The British Army consists of 114,240 regular soldiers plus 35,500 Territorial Army soldiers, giving it a total of around 150,240 soldiers in November 2009. The British Army is the second largest army in the European Union, second only to the French Army. The full-time element of the British Army has also been referred to as the Regular Army since the creation of the reservist Territorial Force in 1908. The British Army is deployed in many of the world's war zones as part of both Expeditionary Forces and in United Nations Peacekeeping forces. The British Army is currently deployed in Kosovo, Cyprus, Germany, Afghanistan and many other places.

Photo: TSgt Laura K. Smith, ISAF

British Army Equipment

Rank Structure

Ranks are an essential part of the command and control structure of an organisation, not just the armed forces. Within the forces, and associated organisations (such as the cadets) rank insignia is worn on the uniform to clearly indicate the bearer's rank. A ranking system is essential for proper command and coordination of forces, with ranks having a particular function or duty.

Operations and Deployments

The last few years have been the busiest time in the Army for the last 40 years, with the Army working closely with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Many troops are deployed as part of multi-national forces in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and with the UN in Cyprus. The Army also has garrison forces in Brunei, Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Military Structure

The Army command structure is hierachical, having controlled groupings of units based around Divisions and their Brigades. Within these Brigades are Major Units, regiment or battalion-sized and Minor Units, smaller company sized sub-units or platoons. All units within the service are either Regular (full-time) or Territorial Army (part-time), or a combination with sub-units of each type.

Honours and Decorations

Originally, the medals that we know today came from those issues to Naval Officers: 'large and small gold medals' with the battle name hand engraved, and the recipient on the edge. For example, medals were issued for the Battle of Trafalgar. Over the past 200 years the British armed forces have issued nearly 100 different campaign medals, with 600 different clasps for them. There are also unofficial awards, but these are still an honour to have, and are very highly valued by collectors. Recently, the army has issued medals for service in the World Wars, Korea, the Falklands, and the Gulf War. Today, campaign medals are issued for service in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Uniform

The British Army has a standardised uniform known as the CS95 pattern. This comprises of the boots, clothing, headdress, and also the patches that are worn on top of the uniform. The Combat 95 clothing system has to satisfy stringent military requirements covering infra-red reflection (IRR), thermal signature and flame resistance. It is based on the layer principle and is designed to provide the soldier with exactly the right degree of protection for any operational environment.

British Army

British Army Equipment

Rank Structure

Operations and Deployments

Military Structure

Honours and Decorations

Uniform

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