The 2003 Defence

White Paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...

, titled ''Delivering Security in a Changing World'', set out the future structure of the

British military The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, su ...

, and was preceded by the 1998

Strategic Defence Review The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of ...

(SDR) and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

in 2001. Published under the then

Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...

, Geoff Hoon, the report effectively introduced a series of cutbacks to core equipment and manpower and the scaling back of a series of future capital procurement projects. This was justified due to the implementation of a policy termed

Network Enabled Capability Network-enabled capability, or NEC, is the name given to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence long-term intent to achieve enhanced military effect through the better use of information systems towards the goal of "right information, right place, ...

. The review also outlined a major restructuring and consolidation of

British Army Infantry The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49 infantry battalions, from 19 regiments. Of these, 33 battalions are part of the Regular army and the remaining 16 a part of the Army Reserve. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles ...

regiments.

Key points

The White Paper, scaling back to an extent from the previous Strategic Defence Review, outlined the following posture for the UK armed forces: * The ability to support three simultaneous small (e.g.

Operation Palliser The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by B ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

) to medium scale (e.g.

Operation Veritas Operation Veritas was the codename used for British military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. British forces played a supporting role to the American Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, the British contributi ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

) operations, where at least one is an enduring peace-keeping mission (e.g. Kosovo). These forces must be capable of acting as lead nation in any coalition operations. * The ability, at longer notice, to deploy forces in a large scale operation (e.g.

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

or Operation Herrick in

) while running a concurrent small scale operation. Most of the reforms listed below were announced as part of the ''Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities'' review, published on 21 July 2004.

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 Gurkha ...

Manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms includ ...

reduced by 1,000. *Restructuring will cut 4 infantry

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

s otherwise tasked to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, and the manpower redistributed elsewhere. *Army

High Velocity Missile Starstreak is a British short-range surface to air missile that can be used as a man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) or in heavier systems, manufactured by Thales Air Defence (formerly Shorts Missile Systems), in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I ...

fire units to be halved, which would lead to the re-role of 2 TA

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

s ->

100th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery 100 (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery was part of the Territorial Army and had sub-units throughout the South of England. It had three gun batteries all equipped with the L118 Light Gun. The regiment's original role was British Army of the Rh ...

, re-equipped with L118 light guns and 104th Regiment Royal Artillery, re-equipped with L118 light guns and later light UAVs In addition, 22nd Regiment Royal Artillery was disbanded. *The re-role of a

Challenger 2 The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MOD designation "CR2") is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. It was designed and built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems (now known ...

regiment into an armoured

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

regiment -> Queen's Royal Lancers and several

AS-90 The AS-90 ("Artillery System for the 1990s"), known officially as Gun Equipment 155 mm L131, is an armoured self-propelled artillery weapon used by the British Army. It can fire standard charges up to using 39 calibre long barrel (com ...

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

to a light gun regiment ->

40th Regiment Royal Artillery 40th Regiment Royal Artillery – The Lowland Gunners – was a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It supported 19 Light Brigade in the field artillery role. It was structured into Fire Support Teams equipped with MSTAR, and th ...

, into what would become 19 Light Brigade (see Future Army Structure). *Withdrawal of 7 Challenger 2 squadrons and 6

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

batteries (approx. 84

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

s and 48 AS90s). -> 4 of these from the Queen's Royal Lancers, three others from Royal Wessex Yeomanry (4 tank replacement squadrons dissolved to just 1 replacement squadron; A (Dorset Yeomanry) Armour Replacement Squadron) *

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

battalions to be incorporated into new, large, multi-battalion regiments. *Creation of 3 light armoured squadrons that will support development of the next generation of armoured vehicles, the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES).

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

*Manpower reduced by 7,000. *Early withdrawal of the 41-strong

SEPECAT Jaguar The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force. Originally ...

force by 2007 and closure of Jaguar's operating base,

RAF Coltishall Royal Air Force Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , is a former Royal Air Force station located North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, which operated from 1938 to 2006. It was a fighter airf ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

. *Current Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

fleet to be reduced from 21 to 16. *Reduction in the purchase of re-manufactured Nimrod MRA.4s from 18 to 16 (eventually 9 and then later cancelled) aircraft. *Reduction in the

Tornado F3 The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) was a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1986 ...

force by one squadron (16 aircraft) in preparation for replacement with

Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

. *Reduction of 6 Puma

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

s of No. 230 Squadron RAF based in Northern Ireland. *Reduction in

Rapier missile Rapier is a surface-to-air missile developed for the British Army to replace their towed Bofors 40/L70 anti-aircraft guns. The system is unusual as it uses a manual optical guidance system, sending guidance commands to the missile in flight ove ...

launchers from 48 to 24, coupled with the transfer of the launchers to the

, and the disbandment of four

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

squadrons that operated Rapier. *Additional

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or s ...

numbers of Hawk 128 training aircraft above an initial batch of 20 to be decided upon in 2005. *Typhoon purchase confirmed, Tranche 2

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

delayed until December 2004 when cost/capability issues were resolved. *Purchase of 4

Boeing C-17 The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of t ...

s operated by the RAF at the end of their lease period including one additional aircraft for a total fleet of 5.

