Army 2020 in detail: Royal Artillery

Previous parts:

1 - Force Troops Command and Royal Engineers

2 – Royal Signals

3 - Royal Artillery

The following tables show the intended restructuring that the regular regiments of the Royal Artillery are to undergo as part of Army 2020. The information dates back to December 2012, and reports on the shape of the force as decided in September 2012. A number of changes had already taken place by that point, with some of the batteries of the disbanded 40th Regiment RA having been re-subordinated to other regiments. The changes outlined in the tables give the final intended Army 2020 structure of the Royal Artillery.

Despite the time that has passed, the information should still be valid in its entirety. Several of the changes outlined in the tables have already happened, others are underway. The fate of 29 Commando Royal Artillery should include the survival of all its batteries, but with a rather savage cutback in manpower: the three gun batteries seem to only line 12 guns in total, or four guns each, down from a normal figure of six. The regiment, according to a note from the commander, had been asked to modify its ORBAT to account for a reduction in manpower going as far up as 20%. The effect of the cut, however, was somehow softened by the uncomfortable truth that the regiment already was understrenght, so the number of redundancies was kept to a minimum.

For a long while, 148 Battery sat on the edge, about to be removed from the ORBAT, but it was eventually saved, thanks to the resistance put up by Royal Marines command and Navy HQ.

Possible further changes beyond those outlined here might come in the training regiment and in the various batteries employed in the training role as the Royal Artillery plans out the future.

The restructuring of 12 Royal Artillery regiment appears confirmed by the Force Troops Command document, which confirms that there will be three Stormer HVM batteries, one aligned with each of the armoured infantry brigades. The third battery on Stormer will be obtained by the re-roling of the current HQ Bty. A new battery identity, coming out of suspended animation, goes to the new HQ for the regiment.

16 Regiment Royal Artillery restructures on four Rapier batteries, and the two regiments share 42 Battery as an air defence support element.

49 Battery remains independent, as the user of the LEAPP system.

The Reserve will no longer supply Rapier formations, but 106 RA will instead deliver two reserve Stormer HVM (295 and 457 Bty) batteries and one LML battery (265 Bty).

Of particular interest is the evolution of the UAS force, which is already switching away from its current campaign posture, meant to support the enduring operations in Afghanistan, to a new structure aligned to the Army’s new shape.

This probably means that at least one battery will lose its “full spectrum” capability to focus only on mini-UAVs. Currently, the batteries are structured to include T-Hawk detachments for the support to EOD work in the Talisman convoys; Desert Hawk III detachments in support of both bases and mobile forces; and Hermes 450 task lines.

The force continues to support operation Herrick, and is also working towards consolidating in Larkhill, with 47 Regiment transferring from its current home in Thorney Island. 47 Regiment RA will move from Thorney Island to Larkhill in the summer, between June and July. 43 Battery is indeed already based in Roberts Barracks, Larkhill, and the rest is to gradually follow.

10 Bty, 47 Regiment also is about to deploy to Afghanistan for Herrick 20, and it seems that they will bring with them one Watchkeeper task line, for the first ever operational use of the new tactical UAS. In the meanwhile, the UAS personnel have seen their tours sized at four months, which means that personnel from the two regiments is rotated in and out of theatre regardless of the battery that is deployed in that specific moment. Personnel rotate under directions coming from the central management, and it is thus pretty normal to end up de-linked from the parent battery for periods of time.

It is very reassuring to see that the UAV force made up by 47 and 32 Regiments will express a powerful capability, spread over six “flying” batteries of unmanned air systems, plus two HQ batteries and a shared support battery.

Three UAS batteries will be aligned with the reaction force armoured infantry brigades, and are likely to retain the full spectrum structure. They will get Warthog vehicles modified to act as carriers for the Desert Hawk III detachments, and they will also have Viking vehicles carrying the ground tactical node of the Watchkeeper system.

