Post by Taxigirl on Dec 16, 2004 9:01:42 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4098917.stm
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is to announce details of the most wide-ranging structural changes to the British Army in a generation.
He will make a statement to the House of Commons after Army chiefs met last Monday to discuss the restructure.
Critics say the changes could leave the Army overstretched, with a reduction in troop numbers of 1,500 expected.
But British Army chief, General Sir Mike Jackson, said the Army would now be in the "right shape for the future".
Mr Hoon is expected to confirm that the Army's 40 infantry battalions are to be cut to 36, with one likely to go from Scotland and three from England.
Some cuts are also expected for both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
Sir Mike, the Army's Chief of General Staff, was among those responsible for overseeing the restructuring.
"It has been hard work, but I believe the results are going to be well worth it," he said.
Sir Mike told BBC Radio 4's Today programme changes were needed to make the Army more efficient and had previously been considered in the 1960s and early 1990s.
He said "the time is right" for the restructuring and added: "We will do everything we can to guard heritage, history and traditions, but we need to get the structure right for the next generation."
Proposals include cutting Scotland's six single-battalion regiments to five and merging these into a so-called "super regiment".
It is believed other larger, regionally-based regiments could be formed after further amalgamations within the King's Division, the Prince of Wales Division and the Queen's Division.
Mergers are expected to be announced between the Royal Scots and the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, the Kings Regiment and the Kings Own Border Regiment and the Devonshire & Dorset and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshires (RGBWs).
Speculation has also surrounded the future of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The changes could see the Black Watch lose regimental status only one day after returning from a controversial deployment near Baghdad to support US forces who had been sent to the assault on Falluja.
However defence chiefs are thought to have decided that existing regiments will be able to retain their names and symbols after amalgamation.
The military has said other aspects of the reorganisation would place a greater emphasis on medium and light forces, making troops more flexible and rapidly deployable.
Critics say the mergers will make it harder to recruit from the traditional bases that served the existing structure.
General Sir Patrick Cordingley, commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade - known as the Desert Rats - during the 1991 Gulf War, said it was likely to be "an emotional day for the infantry".
Speaking on Today, he said the amalgamation of regiments could lead to the end of long-standing regimental traditions.
The final decision on the restructure was to have been made by Mr Hoon and the prime minister after a recommendation by senior defence figures.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is to announce details of the most wide-ranging structural changes to the British Army in a generation.
He will make a statement to the House of Commons after Army chiefs met last Monday to discuss the restructure.
Critics say the changes could leave the Army overstretched, with a reduction in troop numbers of 1,500 expected.
But British Army chief, General Sir Mike Jackson, said the Army would now be in the "right shape for the future".
Mr Hoon is expected to confirm that the Army's 40 infantry battalions are to be cut to 36, with one likely to go from Scotland and three from England.
Some cuts are also expected for both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
Sir Mike, the Army's Chief of General Staff, was among those responsible for overseeing the restructuring.
"It has been hard work, but I believe the results are going to be well worth it," he said.
Sir Mike told BBC Radio 4's Today programme changes were needed to make the Army more efficient and had previously been considered in the 1960s and early 1990s.
He said "the time is right" for the restructuring and added: "We will do everything we can to guard heritage, history and traditions, but we need to get the structure right for the next generation."
Proposals include cutting Scotland's six single-battalion regiments to five and merging these into a so-called "super regiment".
It is believed other larger, regionally-based regiments could be formed after further amalgamations within the King's Division, the Prince of Wales Division and the Queen's Division.
Mergers are expected to be announced between the Royal Scots and the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, the Kings Regiment and the Kings Own Border Regiment and the Devonshire & Dorset and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshires (RGBWs).
Speculation has also surrounded the future of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The changes could see the Black Watch lose regimental status only one day after returning from a controversial deployment near Baghdad to support US forces who had been sent to the assault on Falluja.
However defence chiefs are thought to have decided that existing regiments will be able to retain their names and symbols after amalgamation.
The military has said other aspects of the reorganisation would place a greater emphasis on medium and light forces, making troops more flexible and rapidly deployable.
Critics say the mergers will make it harder to recruit from the traditional bases that served the existing structure.
General Sir Patrick Cordingley, commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade - known as the Desert Rats - during the 1991 Gulf War, said it was likely to be "an emotional day for the infantry".
Speaking on Today, he said the amalgamation of regiments could lead to the end of long-standing regimental traditions.
The final decision on the restructure was to have been made by Mr Hoon and the prime minister after a recommendation by senior defence figures.