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Abbreviations


 

Armed Forces - a1a3 - British Army - Statistics - Strength and Deployment- Number of serving soldiers

STATISTICS

BRITISH ARMY STRENGTH

Strength of the Regular Army (mid 2009)
Armour 10 x Regiments (1)
Royal Artillery 15 x Regiments (2)
Royal Engineers 11 x Regiments
Infantry 36 x Battalions (3)
Army Air Corps 5 x Regiments
Signals 12 x Regiments
Equipment Support 7 x Battalions (4)
Logistics 17 x Regiments
Medical Regiments/Field Hospitals 8 x Major Units (5)


Notes:
(1) Excludes CRBN Regiment.
(2) Includes 1 x Training Regiment and 29 Commando Regiment.
(3) Excludes 1 x Battalion of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
(4) Includes 1 x Equipment Support (Aviation) Battalion.
(5) Includes 5 x Medical Regiments and 3 x Hospitals

In general these Battalions/Regiments are commanded by Lt Colonels and have a strength of between 500 and 800 personnel.

 
Strength of the Territorial Army (mid 2009)
Armour 4 x Regiments (1)
Royal Artillery 7 x Regiments (2)
Royal Engineers 5 x Regiments
Infantry 15 x Battalions
Signals 11 x Regiments
Equipment Support 4 x Battalions
Logistics 16 x Regiments
Intelligence 1 x Battalion
Medical 11 x Hospitals; 4 x Field Ambulances and 2 x Regiments

Notes:
(1) 4 x Regional National Defence Reconnaissance Regiments
(2) Includes The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC)

UK MoD figures show that in September 2008, the overall Territorial Army requirement as 42,000 and the strength was 35,020 personnel.


Joint Units (mid 2009)
Special Air Service 1 x Regular Regiment
Special Air Service 2 x Territorial Army Regiments
Special Forces Support Group 1 x Regiment (based on 1 Para)
Special Reconnaissance Regiment 1 x Regiment
Special Boat Service (RM) 4 x Squadrons
Joint Nuclear Biological & Chemical 1 x Regiment
 
Joint Helicopter Command
Regular Army Air Corps Regiments 5 x Regiments
Territorial Army Aviation 1 x Regiment
 
Headquarters
HQ ARRC (NATO Deployable HQ) 1 x Corps Headquarters
Deployable Divisional HQ 3 x Headquarters (1)
Non-Deployable Division/District HQ 5 x Headquarters (2)
Deployable Brigade HQ 8 x Headquarters (3)

Notes:
(1) Includes HQ 6 Division (a temporary HQ)
(2) Includes 11 Light Brigade

Full Time Trained Strength of The Army during 2009. This table includes FTRS (Full Time Reserve Service) personnel.
. Liability Strength
The Household Cavalry/ Royal Armoured Corps 5,823 5,570
Royal Regiment of Artillery 7,512 7,170
Corps of Royal Engineers 9,367 9,717
The Infantry 24,535 23,135
Army Air Corps 2,034 2,034
Royal Army Chaplains Department 147 130
Royal Signals 9,000 8,705 (1)
The Royal Logistics Corps 15,563 14,490
Royal Army Medical Corps 3,354 2,980
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 9,895 9,390
Army Legal Service 109 109
Royal Army Veterinary Corps 216 280
Small Arms School Corps 140 150
Royal Army Dental Corps 436 380
Intelligence Corps 1,607 1,440
Army Physical Training Corps 432 350
Gurkhas 3,000 3,600
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 1,146 830
Adjutant General's Corps (Provost Branch) 1,748 1,720
Adjutant General's Corps (Provost Branch) 1,748 1,720
Adjutant Generals Corps (Staff and Personnel Support Branch) 3,819 3,500
Adjutant Generals Corps (Educational and Training Services Branch) 315 340
Full-time trained Army (approx)   106,380
Note: (1) Our estimate    

Personnel Summary (January 2009)
Army Requirement Trained Strength
Officers (UK Regulars) 13,460 13,770
Other Ranks (UK Regulars) 85,450 80,910

Gurkha Officers

120 130

Gurkha Soldiers

2,880 3,470
Total 101,910 98,280

Note: From August 2005, the Army trained strength requirement was reduced from 106,970 to the current 101,910

The following table may be of interest to see how the Army has diminished in strength in the past 100 years.

100 Years Ago - Strength of the British Army (as at 1 Jan 1905)
Regular Army 195,000
Colonial Troops or Native Indian Corps 14,000
Army Reserve 80,000
Militia 132,000
Yeomanry (Cavalry) 28,000
Totals 449,000
Note: Regular forces in India totalled 74,500
Three years previously Regular Army Totals by Corps were:
Household Cavalry 1,390
Cavalry of the Line 20,200
Horse Artillery 3,483
Field Artillery 15,509
Mountain Artillery 1,200
Garrison Artillery 18,400
Royal Engineers 7,130
Foot Guards 5,873
Infantry of the Line 132,332
Colonial Corps 5,217
Army Service Corps 3,555
Ordnance Staff 920
Armourers 352
Medical Services 2,993
. 218,554
The force reduction was due to the drawdown following the end of the war in South Africa