Two more support the Adaptable Force, and hopefully will maintain the full-sprectrum structure as well. 21 (Gibraltar 1779-83) Battery, in the Very High Readiness air assault role appears likely to shift to a mini-UAV only role, more realistic to deploy in earnest, possibly from the air and with as little logistical footprint as possible, although I can’t confirm this at present. The battery so continues to be directly aligned with 16 Air Assault brigade, for which it once provided air defence with the Starstreak LML missile system. The air assault, very high readiness air defence role has now moved out to 12 (Minden) Battery in 12 Regiment, instead. 

The Integrated UAS Batteries as shaped by the Afghanistan experience. Note to the equipment detail: Desert Hawk III and T-Hawk are both being brought into core budget. It is almost certain that Black Hornet will also be retained. Black Hornet is the only army UAS that is employed by infantry instead of RA specialists.

 

Another interesting element is the STA force, 5 Regiment RA. The regiment is to have its batteries changed to align them to the Reaction Force. One battery looks set to be “lighter” than the others, as 53 Bty is to be configured to provide STA support to 16 Air Assault Brigade in the very high readiness air assault role. It is probable that the battery will bear greater similitude with the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron of 30 Commando IX than to the other three STA batteries of 5 RA, which will be heavier and include a full range of capabilities to support the three armoured infantry brigades.

These batteries will employ MAMBA, as well as the lightweight counter mortar radar, and the plan appears to include the retention of some of the CORTEZ base-ISTAR equipment, including the large surveillance aerostats. I read time ago that Royal Artillery and RAF Regiment were collaborating on base-ISTAR equipment, including the aerostats, and it makes a lot of sense: it would be very interesting to get fresher and more detailed information about this.

Unfortunately, there won’t be five “ready-to-go” STA batteries with the same, complete range of capabilities, which puts another problem on the planning schedule for a possible future enduring operation, and unfortunately the Adaptable Force misses out completely on having a STA formation aligned with its brigades. Support for training and for future deployments will thus present some serious challenges, in a repeat of the problem already evidenced in ICS support.

There used to be two reserve batteries in the STA role, but it appears that there will be none under Army 2020, as the existing batteries are converting to GMLRS.

The Honourable Artillery Company remains, however, on three squadrons providing additional covert special observation patrols for the reinforcement of 4/73 Sphinx battery.

It is also finally confirmed that the intended structure of the Adaptable Force Artillery Regiments, 3^rd RHA and 4^th RA, includes only two Light Gun batteries, and a doubled complement of Fire Support Teams, in two (three, even, in 4^th Regiment) TAC batteries instead of the canonic one. It seems clear that the idea is that regulars are better employed in the demanding FST role, while reserves from the paired regiment can provide additional guns. 3^rd RHA is paired with 105 RA, while 4^th RA is paired with 103 RA. It seems to remain the plan that, for reasons of geographical convenience, 3^rd RHA will also support 101 RA, the Reserve GMLRS regiment, despite the different roles and equipment of the two units. 

Each of the two Reserve light gun regiments has four gun batteries. 

The Royal Artillery reserve regiments under Army 2020

 

The changes to the Air Assault artillery regiment, 7^th Royal Horse Artillery, have taken place as planned, and the remaining gun batteries have taken up the equipment and role of the gone Aviation TAC Gp Battery, bringing it into smaller but full-capability packages that can rotate in support of the airborne task force at high readiness.

The structure of the Reaction Force artillery regiments is also confirmed, with three AS-90 batteries supported by a GMLRS (and Exactor) precision fire battery.

The future will tell if the Fire Shadow loitering ammunition will find a long-term place in the Army beyond the 39 Regiment’s Troop which has taken it for evaluation and trials. 

ARMY 2020 in detail: Royal Signals

Previous parts:

1 - Force Troops Command and Royal Engineers


The Royal Signals have completed their planning work for the changes to the corps stemming from the Army 2020 cuts. I had written already months ago about much of the major changes, at regiment and brigade level, but much was still uncertain back then, including the fate of the many, many squadrons re-subordinating to different regiments, re-roling, disbanding etcetera. Now a far greater level of detail is available.