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

*Manpower reduced by 1,500. *Reduced purchase of Type 45

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

s from 12 to 8 (eventually 6) vessels. *Reduced force of Type 23

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

s from 16 to 13 vessels by March 2006. *Reduced force of nuclear attack

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

fleet (SSNs) from 12 to 8

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on i ...

s by December 2008. *Reduced force of mine countermeasure vessels from 19 to 16 by April 2005. *Northern Ireland patrol fleet of 3 reconfigured Hunt class mine hunters to be decommissioned by April 2007. *Early retirement of the 3 oldest Type 42 destroyers. *Royal Navy Future Carrier (CVF) purchase confirmed. *A summary of

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...

s to be paid off, as planned or early, without replacement as detailed in the review: ** HMS ''Cardiff'', Type 42 destroyer. ** HMS ''Newcastle'', Type 42 destroyer. ** HMS ''Glasgow'', Type 42 destroyer. ** HMS ''Norfolk'', Type 23 frigate. ** HMS ''Marlborough'', Type 23 frigate. ** HMS ''Grafton'', Type 23 frigate. ** HMS ''Superb'', ''Swiftsure'' class nuclear attack submarine. ** HMS ''Trafalgar'', ''Trafalgar'' class nuclear attack submarine. ** HMS ''Bridport'', ''Sandown'' class minehunter. ** HMS ''Inverness'', ''Sandown'' class minehunter. ** HMS ''Sandown'', ''Sandown'' class minehunter. ** HMS ''Brecon'', Northern Ireland patrol vessel, former Hunt class minehunter. ** HMS ''Cottesmore'', Northern Ireland patrol vessel, former Hunt class minehunter. ** HMS ''Dulverton'', Northern Ireland patrol vessel, former Hunt class minehunter. The review also mentioned "significant" classified enhancements of British special forces, including strength increases and investment in new equipment. Financially, in a

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

spending review announced the week before, the

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environme ...

would rise by £3.7bn from £29.7bn in 2004/2005 to £33.4bn in 2007/2008. The review also mentions £3bn to be invested into procuring new helicopters over the next ten years.

Future army structure

The future regimental structure, after changes were outlined in the review was announced in December 2004. Significant changes included: *Creation of new 'Combat Service Support Formations', including: ** 1st Military Intelligence Brigade ** 12th Signal Group -> reformed in 2004 to administer three reserve signals regiment part of 2nd (National Communications) Signal Brigade -> later disbanded in 2008 following budget cuts to the equipment of the regiments **

8th Engineer Brigade 8th Engineer Brigade (8 Eng Bde) is an engineering support formation of the British Army, which forms part of 1st (United Kingdom) Division. History In August 2001, Headquarters Royal Engineers, Theatre Troops was established as a subdivision o ...

** 2nd Medical Brigade *Conversion of an armoured regiment to the formation reconnaissance role ->

Queen's Royal Lancers The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 and amalgamated with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers. History The regiment was formed in ...

was selected, and subsequently joined 19th Light Brigade (see below) and retired its Challengers *All single-battalion infantry regiments to be merged into existing or new regiments. This measure met with some opposition, especially in Scotland, amongst former soldiers and nationalist groups. **

Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

, Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment), The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) and TA elements amalgamated into the

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...

-> Royal Scots (1 SCOTS) and King's Own Scottish Borderers (2 SCOTS) amalgamated shortly thereafter into the

Royal Scots Borderers The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's ...

(new 1 SCOTS) **

King's Own Royal Border Regiment The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1959 until 2006, and was part of the King's Division. It was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 October 1959 through the amalgamation of the King's Ow ...

King's Regiment The King's Regiment, officially abbreviated as KINGS, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 1 September 1958 by the amalgamation of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) which had been raised in 1685 ...

, and Queen's Lancashire Regiment and TA elements amalgamated into the

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The D ...

