The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) called on the Army to mobilise in response to the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine in a speech at RUSI in summer 2022. He called on the Army to draw on the lessons of the current conflict and accelerate its efforts to modernise in order to become more lethal, agile, resilient and expeditionary.
Since then, orders have been issued and the Army has responded to this challenge. It is procuring more equipment, from advanced night visions and weapon sights to drones and other uncrewed systems.
In addition to our established plans to procure Ajax, Boxer, and Challenger 3, we have also bought the Archer 155mm gun system. This is an interim measure until the new Mobile Fires Platform can be made available.
The Army has also reviewed the way that it delivers training and what it trains against. The Land Warfare Centre has compiled lessons from the conflict, many of which as still emerging. New exercises such as Iron Cyclone, will train our forces differently. It will be more relevant, challenging and will increase the combined arms competence of the force, a crucial element for success on the modern battlefield.
Through Project Lewes, the Army will integrate these new technologies and capabilities into its existing forces, ultimately becoming more flexible, integrated and modern. These capabilities will allow it to strike harder, faster and further.
By taking the best of our existing plans, accelerating them and incorporating the lessons from Ukraine we will create an Army which is more relevant, respected and able to operate anywhere our nation requires.