The structure of the Royal Signals is based on the two signal brigades, but several elements sit under different HQs

The entire Corps is on this slide, including signal troops assigned to NATO and to the EOD Group. Yellow text denotes Reserve element 

The document produced by the MOD months ago about the restructuring of the Reserves had provided a good overview of the changes to reserve sub-units, but many regular squadrons have moved and are moving around between formations.
For example, all the brigade signal squadrons are being removed from the brigades and brought into the five multirole signals regiments (MRSRs). The tables that follow show the fate of the regular squadrons.

Multi Role Signal Regiments and 216 Signal Squadron

216 Signal Squadron is the only brigade squadron which does not leave its supported unit. It continues to be a part of 16 Air Assault brigade, and it stays unders its direct OPCON. It is also the only signal formation retaining a Life Support role for a deployable HQ.
3rd Commando Brigade has its own ICS and Life Support elements, provided by 30 Commando IX, and so sits outside of this analysis. 

The Multi Role Signal Regiments are born out of the experience of the Campaign Signal Regiments deploying in support of operation Herrick. Communications and information management have grown in size and in importance in recent times, and the diverse range of needs of a brigade engaged in complex operations means that the old signal squadron is definitely insufficient to cover all requirements. The MRSRs are all taking up on systems such as FALCON, to be able to build up the necessary network of communications and information systems needed to run combat operations in theatre.
The reduction in manpower, however, has constrained the restructuring effort, and has forced a number of decisions. Most notably, the removal of the brigade HQ signals squadrons, and the dropping of the life support role for said HQs. While it makes sense to observe that ICS specialists, precious and expensively trained and much needed in their core roles should not be wasted on life support tasks, but this is nonetheless a requirement that is not going away. It will have to be met somehow with the restructuring of brigade and division level deployable HQs, and it works to demonstrate the pressure the army has to deal with.

Worth of note is that the Air Support Signal Regiment (21 Sig Regt) is definitively losing its AS role. Communications support for Joint Helicopter Command will now be delivered by the lone 244 Signal Squadron (AS), which is being transferred to 30 Sig Regt.

The key weak point in the whole construction is the complete absence of signal regiments aligned with the Adaptable Force. In the words of the Corps' Colonel:

ICS and EW support to the Adaptive Force. No dedicated ICS or EW assets reside within the Adaptive Force to support the maintenance of Institutional Resilience; however, capacity within the MRSRs should allow for some support to be made available if Collective Training to maintain Institutional Resilience is properly programmed. The force generation mechanism for an enduring operation will need to take account of the lean availability of expeditionary ICS and EW force elements. Support to the AF, in homeland roles, will be found principally from the R SIGNALS Reserve.

The Adaptable Force risks being very short on Signals elements to support training, and the key problem is that it will be short of ICS and EW support when the time comes to eventually deploy, as well. As i pointed out multiple times in the past, the ability of the Adaptable Force to provide, as planned, two brigades for two out of the five tours needed on rotational basis to support an enduring operation while respecting harmony guidelines is questionable. The supports are the key, and the supports have suffered cuts that put the target very much at risk.
The MRSRs will have to somehow squeeze out of their resources a package of ICS services for the deploying adaptable brigades, and this might prove to be a real problem. This is a huge weakeness of the whole Army 2020 construct.
I find it surprising, and yet depressingly normal, that the (most likely hopeless) calls for more defence investment following the wake up call of events in Ukraine have focused on "more brigades". Cap badges are, as always, the obsession of the day. Supports rarely, if ever, get mentioned, and yet they are the real, critical weakness of Army 2020.
The Army already has more brigades than it can support, and arguably more brigades than it needs. The problem is that most of these brigades are paper tigers, simple containers of (very small) infantry battalions.
If there's one weakness that needs fixing, is in the supporting area.