-> 3rd Bn shortly thereafter disbanded **

Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) and the E ...

The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

Duke of Wellington's Regiment The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

, and TA elements amalgamated into the

Yorkshire Regiment The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. ...

, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'), and TA elements amalgamated into the

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infa ...

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

Royal Regiment of Wales The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of the South Wales Borderers and the Welch Regiment. The 1st Battalion, ...

, and TA elements amalgamated into the

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). History The ...

** Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, two battalions each of the

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...

and

The Light Infantry The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Brig ...

all amalgamated into

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...

-> first two units forming the 1st Battalion, all other redesignation *Conversion of 4th Armoured Brigade to a mechanised brigade *Conversion of 19th Mechanised Brigade to a light brigade (19 Light Brigade) *Conversion of 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Brigade into a holding infantry brigade under 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division for battalions preparing to deploy on Operation Herrick (this change occurred in 2006/07) *Conversion of a single battalion of the Parachute Regiment to a tri-service specialist special forces support battalion (''see

Special Forces Support Group The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a unit of the British Armed Forces. The SFSG is the newest addition to the United Kingdom Special Forces. It was formed officially on 3 April 2006 to provide specialist infantry and other support to th ...

'') *Reorganisation of the Territorial Army infantry into 14 battalions that are attached to regular infantry regiments of the British Army (below is the main mergers, however company sized changes did occur) **52nd Lowland Volunteers -> 52nd Lowland Volunteers, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland **51st Highland Volunteers -> 51st Highland Volunteers, 7th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland ** Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers -> 4th (Volunteer) Battalion,

** Tyne-Tees Regiment -> 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers ** East of England Regiment -> 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion,

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating ...

** East and West Riding Regiment -> 4th (Volunteer) Battalion,

** West Midlands Regiment -> 4th (Volunteer) Battalion,

Royal Welsh Regiment The Royal Welsh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1999, until it was re-designated as the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh in 2006. History The regiment was formed in 1999 as part of th ...

-> 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion,

** Rifle Volunteers -> 6th Battalion,

** Royal Rifle Volunteers -> 7th Battalion, The Rifles *Reduction in the number of

British infantry The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49 infantry battalions, from 19 regiments. Of these, 33 battalions are part of the Regular army and the remaining 16 a part of the Army Reserve. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles, ...

battalions from 40 to 36 -> reductions occurring in the Royal Irish Regiment following the end to

Operation Banner Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initial ...

**2nd Battalion (Home Service) -> disbanded in 2007 **3rd Battalion (Home Service) -> disbanded in 2007 **4th Battalion (Home Service) -> disbanded in 2007 ** King's and Cheshire Regiment -> disbanded in 2006 with companies going to 4 LANCS and 4 MERCIAN *Reduction in the number and size of regular military bands in the Corps of Army Music from 29 to 23: **Band of the Royal Irish Regiment disbanded **Band of the Hussars and Light Dragoons and Band of the Royal Lancers amalgamated -> Band of the Light Cavalry **Band of the Dragoon Guards and Cambrai Band of the Royal Tank Regiment -> Heavy Cavalry (Cambrai) Band **Lowland Band of the Scottish Division and Highland Band of the Scottish Division amalgamated ->

Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is one of the three official military bands of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and is based at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh. The bandsmen wear the feather bonnet with a red over white hackle and scarlet ...

**Normandy Band of the Queen's Division merged with Minden Band of the Queen's Division **Normandy Band of the King's Division and Waterloo Band of the King's Division amalgamated ->

Band of the King's Division Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

**Clive Band of the Prince of Wales's Division and Lucknow Band of the Prince of Wales's Division amalgamated -> Band of the Prince of Wales's Division **Band of the Light Division -> Band and Bugles of The Rifles *Reduction in the number of Army Air Corps helicopters based in Northern Ireland *Creation of the Defence

HUMINT Human intelligence (abbreviated HUMINT and pronounced as ''hyoo-mint'') is intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as signals intelligence (SIGINT), imager ...

Unit *Creation of a new commando engineer regiment, later 24 Commando Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers *Creation of a new signals regiment, later 10th Signal Regiment

References

External links

UK MoD: ''Delivering Security in a Changing World'' (PDF)UK MoD: ''Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities'' House of Commons Hansard: Future CapabilitiesHouse of Lords Hansard: Future Capabilities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delivering Security In A Changing World 2003 documents Defence white papers 2003 in the United Kingdom 2003 in military history 2003 in politics 21st-century military history of the United Kingdom

Key points

Future army structure

See also

References

External links