The Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC) is a two-star command of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and "is responsible for all recruiting, selection, and basic training of soldiers and the recruitment and selection of officers".

History

Army 2020 was the name given to the restructuring of the

, in light of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. On 1 April 2018, the

Army Recruiting and Training Division An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

was disbanded. Before this date, the division (a major-general's command) was tasked with everything from recruiting to initial training to second-level training. The division at this time also controlled the Land Warfare Centre. However, following the Army 2020 Refine, the division was disestablished with the recruiting and initial training given to the new 'Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command', while the second-level and further training given to the Land Warfare Centre. The latter of which is now under direct control of Commander Field Army. Since its formation, the command has been under control of

Home Command A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various pet, companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to ...

Structure

Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command was established on 1 April 2018. The Commander of this formation is a 2-star

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

.British Army, ''Information regarding the new Army Recruit and Training Command''. Ministry of Defence Email. Retrieved 13 November 2021 * Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, at Trenchard Lines, Upavon ** Director General, Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, a Major General *** Commandant, School of Infantry *** Commandant, Initial Training Group *** Commandant, Royal School of Military Engineering *** Director Recruit Training (Operations) *** Director Recruit Training (Support) *** Director Training (Army) ** Defence College of Logistics and Personnel Administration'''' ** Army Adventurous Training Group (Army) ** Initial Training Group, at Trenchard Lines, Upavon – commanded by a brigadier *** Army Foundation College,

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

*** Army School of Physical Training *** Army Recruiting and Initial Training Centre Staff Leadership School *** Army Training Centre,

Pirbright Pirbright ( ) is a village in Surrey, England. Pirbright is in the borough of Guildford and has a civil parish council covering the traditional boundaries of the area. Pirbright contains one buffered sub-locality, Stanford Common near the nati ...

***

Army Training Regiment An Army Training Regiment (ATR) provides Basic Training for elements of the British Army. History The British Army also used to have Army Training Regiments at Bassingbourn (closed in 2012), Harrogate (renamed the Army Foundation College), and Li ...

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

*** Army Training Regiment,

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

*** Army Training Unit North, at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall *** Army Training Unit Northern Ireland, at Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinler *** Army Training Unit Scotland, at Redford Barracks,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

*** Army Training Unit West, at Maindy Barracks,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

**** Detachment, at

Wyvern Barracks Wyvern Barracks is a military installation on Topsham Road in Exeter. History The site was established as an artillery barracks for the Board of Ordnance under the name of Topsham Barracks around 1800. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

** Army Recruiting Group'''' *** Outreach Team South West, at

School of Infantry A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

, at Vimy Barracks, Catterick Garrison'''' *** Infantry Training Centre, at Helles Barracks, Catterick Garrison **** 1st Infantry Training Battalion **** 2nd Infantry Training Battalion **** Infantry Training Centre Support Battalion ***** Army School of Ceremonial *****

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers. History Founded in 1910 as the Army School of Piping (later ...

, at Redford Barracks,

***** 400 Troop, Royal Logistic Corps **** Parachute Training Support Unit (PTSU), at RAF Brize Norton **** Pegasus Company *** Infantry Battle School, at Dering Lines, Brecon **** Gurkha Company (Mandalay) *** Specialist Weapons School, at Waterloo Lines, Warminster Garrison ** Royal School of Military Engineering, at Brompton Barracks, Chatham Station'''' *** 1st Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Royal Engineers *** 3rd Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Royal Engineers, at Gibraltar Barracks,

Minley Minley is a slightly depopulated rural, well-wooded village in the Hart District of Hampshire, England. It has the only church of the C of E ecclesiastical parish of Minley and is in the civil parish of Blackwater and Hawley. It straddles on the ...

*** Professional Engineer Wing *** Royal Engineer Warfare Wing, at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley ***

Defence Animal Training Regiment The Defence Animal Training Regiment () is a training establishment, based in Melton Mowbray, east Leicestershire. It trains animals, of which the most numerous are dogs, for all three armed forces. Its headquarters are also the principal base of ...

, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, at the Defence Animal Training Centre, Melton Mowbray *** Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search Training Regiment, at MoD Bicester, Bicester ***

Royal Military School of Music The Royal Military School of Music (RMSM) trains musicians for the British Army's fourteen regular bands, as part of the Royal Corps of Army Music. Until August 2021, the school was based at Kneller Hall in Twickenham, however it moved to HMS ...

, at

Kneller Hall Kneller Hall is a Grade II listed mansion in Whitton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It housed the Royal Military School of Music, training musicians for the British Army, which acquired the building in the mid-19th century. I ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

*** Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre, in Winterbourne Gunner

Commanders

Commanders have been: * Major-General

Paul Nanson Major General Paul Anthony Edward Nanson (born 10 May 1965) is a British Army officer who served as Commander 7th Armoured Brigade, Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and General Officer Commanding Recruiting and Initial Traini ...

(2018–2020) * Major-General

Sharon Nesmith Lieutenant General Sharon Patricia Moffat Nesmith (née Moffat; born 1970) is a senior British Army officer. Since August 2022, she is serving as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. She became the first woman to command a British Army brigade in ...

(2021–2022){{cite web, url=https://www.forces.net/news/female-british-army-officer-command-two-star-level-first-time, title=First Female Army Officer To Command At Two-Star Level Appointed, date=6 January 2021, publisher=Forces.net, access-date=7 January 2021

Footnotes

Military units and formations established in 2018 Commands of the British Army Training establishments of the British Army Army training units and formations