Support to ARRC and JRRF

 As said earlier, 30 Regiment is to assume responsibility for the Air Support Signal Squadron as well.


Training, EW, 3rd level Support

Other critical areas include the availability of ECM and Electronic Warfare. Both have proven invaluable and indispensable on operations, and are most definitely going to have crucial importance in the future. Even so, they can't escape cutbacks. Most notably, 14 Signal Regiment, Electronic Warfare, is to lose its fifth squadron, stood up in 2012 (better late than never...) to support the enduring deployment in Afghanistan. Again, this cut represents a serious limitation to the army's effective capability of facing a complex enduring deployment in the future.
As a little item of good news, 14 Regiment has resumed preparing airborne-capable Light EW Teams (LEWT) for the high readiness airborne task force. The Royal Marines have their own EW capability in Y Sqn, 30 Commando IX.


Special Forces 

The regiment should survive with no squadrons lost. I've added the list of squadrons as lat publicly known.


Reserve Signal Regiments and pairing arrangement

The four reserve regiments to remain after the cuts and restructuring provide support to the five regular MRSRs, and retain the Strategic Communications role in 2nd Signal Squadron.
The pairing works as follows:

37 Regiment (R) is asked to support two regular regiments at once.

As already evidenced by decisions made in other areas (es. Engineering), the key weakness of the Adaptable Force is the shortage of supporting units. It remains my belief, as i've been saying for a long time now, that if the Army high officers had been given a truly free hand, they would have taken different decisions, cutting back further on the infantry to ensure a more balanced final output.
Some of these weaknesses are the result of the somersaults that defence chiefs have had to make to obey Dave's order of seeing no more than five infantry battalions losses, and no regiment badge loss.

The result is an army which, despite claims of the contrary, is most evidently not balanced across its parts. The final capability output, to be measured in truly deployable brigades (infantry battalions are awesomely flexible and useful, but on their own they mean relatively little) is disappointing. It is probably the best that could be done given the political limits posed to the plan, but it is most likely not the best use of a given force of 82.000 regulars.
Politics and the need to have a significant number of "spare" infantry battalions to rotationally cover a huge public role liability and a large presence in Cyprus pose a significant challenge to the building up of an army that would otherwise have the chance to genuinely adapt to battlefield considerations and probably express six full deployable brigades (3 Heavy, 3 medium / light role) plus the air assault brigade at high readiness.



Sources: Royal Signals Journal - March 2014

Royal Signals "The Wire" magazine - December 2013

Army 2020: regiments, roles, ORBAT

I must warn you all that the ORBAT described and visualized in this article cannot, for a whole range of reasons, be definitive. The Review of the army reserve has not yet been announced, for example, so we don't yet know the identity of the TA formations and, even if the roles and general positions have been announced, there might still be changes to come. There are also some residual uncertainties about the regulars, of course: for example, while it has not yet been clearly stated, i do not think that the Foxhound-mounted battalions will deploy to Cyprus with their vehicles, as someone suggests after reading the documents released so far by the MOD. I think the Foxhound vehicles will remain in Catterick and Cottersmore, and will be used by the battalions posted to the two garrisons.
Other uncertainties regard the integration of some regular and reserve elements into hybrid formations (details to follow later) and, of course, late changes to plans: for example, 299 Signal Squadron (Special Communications) had been announced as part of the restructured 11 Signal Brigade, but at the end of the day it was actually resubordinated to 1 Signal Brigade instead. There might be more rethinks to come.

However, thanks to the good source documents i used, i believe that this ORBAT is the most accurate currently available outside of the Army's restricted circles.

