British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, known as His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces or sometimes the British Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown,^[1] encompasses a navy, an army, and an air force. The British Armed Forces are a purely professional and volunteer force with a reported personnel strength of 429,500 in 2009 (195,900 regular force, 193,300 regular reserve, and 42,300 volunteer reserve), HM Armed Forces constitutes one of the largest militaries in Europe, though only the 26th largest in the world by number of troops.^[2]^[3] The British Armed Forces however has the fourth highest declared expenditure of any military in the world, behind the United States, the People's Republic of China, and France.^[4]

Additional info

1957 Defence White Paper

The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd.230) was a British white paper setting forth the future as seen of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry. Duncan Sandys, the recently appointed Minister of Defence, produced the paper.

1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom)

The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the British Army. Originally formed in October 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during the Second World War, was disbanded afterward, was reconstituted in 1976, and remains in service today. It should not be confused with 1st Infantry Division which saw service in the Second World War as a separate formation.

1st Royal Tank Regiment

The 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It was originally formed as 1st (Light) Battalion, Royal Tank Corps in 1934.

2005 Pakistan earthquake

The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake (also known as the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) near the city of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. It occurred at 08:52:37 Pakistan Standard Time (03:52:37 UTC) on 8 October 2005. It registered a debatable moment magnitude of 7.6 making it similar in size to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1935 Quetta earthquake, the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, and the 2009 Sumatra earthquakes. As of 8 November, the government of Pakistan's official death toll was 79,000, while officials say nearly 1,400 people also died in Indian-administered Kashmir and four people in Afghanistan. The severity of the damage caused by the earthquake is attributed to severe upthrust, coupled with poor construction.

24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers

Formed in April 2008, 24 Commando Engineer Regiment is a unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers which supports 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Expeditionary in nature, this elite fighting force is optimised as an Amphibious formation, with the unique ability to rapidly deploy around the World and project force without reliance on ports or airfields. The regiment is one of three British Army units attached to 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, the others being 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and 1st Battalion, The Rifles.

29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery

29 Commando Regiment is the Commando-trained unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery. The regiment is under the operational control of 3 Commando Brigade providing artillery support and gunnery observation.

3 Commando Brigade

40 Commando - Taunton
42 Commando - Plymouth
45 Commando - Arbroath
1 Rifles Light Infantry (Non Commando) - Chepstow
Commando Logistic Regiment - Chivenor
29 Commando Regiment RA - Plymouth
24 Commando Regiment RE - Chivenor

3rd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)

The 3rd Infantry Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd (Iron) Division or as Iron Sides^[1]; is a regular army division of the British Army. It was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the "Fighting 3rd" under Sir Thomas Picton during the Napoleonic Wars. The division is also sometimes referred to as the "Iron Division", a nickname earned during the bitter fighting of 1916, during the First World War. The division's other battle honours include: the Battle of Waterloo, the Crimean War, the Second Boer War, the Battle of France (1940) and D-Day (1944). It was commanded for a time, during the Second World War, by Bernard Montgomery. The division was to have been part of a proposed Commonwealth Corps, formed for a planned invasion of Japan in 1945-46, but was disbanded when the war was ended by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

5-star rank

An officer of 5 star rank is the most senior commander in the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-10. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members.

Adam Ingram (Labour politician)

Adam Paterson Ingram (born in Glasgow on 1 February 1947) is a British politician, and Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow. He is a member of the Labour Party.

Administrative geography of the United Kingdom

The administrative geography of the United Kingdom is complex, multi-layered and non-uniform. The United Kingdom, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe, consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For local government in the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have their own system of administrative and geographic demarcation. Consequently, there is "no common stratum of administrative unit encompassing the United Kingdom".^[1]

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Originally exercised by a single person, the office of Lord High Admiral was from the 18th century onward almost invariably put "in commission", and was exercised by a Board of Admiralty.

