Mil News UK Integrated Review 2021

[Fluff]

Disagree.

E3 binned early - replaced by only 3 E7. Not enough. Minimum 2 year gap between them.
C130Js were good till 2035 after rewing boxing. Loads of life left.
22 A400s can't do the same as ~15 Js and maintain their current tasklines.
Loads of niche things the A400 can't do that vanish with the J, plus it's too big.
Protector to be 16 - at the last review was at least 20.
25 T1 typhoons binned. Still have a use as red air and QRA.

Agree on the E7 - Putin is currently asking his air force if they can get a 4th Bear in the air......

Hopefully they will do a top up order...Some mention of operating with the Nato awacs, so maybe they have a plan? 3 really suggest we only have one gap to cover.

Transports, I just think something has to go, so the Herc's fall out, due to the commitment to A400. The problem you get is that they said the A400 would be fine for everything, and now they cant go back on that.

16 protectors is pretty good, again maybe a top-up in a few years.

Pretty sure someone will buy the Typhoons, and again something has to go, hopefully allowing more F35, which perversely came as a Harrier 'replacement' and becomes a Tornado replacement.

 

[Fluff]

Speaking of that new Ranger Regiment, I didn't realise that designation had a tradition in the British military.

This entire reform has an unusual air about it. In a day and age when everybody seems to want to refocus on all-out conventional war again, the Johnson administration prefers a more expeditionary approach me thinks.

There is a comment on the Navy page, that we join the USMC in the Pacific.

And really if you take a UK view, there is a lot of Europe between us and Russia.

So support for Poland, Estonia etc, rather than us actually deploying an armoured Div.

But I'd still like to see this sort of strategy explained, and some depth given to it, I.e. a store of tanks, a tank school for Poland in the UK(because in a war they wont be able to train anyone), an ammo factory on standby, etc.

So based on the last 30 years, expeditionary is indeed it.

There is a bit of Salami slicing, but overall its not bad. A big focus on at least building the kit in the UK, and we do seem to pick some good bits, like NLOS.

 

[BravoZulu]

The size of the Army is to be reduced to 72,500 soldiers by 2025 as part of a move towards drones and cyber warfare.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said "increased deployability and technological advantage" meant greater effect could be delivered by fewer people.
He set out plans for new capabilities such as electronic warfare and drones in the Commons.
Labour has warned that "size matters" when it comes to defence.
Announcing a major overhaul of the armed forces, Mr Wallace said it marked a shift from "mass mobilisation to information age speed", insisting they must be able to "seek out and understand" new threats to the country's security.
He said the government was increasing the UK defence spending by £24bn over the next four years.

Mr Wallace said it was tempting to use the "shield of sentimentality" to protect "outdated capabilities" but doing so would put lives at risk.

• Defence reforms 'will help make UK match-fit'
• UK to lift cap on nuclear stockpile after review
• What is happening to the size of the Army?

The Army currently has 76,500 personnel and has not been at its "established strength" of 82,000 troops since the middle of the last decade, Mr Wallace said.
"These changes will not require redundancies and we wish to build on the work already done on utilising our reserves to make sure the whole force is better integrated and more productive," he said.
Shadow defence secretary John Healey warned that while "threats to Britain are increasing" the plan was for "fewer troops, fewer ships, fewer planes, over the next few years".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56477900

 

[BravoZulu]

The size of the Army will be at its smallest since 1714 - with just 72,500 regular soldiers.
The number of tanks will be cut from 227 to 148 upgraded ones. The RAF will lose 24 of its older Typhoon jets and its fleet of Hercules transport aircraft. And the Royal Navy will be retiring two of its older frigates early before new ones come into service.
All this while the government says the threats are rising.
There will certainly be some pain before the armed forces experience the gains of extra investment. But there will be more money to invest in new technologies like robots and drones - and to compete in the domains of space and cyber.
The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, told MPs that his plans would equip the armed forces to fight the wars of the future.
They may be very different to what we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan. Small teams of troops will be sent all over the world to train and assist partner nations with the focus on conflict prevention.
British forces should be better able to counter cyber attacks and disinformation - the new front line of the so called "greyzone" now being exploited by Russia and China.
But defence chiefs still insist that a smaller armed forces would be able to pack a punch in any serious conflict.
The armed forces are being asked to match the government's "Global Britain" ambitions. But opposition parties, and some allies, question whether Britain's military can really do more with less.