Source: Uploaded by user via Gabriele on Pinterest

This ORBAT includes the Reserve units, which, under Army 2020, are no longer kept in separate Brigades and Divisions but, as we know, are integrated into the Regular structure. The ORBAT also includes the Army units deployed overseas, the forces of the overseas territories (Bermuda Regiment, Royal Gibraltar Regiment, Falklands Islands Defence Force) and the army units commanded by other HQs (air defence units, for example, which are under the control of Air Command). Reserve units can be identified by color and, of course, by the indication (Volunteers) or (V).

Excluded from the ORBAT are the training units such as 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, or 11 Regiment Royal Signals (Royal School of Signals). I took the decision to exclude these formations because the ORBAT looks already crowded as it is. In addition, admittedly, i've been trying to work out the exact chain of command for the training units but i've not yet quite managed to work it out. While most Army training units report to the 3-star Commander Force Development and Training at Andover, there are exceptions and complications due to "jointery" of various nature: for example, the Royal School of Signals (11 Signal Regiment) reports to No 22 (Training) Group Royal Air Force  as part of the Defence College of Communications and Information Systems (DCCIS).
Thanks also to how horribly outdated the MOD's websites usually are, map out the changes and restructurings and draw on paper the current structure is, if you ask me, immensely complex.

NOTES TO THE ORBAT: 

16 Close Support Medical Regiment is the only medical regiment directly assigned to a brigade. It looks almost certain  that it will maintain 144 (Parachute) Medical Squadron (Volunteers) as part of its structure.

The Scots Guards will be in the Heavy Protected Mobility role (mechanised infantry mounted on Mastiff) in the Reaction Force "at least until 2019". The idea is that the rotation of the Guards battalion is organised so to enable a battalion to spend a full six years in the Heavy Protected Mobility Role. At any one time, two more guards battalions are assigned to 11 Infantry Brigade (Adaptable Force), with one of them mounted on Foxhound (Light Protected Mobility). The remaining two battalions, posted to Windsor and Hounslow, are engaged in Ceremonial/Public Duties and respond to London District HQ (2-star).

The London Regiment (TA) is shown under London District. Take this with more than a bit of salt, because i suspect it will actually respond to 11 Infantry Brigade, but could not find anything in support of my guess, for the moment.

16 Air Assault Brigade used to be under Joint Helicopter Command, but all documents released by the MOD suggest that it will be now resubordinated to 3rd (Reaction) Division.

The two Logistic Brigades (101 and 102) are assigned to the Divisions, with the Logistic Support Brigade (104) assigned to Force Troops.

The assignment of the TA infantry and cavalry to the different brigade HQs is currently only my educated guess. For sure we only know that 4 PARA will respond to 16 AA brigade, with the remaining 13 infantry battalions assigned to the Adaptable Force. The ORBAT shows a likely structure, based on geography and on the long-standing assignment of the battalions to the various regional brigades.

The reserve Medical Squadrons in 102 Logistic Brigade are currently shown as indipendent units, but i actually think they are likely to be assigned to 2 and 3 Medical Regiments.

We are also told that there will be four reserve Close Support engineer squadrons in the Adaptable Force. Apparently, they will be assigned to 21 and 32 Engineer Regiments, which will each lose a regular squadron, giving them a 2-regular, 2-reserve squadrons structure.

The Reaction Force logistic brigade is to include 2 reserve REME Force Support battalions. I've guessed their identity, and i'm relatively confident that 104 REME is going to be in the Reaction Force. But, again, it is a guess.
Added to 5 Force Support REME battalion (regular), the 2 reserve battalions cover the whole of the 3 Armoured Infantry brigades of the Reaction Division. There are also going to be 3 Transport Regiment of the RLC TA component.

102 Logistic Brigade will have 4 reserve Force Support REME battalions, 2 supply and 2 transport regiments, plus a Fuel Support regiment, widely expected to be 152 (Ulster) Transport Regiment, properly reconfigured.
A number of TA Transport Regiments are set to disband, apparently, since there are currently 9, and the future requirement is given as 5 plus the Fuel Support Regiment.

