 billion in Army equipment over the next ten years. This will bring the total equipment investment to £41.3 billion for that period.

Alongside investment in our people, infrastructure, emerging technologies, and cyber capabilities, Future Soldier will position the Army as a globally engaged fighting force that benefits the whole of our Union.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“Future Soldier is reinforced by the ambition outlined in the Defence Command Paper to transform the Army into a more agile, integrated, lethal, expeditionary force.
“We have underpinned this generational work with an extra £8.6bn for Army equipment, bringing the total investment to £41.3bn.

“Our Army will operate across the globe, equipped with the capabilities to face down a myriad of threats from cyber warfare through to battlefield conflict.”

Commander Field Army Lt Gen Ralph Wooddisse said:

“Future Soldier is the next evolutionary step for the British Army; the most radical change for the British Army in 20 years. It will mean changes to the way we operate our structure, technology, and workforce.

“This will make us leaner, more agile and adaptable. Future Soldier is about ensuring the British Army is a competitive and resilient organisation able to meet the challenges of modern warfare.”

Ranger Regiment

One of the most significant changes is the creation of a new Ranger Regiment. Standing up from 1 December 2021, the Regiment will embody the Army’s new expeditionary posture. It will form part of the newly established Army Special Operations Brigade and will be routinely deployed alongside partner forces around the world to counter extremist organisations and hostile state threats.

This shift to a globally engaged posture will mean more personnel are deployed for more of the time, with a new network of Land Regional Hubs based on existing training locations in places such as Oman and Kenya.

The Ranger Regiment’s cap badge will take its inspiration from the Peregrine Falcon and everyone will wear a metal badge, irrespective of rank.

Modernised Warfighting

Another key pillar of Future Soldier is ensuring the Army is a central contributor to NATO warfighting by delivering a fully modernised warfighting division by 2030, with capabilities designed to detect and defeat at greater range and accuracy.

New equipment such as Ajax, Boxer, Challenger 3, AH-64E Apache, long range precision fires and un-crewed aerial systems will be introduced, while much of the fighting force will fall under new self-sufficient Brigade Combat Teams.

To ensure land forces adapt at a rapid pace to challenge future threats, a new Experimentation and Trials Group will be established in 2022, leading on trialling new technologies and integrating them into how soldiers will fight and operate. The Army will also benefit from a significant share of the £6.6 billion R&D investment.

Our people

Creating an Army fit for the future will see some restructuring and reorganisation of units over the next four years, which will be supported by a rebalancing of personnel across the United Kingdom. The Regular Army will stand at 73,000 strong by 2025 and combined with an Army Reserve of 30,000, the British Army will stand at over 100,000.

The proportion of the Army based in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be sustained or increased by 2025, and this will be reinforced by around £3.35 billion from the Defence Estate Optimisation budget and a further £1.2 billion of Army investment in remaining sites.

Scotland

Scotland will be home to more units and a greater proportion of the Army’s workforce than today. Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh will be retained, while Kinloss and Leuchars will continue to grow. The £355 million investment in the Army estate will deliver over a £1 billion of economic benefits to Scotland.

Wales

The number of soldiers in Wales is set to increase with the return of the ‘Welsh cavalry’, The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, and a new Reserve company of The Royal Welsh established in North Wales. The retention of Brecon and growth in Wrexham locations are part of a £320 million investment.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland will keep the same number of Army units but host a greater proportion of the Army’s workforce.

Reservists will play a pivotal role in the modern Army, taking principal responsibility for Homeland Protect and Resilience operations.

[Bob Bacon]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. In March, the Government announced the Integrated Review (IR) which set out a vision for promoting Global Britain in a more competitive age. Over the coming years, the British Army will experience considerable change as it transforms to meet future challenges. Today, the Future Soldier announcement lands, detailing how the Army will restructure in the next four years to realise the IR vision.

2. The 1st Battalion will redesignate as a Mechanised Infantry unit on the Boxer platform and will remain based in Lucknow Barracks, Tidworth. As one of five Boxer units, the Battalion will rotate through Cyprus with the other Mechanised units for 2 years in a ten-year cycle. Structurally, the unit remains similar to its current organisation, with the addition of an Army Reserve Warfighting Increment, drawn from our 3rd Battalion, building on the strong pairing that already exists. This is a positive step for the Battalion, and the Regiment, offering a new role and unique opportunities for our soldiers and officers from both the Regular and Reserve components.

3. The 3rd Battalion remains a Reserve Light Role unit and will benefit from the re-establishment of A Company, which will be based once again in Hightown Barracks, Wrexham. This cements our Regimental firm base in all corners of the nation and is something members of the 3rd Battalion, past and present, have worked hard to achieve. They will have an even more important role in helping to deliver the Army’s operational outputs overseas and at home. They will also continue to work hard to enhance the Regiment’s local engagement and ensure we maintain our rich and historic connections to Welsh communities.

4. The Future Soldier announcement will probably have landed with very few surprises for the Royal Welsh. It will be an interesting and exciting period for the Regiment with a new vehicle to become familiar with, as well as the resulting doctrine that will follow; the re-establishment of A Company, 3 R WELSH; and the establishment of a Warfighting Increment to come from the Army Reserve.

5. In sum, the Royal Welsh emerges the IR in strength. There will be plenty of opportunities to exploit, exciting career prospects for soldiers and officers alike and the chance of operational experiences and personal fulfilment. As the Regimental Associations, you are the forebears of our Regiment and I trust I can count on you to support the future of the Royal Welsh.

Lieutenant General JFP Swift OBE
RHQ The Royal Welsh, Maindy Barracks, CF14 3YE
Download the Integrated Review Letter Here

[Keith Jones 989]

We should not be investing ANYTHING in Scotland, as long as the SNP government is advocating a second independence referendum. Anything we do spend will cost many BILLIONS to unravel.

[jones20]

6 thousand jobs are created by having our subs in faslane if the Scot’s go that can’t stay there 6 thousand jobs need to come South,but we will have to see

We should not be investing ANYTHING in Scotland, as long as the SNP government is advocating a second independence referendum. Anything we do spend will cost many BILLIONS to unravel.