The Modern British Army

Explores the British Army's transformation since 2010 and details policy-driven changes and initiatives.

Since the end of the Cold War the British Armed Forces, and the Army in particular, have undergone a seemingly endless series of reviews, each inevitably resulting in reduced personnel strength and equipment holdings. The most recent programme for the Army, Future Soldier, has received relatively little publicity compared to the earlier Army 2020 iteration. The Modern British Army, Volume 1: The Path to Future Soldier, 2010s and Beyond seeks to unravel the reviews and reorganisations, and describe the current state of the British Army.

The bruising campaigns in Iraq (Operation Telic, 2003–2011) and Afghanistan (Operation Herrick, 2001–2014) saw the British Army largely reorganised and reequipped to fight those counterinsurgency campaigns, and arguably led it to neglect traditional heavy warfighting skills and equipment needed in any conflict with a peer enemy. Numerous programmes to update existing equipment, such as Challenger 2 and Warrior, slipped behind schedule or were cancelled in favour of Urgent Operational Requirements, while new equipment programmes, such as Ajax, were plagued with significant problems leading to huge cost overruns and missed in-service dates. Combined with falling numbers in the ranks meaning that the British Army is currently at its lowest strength for around two centuries, this has led some to question the ability of Britian to conduct major military campaigns in the foreseeable future.

The Modern British Army, Volume 1: The Path to Future Soldier, 2010s and Beyond examines the often-overlapping reviews from the 2010s up to the mid-2020s, and what this has meant for the British Army (along with the Royal Marines, RAF Regiment, and other supporting and enabling elements from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force). This work provides an extensive and detailed current order of battle for Britain’s ground forces and supporting elements across all branches of the Armed Forces.

This volume is extensively illustrated throughout with full colour photographs and includes over 20 of the @War series’ signature specially commissioned colour artworks.