The reserve artillery units are located, alongside the regulars, under 1st Artillery brigade. There will be two Light Gun regiments (down from 3), 1 STA regiment (Honourable Artillery Company, i'm betting) and 1 GMLRS regiment (will it continue to include STA batteries as well?).
There is also going to be a reserve Air Defence regiment (106 RA), almost certainly to be directly subordinated to Joint Ground Based Air Defence, under Air Command.
My guess for the reserve UAV regiment (104 RA) is that it will follow the regular units with the same role and resubordinate under the Intelligence brigade.

The Air Defence Units are all relocating to Thorney Island, and the command is consolidated under RAF Air Command. Included in the Joint Ground Based Air Defence force is the 49 (Inkerman) Battery, in charge of the LEAPP (Land Environment Air Picture Provision) system. As of early 2013, the battery is manned jointly by army (roughly two thirds) and RAF. A quick overview of LEAPP is available, among with other information regarding the artillery, in this older article.  

8 Force Engineer brigade's structure is tricky. There is little available information about its future shape. My guess is that the current Groups (12 (Air Support), 29 (Land Support) and 170 (Infrastructure) will all remain.
29 Group is mostly known for being the EOD centre of excellence, but it will likely take on 36 Regiment (Force Support) and one or more of the TA regiments in the Force Support role.
39 Regiment, the second force support regular regiment, is notoriously the Air Support formation, so it is under 12 Group, but under Army 2020 there is a possibility that its land support role will expand too. Currently, two TA regiments are in Air Support role (71 and 73 regiments), which means having two thirds of the TA Force Support element dedicated to airfields: i wouldn't be surprised if this changed.
29 Group will command 11 (EOD) Regiment RLC and the Military Working Dogs regiment as well. The reserves are expected to contribute with 4 Search squadrons and 2 Military Working Dog squadrons, probably integrated into the relevant regular regiments.  
My guess is that a new Group will be formed as the Close Support engineer regiments are moved into the brigade. Once, there were Divisional Engineer Groups: under the 1998 SDR, for example, the assumption was that 1st and 3rd Division would each have an Engineer group comprising one Force Support regiment (28 and 36) and a Close Support regiment for each brigade.
Now, i expect that all Close Support regiments will be grouped together under a new Group.

The Royal Engineers will also contribute 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic) to Joint Forces Command. The regiment will be an integrated formation, including the reserve squadron 135.
The formation will transfer to Wyton, under the command of the 3-star Joint Forces Intelligence Group (one of many components of Joint Forces Command), which also controls the Joint Services Signals Organisation, which includes some 200 Royal Signals posts. The Army also contributes to the Defence HUMINT unit. 

A similar path has been chosen by the Royal Signals, in fact, with 11 Signal Brigade: as the signal regiments move in, the brigade will be divided in two Groups (7th and 2nd), with the first holding the five regular Multi-Role signal regiments and the second comprising the specialist regiments and the TA formations.
4 TA Signal Regiments are planned, a reduction from the current five. 251 Squadron (V) will be taken into 10 Signal Regiment.
There will also be 3 TA Specialist Technical Support Signal Squadrons.

The number of Military Intelligence battalions in the reserve will double, from 2 to 4. There will also be a  Special Military Intelligence company.

The Medical Brigade will benefit froma substantial reserves contribution: 3 medical regiments, 10 field hospitals, 1 hospital support regiment and the MEDEVAC Group.

The Security Assistance Group's structure is not yet set entirely in stone, but it is currently planned to include the Military Stabilisation Support Group, the 15 Psychological Operations Group and the Defence Media Operations Group.