Admiralty Board

The Admiralty Board is the body established under the Defence Council of the United Kingdom for the administration of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom. It meets formally only twice a year, and the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy is conducted by the Navy Board, which does not include any ministers.^[1]

Admiralty Board (United Kingdom)

AgustaWestland Apache

The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopters (now part of AgustaWestland) at Yeovil, England from Boeing-supplied kits. Changes from the AH-64D include Rolls-Royce engines, a new electronic defensive aids suite and a folding blade mechanism allowing the British version to operate from ships. The helicopter was named "WAH-64" by Westland Helicopters. It is designated Apache AH Mk 1 (or shortened to Apache AH1) by the UK's Ministry of Defence.

Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF).^[1] The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. Officers in the rank of Air Chief Marshal typically hold very senior appointments such as the air force or armed forces commander in those nations which have significant military capability. An Air Chief Marshal may be described generically as an "Air Marshal".

Air Ministry

The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, existing from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State for Air.

Air assault

Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces, most commonly infantry, by VTOL aircraft such as the helicopter to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured and rarely, to directly engage and destroy enemy forces. In addition to regular infantry training, these units usually receive training in rappelling and air transportation, and their equipment is sometimes designed or field modified to allow better transportation in helicopters.

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations. They have evolved from wooden vessels, used to deploy balloons, into nuclear powered warships that carry dozens of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

Aircraft carriers

Amphibious assault ship

An amphibious assault ship (also referred to as a commando carrier or an amphibious assault carrier) is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault.^[1] The design evolved from the helicopter carrier, but includes support for amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a well deck.

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines.

Armed Forces of Malta

The Armed Forces of Malta is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions.

Armoured infantry

Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force).

Art of the United Kingdom

Art of the United Kingdom refers to the artistic works associated with the United Kingdom and its peoples since its formation in 1707.^[1] (For details about art in the individual countries of the United Kingdom, including prior to 1707, see English art, Irish art, Scottish art, Welsh art.)

Ascension Island

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around 1,600 kilometres (994 mi) from the coast of Africa, and 2,250 kilometres (1,398 mi) from the coast of South America which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa. It is politically organized and governed as part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha^[1] from the capital Saint Helena, which is 1,287 kilometres (800 mi) to the southeast and the protectorate also includes the "remotest populated archipelago" on earth, the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha archipelago some thirty-degrees farther south — about half the way to the Antarctic circle. The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day and is located at 7°56′S 14°22′W / 7.933°S 14.367°WCoordinates: 7°56′S 14°22′W / 7.933°S 14.367°W about as far south of the equator as tropical Venezuela is to its north. Historically, it has played a role as an important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial airliners during the days of international air travel by air boats and during World War II was an important naval and air station especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and throughout the war.^[2] Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British Royal Navy on 22 October 1815.

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.

Attack helicopter

An attack helicopter is a military helicopter specifically designed and built to carry weapons for attacking targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry, armored vehicles and structures. Weapons used on attack helicopters can include autocannons, machine-guns, rockets, and guided missiles such as the Hellfire. Many attack helicopters are also capable of carrying air to air missiles, though mostly for purposes of self-defense. Today's attack helicopter has two main roles: first, to provide direct and accurate close air support for ground troops, and the second, in the anti tank role to destroy enemy armor concentrations. Attack helicopters are also used to supplement lighter helicopters in the armed scout role.

BAE Harrier II

The BAE Systems/Boeing Harrier II (GR5, GR7, and GR9 series) is a second generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used by the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) and, since 2006, the Royal Navy. It was developed from the earlier Hawker Siddeley Harrier and is closely related to the U.S.-built AV-8B Harrier II. Both are primarily used for light attack or multi-role tasks, and are often operated from small aircraft carriers.

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC",^[1] is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world.^[2] The BBC is a publicly owned corporation that operates under a Royal Charter issued by the British Crown and its operations are overseen by twelve Governors who are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Government.^[3] It is funded principally by an annual television licence fee, which is charged to all United Kingdom households, companies and organisations using equipment capable of recording and/or receiving live television broadcasts ^[4]; the level of the fee is set by the UK Government and agreed by the UK Parliament under a multi-year agreement with the Corporation.