The British Army operates alongside the Royal Air Force as part of a Joint Force, but the army also has its own Army Air Corps.

The AAC has in its arsenal:

• Westland Apache Helicopters
• Westland Lynx Helicopters
• Westland Gazelle Helicopters
• Bell 212 Helicopters
• Britten-Norman Islander Aircraft
• Agusta A109

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Special Forces

Main article: United Kingdom Special Forces

The British Army contributes two of the three special forces formations within the United Kingdom Special Forces Command; the Special Air Service Regiment and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.

The most famous formation is the Special Air Service Regiment. Formed in 1941, the SAS is considered the role model for many other special force Regiments in the world^{[citation needed]}.

The SAS comprises one regular Regiment and two Territorial Army Regiments and is headquartered at Duke of York Barracks, London.

The regular Regiment, 22 SAS Regiment has its headquarters and depot located in Hereford and consists of five squadrons: A, B, D, G and Reserve and a training wing. The regiment has battlespace roles in deep reconnaissance, target identification and indication and target destruction and denial. In its Counter Terrorism role it is seen as one of the prime anti-terrorist, hostage rescue and target capture units in the world.^{[citation needed]}

The two reserve SAS Regiments; 21 SAS Regiment and 23 SAS Regiment have a more limited role, focusing on the battlespace, with tasks including Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols and Combat Search and Rescue; rather than Counter-Terrorism.^{[citation needed]}

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) which was formed in 2005, from existing assets, undertakes close reconnaissance and special surveillance tasks.^{[citation needed]}

Formed around 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment, with attached Royal Marines and RAF Regiment assets, the Special Forces Support Group are under the Operational Control of Director Special Forces to provide operational manoeuvre support to the elements of United Kingdom Special Forces.

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Recruitment

The Army mainly recruits within the United Kingdom, and normally has a recruitment target of around 25,000 soldiers per year.

Low unemployment in Britain has resulted in the Army having difficulty in meeting its target , and in the early years of the 21st century there has been a marked increase in the number of recruits from other (mostly Commonwealth) countries. In 2008 Commonwealth origin volunteers comprised approximately 6.7% of the Army's total strength. In total 6,600 foreign soldiers from 42 countries were represented in the Army, not including Gurkhas. After Gurkhas, the nation with most citizens in the British Army is Fiji, with 1,900, followed by Jamaica and Ghana with 600 each; soldiers also come from more prosperous countries such as Australia, South Africa and the Republic of Ireland.

The Ministry of Defence is now considering capping the number of recruits from Commonwealth countries, although this will not affect the Gurkhas. If the trend continues 10% of the army will be from Commonwealth countries before 2012. The cap is being debated, as some fear the army's "Britishness" is being diluted, and employing too many could make the army seen as employing too many mercenaries.^[11]

The minimum recruitment age is 16 years (but only after the end of GCSEs), although soldiers may not serve on operations below 18 years; the maximum recruitment age was raised in January 2007 from 26 to 33 years. The normal term of engagement is 22 years, and once enlisted soldiers are not normally permitted to leave until they have served at least 4 years.^[12]

There has been a strong and continuing tradition of recruiting from Ireland including what is now the Republic of Ireland. Almost 150,000 Irish soldiers fought in the First World War; 49,000 died. More than 60,000 Irishmen, more than from Northern Ireland, also saw action in the Second World War; like their compatriots in the Great War, all were volunteers. There were more than 400 men serving from the Republic in 2003.^[13]

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Oath of allegiance

Troops of the Grenadier Guards on guard at Buckingham Palace. Various army regiments supply troops to guard the Royal residences.

All soldiers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army, a process known as "attestation". Those who believe in God use the following words:

Others replace the words "swear by Almighty God" with "solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm".^{[citation needed]}

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Training establishments^[14]

• Army Training Regiments:
  • ATR Bassingbourn
  • ATR Winchester
  • ATR Pirbright
  • ATR Lichfield
  • AFC Harrogate
• Infantry Training Centres:
  • ITC Catterick
  • Infantry Battle School, Brecon
  • Support Weapons School, Warminster
• Regional training centres
• Tri Service Police College
• Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College
• Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS)

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Flags and ensigns

Flag Ratio: 3:5. The official flag of the Army.