The Military Police brigade will command all provost companies, which will be centralised in three homogeneous regiments comprising a TA contribution of 3 MP companies.
Doubts in this area include the fate of 156 Provost Coy, the Military Police unit of 16 Air Assault Brigade. I think it might well remain were it is, judging from what happened with all other brigade support elements: all maneuver brigades lost their CS and CSS elements to Logistic and Force Troops brigades, but 16AA retained its signal squadron, its artillery, its medical, REME and Logistic support formations.
Another doubt is about the position of the Military Provost Staff units: initially it seemed like the new Military Police brigade HQ would somehow include the 1-star Provost Marshal HQ, but now it seems both 1-star posts will continue to exist, with the MPS and MPGS units assigned to the Provost Marshal and the RMP to the Police Brigade. The Provost Marshal will also control the Special Investigation Branch RMP and the Special Operations Unit RMP.


104 Logistic Support Brigade will include several TA elements, such as the Catering support regiment and the reserve Port & Maritime Regiment (165 Regt).
It will also have an integrated Postal Courier & Movement regiment, which suggests that the current 88 P&C and 162 Movement Control regiments will merge.
The Pioneer regiment is set to share the fate of the last regular Pioneer regiment and disband, becoming history.

Another mistery is the effective role, usefulness and stance of the 2-star "UK Support Command" created after the SDSR to replace the Regional Division HQs.
This HQ is the son of a plan which pre-dates the 82.000 regulars figure introduced in the summer of 2011: it was originally part of a plan which called for 94.000 regulars in five multi-role brigades (plus 16AA brigade) in two regular Divisions and up to 10 regional brigades in support, controlled by the UK Support Command.
Inside Army 2020, this command now seems redundant, but apparently it remains planned. HQ London District also remains, and Cyprus stays as a 2-star command as well. In my opinion, none of this is actually necessary.  

The Roles of the TA under Army 2020 as disclosed so far by the Army

Anyway, as always, i will work to keep this article and you all up to date about the next moves and changes. I also plan to eventually put together an "alternative Army 2020" plan showing how i would have organised things had i been in general Nick Carter's place, because on several aspects i do disagree with this plan.


Official document showing basing, roles and subordinations of the regular army units: http://www.aff.org.uk/latest_news_information.htm#rebasing

Some more info arrives

The Army has released a new, brief pack of information:

The Army of 2020 will be an adaptable and integrated structure that is broken into two forces: a Reaction Force and an Adaptive Force that are both supported by Force Troops.

The Reaction Force will provide the lead Armoured Infantry Battle Group and the lead Airborne or Air Assault Force to provide a rapid reaction war fighting/deterrent capability.
It will consist of three Armoured Infantry Brigades and 16 Air Assault Brigade under the command of a divisional headquarters. Each Armoured Infantry Brigade will have three manoeuvre units: a type 56 tank regiment and two armoured infantry battalions. They will also have a heavily protected mobility infantry battalion, and an armoured cavalry regiment which will be able to task organise with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The Reaction Forces will also have 101 Logistic Brigade under their command for logistic support.

The Adaptable Force will be a pool of Regular and Reserve forces held at lower readiness. They will provide further capacity when required and be able to generate additional brigade-sized forces for enduring operations. However, more routinely these soldiers will carry out wider engagement overseas to help to build capacity in friendly nations’ armies, and fulfil the UK’s standing garrison tasks in Brunei, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands. In addition, these troops will be responsible for public duties and state ceremonial tasks.
Adaptable Forces will encompass seven Regular infantry brigades, paired with a Reserve unit, reporting to a divisional headquarters. How these paired forces will be deployed will depend on the operational requirement, but the Reserves could make up as much as 30 per cent of a deployed unit in an enduring operation, whereas simple operations could have the Reserves deployed as a complete battalion.

Like the Reaction Force, the Adaptable Force will have its own logistic support provided by 102 Logistic Brigade, which will be predominantly made up of Reserve troops.

Force Troops will support both of these forces. They will consist of an Artillery brigade with supplementary Fire Support Teams, and an Engineer Brigade that will integrate the Explosive Ordinance Disposal squadron in response to the improvised explosive device threat of the modern battlefield. It will also include the Medical Brigade, and 104 Logistic Support Brigade, which might take on the Joint Force Logistic Support role.
In addition, there will be two Signals brigades, one of which will include five multi-role signals regiments providing Information Communication Support, together with a newly created non-deployable Surveillance Brigade under a 1-star headquarters. Furthermore, there will be a newly created Security Assistance Group pulling together the soft effect capabilities of the Military Stabilisation Support Group, 15 Psychological Operations Group and potentially Media Operations Group.

