We're always here, protecting and serving the nation.

Know your Army

Your British Army, like many of our country’s crucial services – such as the police force, the NHS and the fire brigade - is always there.

Soldiers make some our favourite characters in films, tv shows and video games. So, we know the Army’s there and often don’t think about it very much.

But do you actually know what we’re up to? How are we responding to a world of ever-changing threats?

The British Army protects you, and helps the nation succeed.
 
We’re a part of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), which is a military group of close allies who protect each other.

It’s a team of 32 countries from Europe and North America, guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.

We are the Army the nation needs, and NATO wants. 

Discover how your Army… 

  • Fights from the land
  • Fights on the land
  • Does things differently
  • Unites people, and makes us all stronger
  • Collaborates with business and expert partners

Fighting from the land

If you’re keeping up with current events, you’ll probably know about the threat we face from Russia. 

On 24 February 2022, Russia used force to seize territory from Ukraine, a friend of ours. This war continues. 

As well as supporting Ukraine, we’re getting prepared in case Russia wants to attack us or our friends in the future.

The British Army doesn’t want a war to happen - it is getting ready to prevent war. 

In the worst case, if there is a war – the British Army will operate on the land, and work from it, with a close-knit team of our friends and partners (including NATO) to help win in other areas from underwater to outer-space.

Fighting on the land

Land power is important to us, and NATO.  

Our focus is to ensure that, together with NATO, we can fight and win wars on land.

We aim to double our fighting power in three years and triple it by the end of the decade.

This includes ensuring we continue to invest in the most modern fighting equipment, like the new Challenger 3 tank and the Apache AH64E attack helicopter, and the 5G tech that will give us the winning advantage on the battlefield.  

We’re always training, all over the world, sometimes in temperatures as low as –40 degrees Celsius and as high as 50 degrees Celsius. These challenges produce the world's best soldiers, who are always ready.

We do things differently

We’re quickly integrating tech at every level, to make us more lethal and more effective. Creating an ‘internet of military things’, we’re building an ‘any/any network’ which through 5G software, will connect any sensor, from anywhere, to any weapon.

The Army's new Disruptive Technologies Office (DTO) will continue to pursue advantages for the soldier through Human Machine Teaming, robotics and autonomous systems and AI.

Working with scientists and industry, it will explore new opportunities including the expanding potential of AI-enhanced 'decision advantage'.

Pretty cool, huh? 

Harnessing the exceptional talent of our people

Our people, whether reservist, civil servant or regular, are our most important asset and central to everything we do. They’re leaders, operators, innovators – they're not just in the Army, they are the Army. 

We will provide more ways to join and support the Army. A career in the Army offers unrivalled education, training and adventure opportunities. Our leadership programmes are among the best in the world and include opportunities to train and work with allies, partners and in civilian industries.

Do you belong here? If you’re interested in a career in the Army, find out more today.

Uniting people, and making us all stronger

Did you know we’ve got around 45,000 people ready to go?

This includes up to 4,000 soldiers to help in the event of a crisis here in the UK. They’re prepped to respond quickly to major incidents such as extreme weather and industrial action.

As the COVID-19 pandemic showed, this force can be scaled up across the country. 

We also contribute further to society by partnering with industry and building infrastructure. 

We provide education, support and employment to our soldiers and give them skills they need to have an edge in their future careers.

Stronger together

We work closely with our partners from the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and Strategic Command, as well as our inspirational friends from critical services such as the police, NHS and the fire brigade.

Our network of allies and partners extends across the world. With them, we exchange ideas, train hard and offer life-changing opportunities for our people.

Together, we are stronger.

Collaborating with businesses and expert partners

The Land Industrial Strategy (LIS) outlines how we collaborate and work with industry to invest in, modernise and equip the Army.

We work together to ensure the Army receives the capabilities it requires, whilst building an innovative, globally competitive, and highly skilled sector in the UK, contributing jointly to our national security, prosperity and economy.

Our ground combat systems strategy has been developed with industry to maximise our fighting power and encourage continuous innovation, suitable for a modern, high-tech organisation operating the most advanced military technology and capabilities.

It’s not just us that’s confident we have the best equipment - our international allies believe it as well, with nearly £6Bn worth of equipment exported over the past 10 years.

The Army in numbers

Climate change and sustainability

Green Power is a crucial focus for gaining advantage in future operations. The Army is experimenting with ‘green’ technology to modernise, including hybrid vehicles, making them quieter on the battlefield and able to fight for longer.

We are also testing novel power generation techniques, advanced energy storage systems, and smart microgrids; all aimed at greater lethality across the force.

Not only will we be more sustainable on Operations, but also in barracks as we construct new infrastructure to meet net zero standards.

Our commitments to sustainability will make us more effective, modern, and lethal. We are projected to yield savings of approximately £152 million over the next ten years and decrease emissions by around 30,000 CO2e per year. 

Education and apprenticeships

All Army personnel are entitled to receive £175 towards educational or vocational training each year. In 2022, we provided £952,243 in subsidies to support 6,930 learners in their training courses.

Enhanced Learning Credits help cover the costs personal development courses at Level 3 or above, eligible personnel can claim up to £6,000, at a max of £2,000 per year.

Additionally, in 2022, we awarded subsidies totalling £11,555,745 to 5,072 applicants for their personal development initiatives.

different apprenticeships across the Army
Over 41
of new soldiers enrolling each year
Over 90%

Innovation and investment

We're modernising and investing.

We study past and current conflicts to learn lessons and ensure our investment is targeted appropriately, from drones and augmented reality to missiles and armoured vehicles.

We're investing £41bn in equipment and support to ensure we can address the threats of the future.

Army Expo 2024

The Army Expo 2024 was an immersive event held on the parade square at Wellington Barracks, London, in September.

Guests from across Industry, Parliament and the Civil Service got the chance to see, for themselves, how the Army is modernising to meet the challenges of today’s world. 

You can see how it went in the video below. 

Over 1,300 armoured fighting vehicles will be in use by the British Army over the next few years.

Over 1,000 of these will be made in the UK which will directly support over 10,000 jobs, and a further 10,000 indirectly.

Challenger

148 main battle tanks will be upgraded to Challenger 3; an investment of around £1.6bn.

Ajax

589 armoured vehicles as part of a £5.5bn contract that includes the Ajax family of reconnaissance vehicles.

Apache

We are bringing 50 AH-64Es, the world’s most lethal and best-connected attack helicopter.

Archer

14 Archer heavy artillery guns that will temporarily replace the AS90 guns that have been given to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know your Army, better.

We hope you’ve found this information useful and inspiring.

We’re hugely proud of our incredible people and have loved showing you just a glimpse of their exciting lives, at the heart of the British Army.

Join the conversation on social, using the hashtag #KnowYourArmy

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