The non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. Sometimes the word "Army" in gold letters appears below the badge.

The British Army does not have its own specific ensign, unlike the Royal Navy, which uses the White Ensign, and the RAF, which uses the Royal Air Force Ensign. Instead, the Army has different flags and ensigns, for the entire army and the different regiments and corps. The official flag of the Army as a whole is the Union Flag, flown in ratio 3:5. A non-ceremonial flag also exists, which is used at recruiting events, military events and exhibitions. It also flies from the MOD building in Whitehall.^[15] Whilst at war, the Union Flag is always used, and this flag represents the Army on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London (the UK's memorial to war dead). A British Army ensign also exists for vessels commanded by a commissioned officer, the Blue Ensign defaced with the Army badge. Army Vessels are operated by the Maritime element of the Royal Logistic Corps.

Each line regiment (which does not include the Rifle Regiments) also has its own flags, known as the Colours - the Regimental Colour and the Queen's Colour. These Colours have been taken into battle in the past and give pride to the regiment. There is great variation in the designs of different Regimental Colours. Typically the colour has the Regiment's badge in the centre.

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Ranks, specialisms and insignia

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D-	Student Officer
United Kingdom Edit												No Equivalent
	Field Marshal1	General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant		Officer Cadet
Abbreviation	FM	Gen.	Lt-Gen.	Maj-Gen.	Brig.	Col.	Lt-Col.	Maj.	Capt.	Lt.	2nd Lt.
1 Now an honorary or wartime rank only.

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
United Kingdom Edit																	No Equivalent										No Insignia
	Warrant Officer Class One (Conductor)			Warrant Officer Class One			Warrant Officer Class Two (Quartermaster Sergeant)	Warrant Officer Class Two (Sergeant Major)	Staff Sergeant/ Colour Sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal/ Bombardier		Lance-Corporal/ Lance-Bombardier		Private/regimental equivalent

Every regiment and corps has its own distinctive insignia, such as cap badge, beret and stable belt.

Throughout the army there are many official specialisms. They do not affect rank, but they do affect pay bands.

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Royal Navy and RAF infantry units

The other armed services have their own infantry units which are not part of the British Army. The Royal Marines are amphibious light infantry forming part of the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force has the RAF Regiment used for airfield defence, force protection duties and Forward Air Control.

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Overseas Territories Military Units

Two Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officers.

Numerous military units were raised historically in British territories, including self-governing and Crown colonies, and protectorates. Few of these have appeared on the Army List, and their relationship to the British Army has been ambiguous. Whereas Dominions, such as Canada and Australia, raised their own armies, Crown possessions (like the Channel Islands), and colonies (now called Overseas Territories) were, and are, dependencies of the UK, and their defence remains the responsibility of the National (i.e., United Kingdom) government. All military forces of overseas territories are, therefore, under the direct command of the UK Government, via the local Governor and Commander-In-Chief. Many of the units in colonies, or former colonies, were also actually formed at the behest of the UK Government as it sought to reduce the deployment of the British Army on garrison around the world at the latter end of the 19th century. Today, three overseas territories retain locally-raised military units, Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands. The units are patterned on the British Army, are subject to review by the Ministry of Defence, and are ultimately under the control of the British government, not the local governments of the territories (though day-to-day control may be delegated to Ministers of the territorial governments). Despite this, the units may have no tasking or funding from the MOD, and are generally raised under acts of the territorial assemblies.

• Bermuda Regiment
• Royal Gibraltar Regiment
• Falkland Islands Defence Force

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See also

• List of British Army Regiments (2008)
• Ministry of Defence
• Redcoat
• Territorial Army
• Home Service Force
• Volunteer Army
• British military history
• British Army Casualties during Operation TELIC
• Royal Navy
• Royal Air Force
• United Kingdom Special Forces
• Modern equipment and uniform of the British Army
• The British Army Rumour Service
• Military Covenant
• Army Cadet Force(ACF)
• Army Rugby Union
• Military mascot
• List of nicknames of British Army regiments

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Footnotes

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

British Army

• British Army Website
• British Army Friends Reunited
• The British Army: A Pocket Guide 2008-2009

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