British Army - Formation and Structure

Formation and Structure

British Army arms and services
Combat Arms
Royal Armoured Corps
Infantry
  • Guards Division
  • Scottish Division
  • King's Division
  • Queen's Division
  • Prince of Wales' Division
  • Royal Irish Regiment
  • Parachute Regiment
  • Royal Gurkha Rifles
  • The Rifles
  • Special Air Service
Army Air Corps
Combat Support Arms
Royal Artillery
Royal Engineers
Royal Corps of Signals
Intelligence Corps
Combat Services
Royal Army Chaplains Department
Royal Logistic Corps
Army Medical Services
  • Royal Army Medical Corps
  • Royal Army Dental Corps
  • Royal Army Veterinary Corps
  • Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Adjutant General's Corps
  • Staff and Personnel Support Branch
  • Educational and Training Services Branch
  • Army Legal Services Branch
  • Provost Branch
    • Royal Military Police
    • Military Provost Staff
    • Military Provost Guard Service
Small Arms School Corps
Royal Army Physical Training Corps
General Service Corps
Corps of Army Music

The structure of the British Army is complex, due to the different origins of its various constituent parts. It is broadly split into the Regular Army (full-time Officers/soldiers and units) and the Territorial Army (Spare-time Officers/soldiers and units).

In terms of its military structure, it has two parallel organisations, one administrative and one operational.

Administrative

  • Regiments and Corps. These are listed below (in the template to the right), ranging from the Household Cavalry to the Army Physical Training Corps and the Royal Logistic Corps. Uniquely and somewhat confusingly, the Infantry, which is not a corps but a collection of separate regiments, is administered by 'Divisions' of infantry – Guards Division, Queen's Division, Scottish Division and so on.

Operational

  • The major operational command is based at Andover and is known as "Army Headquarters". It is split into divisions and subordinate units ranging from regiments to squadrons.
  • Divisions (1 Div. based in Herford in Germany and 3 Div. based in Bulford)
    • Brigades, both fighting and in a non fighting regional capacity within HQ LF (for example, 43 (Wessex) Brigade based in Bulford).

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