As part of the military restructure, the Royal Marines will be transformed into a new Future Commando Force, taking on many of the traditional tasks of the special forces - the SAS and SBS (Special Air Service and Special Boat Service).
The force will receive more than £200m of direct investment over the next decade to carry out maritime security operations and to "pre-empt and deter sub-threshold activity, and counter state threats".
Space is another area of investment with the Ministry of Defence to prioritise more than £6.6bn for research and development over the next four years.
Numerous aging RAF planes will be retired, as will the oldest Chinook helicopters, while Navy frigates and destroyers drop from 19 to 17 in the coming years.
A third of the 227 Challenger tanks will be scrapped, with the rest of the fleet being upgraded at a cost of £1.3bn.
Among other changes announced:

• the Army will reorganise into seven brigade combat teams
• a newly formed Security Force Assistance Brigade will provide skills to build capacity of partner nations
• a £2bn investment in the Future Combat Air System over the next four years
• £1.5bn to be invested over the next decade to build a "digital backbone" to share and exploit vast amounts of data
• the creation of the National Cyber Force based in the North West of England

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56477900

 

[muck]

Interestingly, the leaks earlier this month were rather spot-on.

 

[BravoZulu]

The UK Royal Air Force will retire its fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130J/C-130J-30 Hercules transport aircraft earlier than planned, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) disclosed on March 22.

According to the Defence Command Paper released the week after the UK’s Integrated Review, the RAF’s one remaining short-bodied C-130J C5 and 13 long-bodied C-130J-30 C4 variant Hercules airlifters are to be withdrawn from service in 2023, some 12 years earlier than planned.

 

[Royal]

That's the worst bit of it - with the possible exception of the 3 E7s...

A400's just too bloody big for TLZs

 

[downsizer]

Thats not the only reason they shouldn't go either.

 

[BeNder]

Wow, so the Brits will be down to 198 tanks? When they say scrapped, I hope at least that they will put them in storage.

 

[digrar]

I'm assuming 4 Battalions are getting re-rolled and re-named, they won't be raising new units?

Army announces Special Ops Army Ranger Regiment

The British Army is establishing a special operations Brigade, the core of which will be four battalions of the new Ranger Regiment.

www.gov.uk

Army announces Special Ops Army Ranger Regiment​

The British Army is establishing a special operations Brigade, the core of which will be four battalions of the new Ranger Regiment.
From:Ministry of Defence

Published:23 March 2021

Over the next four years a share of £120-million will be invested into the unit, enabling it to undertake roles traditionally carried out by Special Forces. They can be expected to be involved in collective deterrence such as training, advising, enabling and accompanying partner forces.
Alongside special operations, a further Brigade will be established. The Security Force Assistance Brigade to provide guidance and training to allied partner nations and draw expertise form across the army.
Elements of each Brigade will be routinely deployed across the globe to assist partner nations in delivering defence and security.
The Ranger Regiment seeded from four Infantry Battalions and will be at the core of our frontline expeditionary posture.
In addition to the Rangers, the Security Force Assistance Brigade will provide guidance and training to allied and partner nations. It will contain specialised infantry units with the ability to draw personnel and expertise from across the Army.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:

The best way to prevent conflict and deter our adversaries is to work alongside partners to strengthen their security and resilience. These Ranger battalions will be at the vanguard at a more active and engaged armed forces.

Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith said:

The Army Special Operations Brigade is designed to operate alongside both regular and irregular partners and proxies in high-threat and hostile environments.

Consisting of four specialist battalions, the Army Ranger Regiment will be the vanguard of the Army’s global footprint.

This announcement follows the publication of the Integrated Review earlier this week. The Integrated Review is the most comprehensive articulation of a defence, foreign and national security approach published by a British Government in decades.
As part of the Integrated Review, the army will modernise to form a more agile and integrated force able to exploit defence’s network across the globe delivering vital capabilities in the most-contested environments.
The Defence Command Paper was published on 22 March and outlines further details on how defence will adapt and modernise to meet future threats.

 

[Royal]

Yes and no.