"This is not something that will be delivered overnight, and indeed it is going to take till 2020 for it to be fully implemented," said Lieutenant General Nick Carter, "but the capabilities of the structure we have created is one that we have measured against the hardest threat we could have to fight in the future."

I'm proven right on 104 Logistic Brigade surviving the cut, as i wrote yesterday, and the 5 Theatre Support Signals Regiments are also a pretty official reality.
My guess is that the other Signals brigade will get the "specials", so 10, 14(EW), 15, 22 and 30 Regiments.

The Artillery brigade also seems to be heading in the path i expected it to go: it will probably contain the 5 Fires regiments. However, this new release makes me think that Fire Support Teams will be removed from the single Fires regiments and centralized on their own, and assigned for deployment each time. For the non-initiated, the Fire Support Teams are 6-man squads capable to direct Mortar, Artillery and Air Attacks against the enemy, and they are the british answer to the ANGLICO squads of the US Marines, which so impressed the british army during operations in Iraq in 2003.

The Engineer Brigade will take over the EOD force (squadron...? Weird term, and rather scary, but EOD capabilities shoud be ringfenced, so no worries) and, i believe, will actually centralize the 5 Engineer Regiments, which will be pulled away from the frontline brigades and assigned for deployment/training exercises.

The news release does not really make clear what the Surveillance Brigade is. The non-deployable attribute bugs me, but i actually think that none of the 1-Star Force Troops HQs will be deployable. The units within each brigade will be.
I stand by my guess that the Surveillance and Intelligence brigade will bring together Royal Artillery UAVs and Intelligence Battalions.


Interesting bit of information on the Security Assistance Group, too, which will bring together the Military Stabilization Support Group with the PsycOps group and the Media Operations Group.

The MSSG was formed on 1st April 2009, following 8 months of successful training and operations. Soon after its formation the Group provided vital support to Operation PANTHERS CLAW in Afghanistan, for which it was awarded the Firmin Sword of Peace.

The MSSG current establishment consists of 65 Regular staff drawn from across the three services, up to 60 individual augmentees and 115 reserves predominately from the TA, but also from the RAF Reserves. The Group operates from Its Headquarters at Gibraltar Barracks, Camberley and delivers training and doctrinal responsibilities out of Corunna Barracks – Ludgershall, Tidworth.

The Group answers to the task of Military Assistance to Stabilisation and Development (MASD) to ensure that the Armed Forces have the capability to support stabilisation and reconstruction efforts after war operations.
The new task formally recognised that the Armed Forces should plan and conduct operations to help stabilise and reconstruct in those locations where the security situation is too difficult to allow civilian agencies to work alone. MASD has three defined requirements: Military Assistance to Civil Effects (MACE), Military Capacity Building (MCB) and Cultural understanding and specialisation. MACE is the working term used to describe the tactical level military capability which assists civilians in the delivery of Civil Effect (CE).



The MSSG mission is to prepare and deliver MACE Planning Teams and functional specialists capable of providing stabilisation support to all deployed Formation and Battlegroup HQs in order to contribute to Permanent Joint Head Quarters (PJHQ) and Joint Task Force (JTF) operational capability.

It does make sense to bring together the MSSG and the Psyops and media group, it should better enable the british forces to interact with foreign populations both during peacekeeping and stabilization operations and during "upstream engagement" efforts during peacetime.


Reading on ARRSE forums, it also seems that RAC personnel was briefed about the 4 Territorial Army regiments being all re-roled to Light Cavalry, as i expected. 

I'm trying to get even more info, so stay tuned for further updates as they come!