Army of Great Britain: the main kind of troops, structure and functions

The army of any state is a shield that is designed to protect the peaceful life of citizens and the territorial integrity of the country. This social formation existed long before people came up with a written language, law and other forms of their activities. In other words, the culture of killing a person, namely, creating an army for this purpose, is one of the oldest spheres of direct functioning of the society. Over the centuries, the armies of all states without exception have evolved. This is also due to the history of the development of this or that country. It should be noted that many cultural traditions of the troops that existed several centuries ago are still preserved in active armies. Undoubtedly, this approach indicates an established system of training personnel, as well as cohesion in the composition of the troops. But of the entire number of armed forces of different countries, there are armies that stand out against the general background. These are today the British Armed Forces. The history of the formation of the army of this country is filled with amazing heroic deeds and valiant battles. Great influence on the development of British troops also had a long stay of the state in the status of the colonial empire. All this in aggregate makes the UK Armed Forces a highly professional and mobile military formation that represents significant combat power. The structure of the troops of this state and their functions will be discussed later in the article.

General concept of the armed forces of Great Britain

The British Army is the cumulative concept of a number of different kinds of troops. That is, the term denotes all military formations of the state that are part of a single defense structure. The activities of the British Army are quite specific, given some political and territorial features. In addition, the military formation of the country has a long history. The army is managed through the Ministry of Defense, the structural element of which is the special defense council. As in many progressive modern countries today, the chief of state is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In the case of Britain, this is the monarch - Queen Elizabeth II.

The initial stage of the development of the British Armed Forces

There are many historical versions about when the British army arose. The most common opinion is that the British Armed Forces emerged in 1707, due to the unification of England and Scotland themselves. But some scholars are of the opinion that the date of counting the history of the army of this state is a much older date. In this case, such an assertion is erroneous. Since before the unification of the states previously represented, England was a number of independent, belligerent countries. At the time of its formation, the British army took part in a large number of wars both on the territory of its colonies and against other states. The most famous military conflicts in which the armed forces of Great Britain took part are as follows:

- Napoleonic and seven-year war.

- Crimean War.

- The war against the American colonies.

- Opium wars of 1840-1860 years.

It should also be noted that at this stage of development in the British army, a strong fleet and a small number of ground forces. Thanks to this approach in the issue of organizing the troops, the empire for a long time had the status of "Lady of the Seas". It should also be noted that throughout the entire development period, the army of France and Great Britain constantly competed with each other. This is due not only to the dominant positions of these states in Europe, but also to national enmity.

Development of the army in the XX century

The subsequent stages of the development of the British army are characterized by the participation of the state in the First and Second World Wars. At that time, some reorganization actions were also carried out. For example, in 1916 the British authorities introduced universal military service. In addition, in 1922, the state formally renounces the principle of the "two fleets", according to which the composition of the British Navy was to double the number of the fleet of other major maritime powers. Sufficiently significant fact for the development of the army of the empire was the country's entry into NATO in 1949. This led to the participation of Great Britain in virtually all major operations that the bloc carried out.

British Armed Forces in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, the British army felt in the war against Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. It should also be noted that a large number of British contingent was sent for the military intervention of the state of Libya, which took place in 2013. In addition, representatives of Britain played a significant role in the implementation of the operation "Serval". Thus, the army of Great Britain, whose strength is 421 thousand personnel, is today one of the best military formations in the world.

Structure of the armed forces of Great Britain

The whole structure of the British army is built in such a way as to facilitate the realization of the functions of this formation as much as possible. In addition, in the Armed Forces of the state there are some specific kinds of troops that have a rather interesting field of activity. Thus, the army of Great Britain, the number of which was represented above, has the following structural elements:

1. Air Force.
2. Ground troops.
3. Special Forces.
4. Medical service.

This structure, as mentioned earlier, is best suited for performing specific functional tasks. At the same time, medical forces of the armed forces are unique in their kind. Because parts of physicians in other world armies do not distinguish as a separate structural element of the Armed Forces.

Ground troops

Like Britain's armed forces in general, the Army has also begun its history since 1707. To date, the army of England is a professional unit whose main purpose is to defeat the enemy's personnel on the ground. The main striking force of the army, as we understand it, is the infantry. To date, it includes about 36 regular battalions. In addition, the British Army also has the power of an armored corps, an artillery regiment, an engineering corps, an army air corps, an intelligence corps and a communication building. Also in the composition of this kind of troops are territorial military formations, which are analogous to the national guard.

British Navy

At all times, naval forces were Britain's main argument in many international conflicts. This type of troops is a structure that consists directly of the fleet and marines. To date, this military sector has not lost its priority. It consists of approximately 42,000 personnel. At the same time, the British fleet is still considered one of the strongest in the world.

The Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is a key element of the British Navy. The Ministry of Defense manages this component of the armed forces. At the same time, there is a special Admiralty Committee within the body. It, in turn, consists of four ministers and seven professional sailors. The key tasks of the British navy are as follows:

- protection of territorial interests of Britain;

- protection of the integrity of the state;

- elimination of surface and underwater threats;

- defeat of enemy shore defenses;

- Support for international military operations.

It should also be noted that, in accordance with its functional tasks, the Navy has in its structure special units, namely:

- the underwater fleet;

- surface fleet;

- special air forces of the Navy;

- service of physicians.

United Kingdom Marine Corps

It should be noted that, to date, the United Kingdom is one of the first countries where the marines were recognized as a completely independent military force in the navy. Innovation was introduced by King Charles II Stewart. In 1664 he issued a decree, which decided the establishment of special maritime services. But the greatest impetus in the development of these units were during the Second World War. Then from the Marine Corps formed special formations, the purpose of which was landing to the shore, as well as sabotage. To date, this type of army in the Navy has played a significant role, which was proved during the war for the Falkland Islands, as well as the Iraqi conflict. The structure of the Royal Marines of Great Britain includes the following units, namely:

1. The diversionary brigade number 3. This element, in turn, is divided into separate formations, for example: the 40th and 42nd sabotage battalions, the 539th assault squad, and so on.
2. Reserve Marine Corps.
3. Orchestral service.

Special forces of the armed forces of Britain

If the navy is the legendary formations of antiquity, then the modern legends are the special troops of Great Britain. To date, you can find a lot of information about the activities of special units of the British armed forces. At the same time it is still not clear which stories are reality, and which are myths. One way or another, it is possible to judge the activities of special forces only by analyzing their functional tasks. First of all, it should be noted that in the structure of military formations of special purpose there are only two divisions, namely SAS and SBS. Each of them was formed during the Second World War. The first unit - a special air service, is an airborne military formation. In the context of combat operations, it performs the following functions:

- collects intelligence about enemy forces;

- carries out counter-terrorist operations;

- Carries out rescue of hostages;

- Participates in direct contacts with the enemy.

Also, the specific functional task of SAS is the training of foreign fighters of special units.

The second not less significant subdivision of special forces is a special boat service. To date, it is a direct competitor to the "fur seals" of the United States of America. In most cases, SBS implements special operations under the aegis of the British navy. The equipment is provided by the Royal Marines. Very often, the functions of these formations are confused with each other. However, a special boat service is engaged in carrying out diversionary and reconnaissance operations of a special nature, that is, increased danger or complexity.

It should be noted that the activities of these units use the latest technology and military equipment. For example, the qualitative and quite popular knife of the British army was once invented by specialists of special units. There are also other analogues of such specific equipment. An example is the canvas "Bash" of the British Army, which is used today in many military formations of other countries.

Medical Service of Great Britain

One of the characteristics of the British armed forces is the presence of such troops as the medical service. In the world, there are very few analogues of such a construction of the Armed Forces. As for the UK, in this state the medical units consist of three main components, distributed among other branches of the army, namely the army, the fleet, air forces, etc. The service is engaged in the direct treatment of the armed forces, Fighting.

Air Force

One of the professional arms of the British Armed Forces is the royal forces operating in the air, that is, aviation. It should be noted that the organization of this element of the armed forces is compact. Because the whole force of aviation is divided into three groups. They, in turn, number about 34 thousand personnel. All air groups are designed to eliminate enemy air and ground forces. In their activities, the British Air Force uses the technology of both its production and foreign. The predominantly aircraft manufactured by the United States and the European Union prevail.

Army of Great Britain. Armament, equipment

In their activities, British military actors use world-famous prototypes of one or another equipment. For example, the form of the British army is distinguished by its practicality and high quality. It is great for performing combat missions. In addition, the military form of this state has good indicators of disguise. For example, the trousers of the British army are well protected against dampness and other negative environmental factors. Therefore, they are very popular among servicemen of foreign formations. In addition, Britain's membrane membrane trousers are made of material that allows the body to breathe. But they do not get wet.

Of course, there are other examples of quality equipment. Practice shows that virtually all military equipment manufactured in the UK is excellent for permanent and rather tough operation. For example, a British army jacket in tandem with trousers will ensure the dryness and warmth of a fighter practically in any conditions. Other types of equipment are also in good demand on the market. These include, for example: radio communication devices, survival kits, a backpack of the British Army, etc. The arms arming is of great importance. Of course, the quality bag of the British Army is an important enough element, but weapons play a more significant role. To date, the UK military uses L85A2 rifles with an optical sight, as well as Glock 17 and Sig Sauer P226 pistols .

So, in the article, we examined the characteristics of the armed forces of Great Britain. It should be noted that to date the aircraft of this state are among the strongest on Earth. But let us hope that it will not be possible to see the full power of the British army visually.