The Ranger/USSF comparisons are complete BS. This is just a name/profile change for the exisiting Specialised Infantry Group units, apart from both having a FIDF role there is no comparison.

 

[muck]

A400's just too bloody big for TLZs

The irony being that in France and Germany, two other A400M operators have just bought C-130's for that very reason. I can only assume the idea behind that plan is the British Army's focus on the Boxer. The Hercules can't carry that thing, it takes an Atlas for that.

 

[BCNTM]

Just had an e-mail from the Conservative party

Official Briefing: Delivering for Defence

Today I was joined by the Prime Minister onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest and most powerful surface vessel ever constructed in the UK. The Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is due to embark on its maiden operational deployment as the flagship of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group this weekend. This ambitious deployment is Global Britain in action, taking place over 28 weeks, transiting over 26,000 nautical miles, and interacting with over 40 countries in over 70 engagements.

But after an exceptionally busy 18 months at the Ministry of Defence, this historic Carrier deployment is only one of the ways we have delivered on the Prime Minister’s pledge to put national security first and keep Britain safe. 10 ways your Conservative Government is delivering on Defence:

Record investment in British Defence: In November the Prime Minster set out a £24.1 billion cash investment in Defence over the next four years. This was a £16.5 billion increase above the manifesto commitment, exceeding our NATO commitment and giving us an unprecedented opportunity to modernise our Armed Forces, making them fit for the threats of a more competitive age and the opportunities of a Global Britain.

	The most ambitious modernisation programme since The Cold War: This March we published Defence in a Competitive Age, which set out our plan to deliver modernised, threat-focused, and sustainable Defence for the United Kingdom. We are radically transforming our Armed Forces into a fighting force fit for the threats of the future.

	A new operating approach: We are developing new doctrine, new operating methods, and new capabilities to allow our Armed Forces to be more versatile and flexible in order to operate in environments beyond a traditional conflict zone. Our forces will be more integrated, as well as more persistently engaged overseas.

	A new National Cyber Force: This new specialist agency is being created in partnership between the Ministry of Defence and GCHQ to transform the UK’s cyber capabilities. Their cyber operations will range from countering terror plots to disrupting hostile states or criminals and supporting military operations.

	Protecting our troops from Vexatious claims: The Overseas Operations Act became law this April delivering on our manifesto commitment to tackle repeated investigations that undermine our Armed Forces. We continue to support the Northern Ireland Office with their plans to address the legacy of the Troubles and deliver on our commitment to Northern Ireland Veterans too.

	Enshrining the Armed Forces Covenant in law: Our service men and women really are our finest asset, that’s why as part of the Armed Forces Bill we are enshrining the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant into law to ensure that housing, education and health care providers have to take into account the unique pressures of service life.

	Security for shipbuilding: We are doubling our investment into the shipbuilding pipeline with it rising to over £1.7bn a year in the life of this Parliament. We’ve committed to growing the Royal Navy surface fleet to 24 frigates and destroyers by 2030.

	A thriving Defence Industry: We’ve set out a new strategy to ensure that the UK continues to have a competitive, innovative and world-class defence and security industry, that drives investment and prosperity across the Union, and delivers us military advantage through science and technology.

	A Space Command for the 21st Century: Ensuring that our Armed Forces will be able to operate in all domains, we are launching a new joint space command structure this year, developing a Space Academy to develop the skills and training of our Defence space specialists and investing around £6.6bn into space over the next decade.

	COVID Support Force: Defence has provided record levels of people and expertise to other parts of Government as part of the pandemic response. We set up a COVID Support Force which contributed towards the vaccine roll-out, hospital support, the national testing effort, and local and national planning.

I am in no doubt that this package of threat-driven modernisation, backed by record funding and underpinned by a commitment to match genuine money to credible ambitions for the first time in decades, will keep us safe and will continue to do so in the years ahead. Yours sincerely,

Ben Wallace Defence Secretary

 

[Royal]

What a load of bollox

 

[BCNTM]

What a load of bollox

I was going to put it in the joke thread

Ben needs a helmet?

 

[Mike1976]

What a load of bollox

A whole lot of words to say "Meh who really cares".

 

[uktabber]

YES mates, this is CRAP!!