The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, 2014–2015

Charles Heyman

• Publisher: Pen & Sword History
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781473842816
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Modern History
• Index: History

This book has been published at regular intervals during the last 20 years, and the latest 2014 2015 addition is the one that deals with the most far reaching changes the UK Armed Forces have gone through for a generation. Although the UK's Armed Forces

CHAPTER 1 – THE MANAGEMENT OF DEFENCE

GENERAL INFORMATION

Populations – European Union – Top Five Nations

Germany	80.5 million
United Kingdom	64.2 million
France	63.8 million
Italy	59.6 million
Spain	46.9 million

Note: The above are the latest European Union (EU – 2013) estimates. The total estimated EU population is 498 million (27 countries). This compares with the population of the United States (315 million) the population of China (1,300 million), India 1,200 million and Russia 143 million.

UK Population – 63.2 million

(2011 census figures)

England	53.0 million	Wales	3.1 million
Scotland	5.3 million	Northern Ireland	1.8 million

Figures rounded to the nearest whole number.

UK Population Breakdown – Military Service Groups

(2011 census figures)

Age Group	Total
0–14	11 million	5.4 million	5.4 million
15–19	4 million	1.8 million	1.8 million
20–24	4.3 million	1.8 million	1.8 million
25–29	4.3 million	1.8 million	1.8 million
30–64	24.3 million	14.5 million	13.9 million

Age Group	Total
0–14	11 million
15–19	4 million
20–24	4.3 million
25–29	4.3 million
30–64	24.3 million

There are 5.6 million males and 5.4 million females in the 0–14 age group and 20.7 million males plus 20.9 million females in the 15–64 age group.

Figures rounded to the nearest whole number.

UK Area (in square kilometres)

England	130,423
Wales	20,766
Scotland	78,133
Northern Ireland	14,160
Total	243,482

Note: Comparisons include Germany 356,854 sq kms and France 550,000 sq kms. The total area of the European Union is 4,324,782 sq kms. The United States is 9,826,630 sq kms; Canada 9,984,670 sq kms; China 9,640,821 sq kms India 3,166,414 sq kms and Russia 17,098,242 sq kms.

GOVERNMENT

The executive government of the United Kingdom is vested nominally in the Crown, but for practical purposes in a committee of Ministers that is known as the Cabinet. The head of the ministry and leader of the Cabinet is the Prime Minister and for the implementation of policy, the Cabinet is dependent upon the support of a majority of the Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. Within the Cabinet, defence matters are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Defence.

National Security Council This council is where the UK Government decides on the national defence and security objectives and the best way in which these objectives can be met using national resources. The National Security Council is chaired by the Prime Minister, and generally meets weekly with representation from across the major Departments of State. The Secretary of State for Defence attends as does the Chief of the Defence Staff when the need arises.

MILITARY TASKS AND DEFENCE PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS OF THE UK’S ARMED FORCES

The latest Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) stated that the contribution of the UK Armed Forces to the national security effort is defined by a number of Military Tasks (MT) and Defence Planning Assumptions (DPA).

Military Tasks

The seven military tasks are:

Defending the UK and its Overseas Territories

Providing strategic intelligence

Providing nuclear deterrence

Supporting civil emergency organisations in times of crisis

Defending the UK’s interest by projecting power strategically and through expeditionary intervention

Providing a defence contribution to UK influence

Providing security for stabilisation

Defence Planning Assumptions

These assume that in the future the UK Armed Forces will have the size and shape that will enable them to conduct operations of the following type:

An enduring stabilisation operation at around brigade level (possibly up to 6,500 personnel) with maritime and air support as required, while also conducting:

One non-enduring complex intervention (up to 2,000 personnel), and
One non-enduring simple intervention (up to 1,000 personnel):

or alternatively:

Three non-enduring operations if the UK Armed Forces are not already engaged in an enduring operation:

or

For a limited time period, and with sufficient warning, committing all the UK’s effort to a one-off intervention of up to three brigades with air and maritime support at a level of about 30,000 personnel.

FUTURE FORCE 2020

In general terms the planning framework provided by the Military Tasks and Defence Planning Assumptions provides an outline for structure which the UK Government aims to establish by 2020.

The proposal is for the Future Force 2020 to have three main combined service elements:

The Deployed Force

The High Readiness Force

The Lower Readiness Force

The Deployed Force

This will consist of those forces that are actually engaged in operations. Therefore aircraft engaged in operations (including the defence of the UK’s airspace), forces involved in operations in the South Atlantic, forces operating in Afghanistan (until late 2014) and other expeditionary operations plus the nuclear deterrent will all form elements of The Deployed Force.

The High Readiness Force

This force will consist of a range of maritime, air and land based units capable of deploying at short notice to meet the requirements of the Defence Planning Assumptions. Such forces would enable the UK to react quickly to a range of scenarios that might threaten our national security interests. These force elements would be capable of operating with allies or where necessary on ‘stand-alone’ UK operations.

The High Readiness Force will include an enhanced Special Forces capability.

We would expect the new Joint Forces Command to have operational control of the majority of future High Readiness Force (Deployed Force) operations.

The Lower Readiness Force

The Lower Rea...

Table of contents

• Coverpage
• Titlepage
• Copyright
• Contents
• Chapter 1 – The Management of Defence
• Chapter 2 – The Royal Navy
• Chapter 3 – The British Army
• Chapter 4 – The Royal Air Force
• Chapter 5 – Joint Forces and Joint Service
• Chapter 6 – Miscellaneous