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The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty's Armed Forces, sometimes legally the armed forces of the Crown *. Their Commander-in-Chief is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Defence Council of the Ministry of Defence. The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promoting Britain's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They are active and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations.
History British military history is long, complex and greatly influential in world history, especially since the 17th Century. Important conflicts in which the British took part include the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars of the 18th Century/early 19th Century, the Crimean War of the mid 19th Century, and the First and Second World Wars of the 20th Century. The British Empire, which reached its apogee in the 1920s, was the largest empire in history; a quarter of the world's population were subjects of the British Crown and it controlled a quarter of the world's total land area. Since the end of the Second World War, British forces have continued to be very active and bases remain spread out across the globe in places such as Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar, Brunei and the Falkland Islands. The current structure of defence management in the United Kingdom was set in place in 1964 when the modern day Ministry of Defence (MoD) was created (an earlier form had existed since 1940). The MoD assumed the roles of the Admiralty, the War Office and the Air Ministry. Current strength The United Kingdom fields one of the most powerful, technologically advanced and comprehensive armed forces in the World. Its global power projection capabilities are deemed second only to those of the United States Military. The UK has the 2nd to 4th highest military expenditure in the world (depending on source), despite only having the 28th highest number of troops. It is also the second largest spender on military science, engineering and technology. Despite Britain's wide ranging capabilities, recent defence policy has a stated assumption that any large operation would be undertaken as part of a coalition. Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq (''Granby'', ''Desert Fox'' and ''Telic'') may all be taken as precedent - indeed the last large scale military action in which the British armed forces fought alone was the Falklands War of 1982. The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the world in terms of gross tonnage, with 90 commissioned ships. The Naval Service (which comprises the Royal Navy and Royal Marines) had a strength of 35,470 in July 2006 and is charged with custody of the United Kingdom's independent strategic nuclear deterrent consisting of four Trident missile submarines, while the Royal Marines provide commando units for amphibious assault and for specialist reinforcement forces in and beyond the NATO area. The British Army had a reported strength of 100,010 in July 2006 and as of 2006 9.0% of the regular Armed Forces were women. The Royal Air Force had a strength of 45,210. This puts the total number of regular Armed Forces personnel at 180,690 (not including civilians). This number is supported by reserve forces, including over 35,000 from the Territorial Army. The total number of serving personnel, including reserve forces, is therefore in the region of 225,000 (taking into account Navy, Marines and Air Force reserves). The National Audit Office says the are 5,170 below strength and since 2001 have operated at or above predicted deployment levels. The strain of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan at the same time, is one reason for shortages, the report said. The MoD agreed operating at this level meant "additional strains" on staff, but denied forces were overstretched. The National Audit Office warned the armed forces were 2.8% short of full strength - total personnel is now 180,690.The NAO report found that, for the past five years, they had "consistently operated at or above the most demanding combination of operations envisaged" by defence planners. While the armed forces have reached 98% of recruitment targets since 2000-2001, there are major shortages in certain trades. the engineers on Trident submarines, are 29% under strength, the RAF's specialist weapons system operators are 50% down and there are severe shortages of army bomb disposal experts.The engineers on Trident submarines, are 29% under strength, the RAF's specialist weapons system operators are 50% down and there are severe shortages of army bomb disposal experts. Worst hit are medical services, with reservists filling the 66% of vacant A&E and intensive therapy nurses posts. And Navy crews have been sailing on average 12% below strength, the report found. Rising numbers were leaving early, 9,200 in the last year had left before their period of engagement was up - some blaming too many deployments and the impact on their families. Recruitment was also a problem, the report suggested, due to controversies over Iraq and Deepcut barracks. And two thirds of British teenagers are now considered too fat to join the Army, it found - with just 33% of 16-year-old boys meeting the Body Mass Index target of 28 - which has since been raised to 32. Branches Recent Defence Reviews See also Trivia | ||||||||
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