The Army expects to complete the current phase of its Fifth Generation Land Force design work by the end of 2026, with further refinement and force testing continuing inside the wider Integrated Force Design process, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked by when the work to define the Fifth Generation Land Force would be completed, following an answer given on 16 September.
Louise Sandher-Jones, the Minister for the Armed Forces, said: “The Army expects to complete the current phase of the 5th Generation Land Force design work by the end of 2026. Further refinement, consolidation and force testing will continue as part of Defence’s wider Integrated Force Design process. The 5th Generation Land Force remains the Army’s principal contribution to that work.”
In a separate answer, asked whether it would become policy to establish a mechanised infantry rifle company in the First Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Luke Pollard said: “Decisions on future platform requirements at unit and sub-unit level are yet to be finalised. However, I can confirm that the 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers has already received a Boxer Unit.”
The Fifth Generation Land Force is the Army’s description of what it intends to become, built around the recce strike concept of finding targets at range and killing them with long-range fires, with uncrewed systems and electronic warfare woven through the design instead of bolted on. It follows from the Strategic Defence Review’s conclusions about the twenty forty forty balance between crewed platforms, reusable uncrewed systems and single-use munitions.
Elsewhere the telegraph reports billions of pounds being removed from the army front line and boxer vehicles etc. Soon the only soldier left will be expected to use their own pushbike as a vehicle for war
Yep, and the standing order will be, will the last man out turn the lights off.
Endless chat, zero action and continuous decline in mass and capabilities across the board.
Surely they’ll be going electric?
So we had A2020, then A2020R, then Future Force 2030 ( or was it 2035, I lose track) where an entire “Corps” was discussed, now this new buzzword has been thought up.
All is well.
The problem is there are so many ongoing reorgs all the way back to Future Army Structures in the mid 2000s that not one reorg has ever been finished before the next wave of cuts altered the existing plan and a new one was hatched.
Under this smoke and mirrors, I’m still trying to track changes at sub unit level, as hidden from the public who look and still see a Battalion or Regiment, that unit contracts as Companies, Batteries and Squadrons are cut, amalgamated, disappear, or are put into “suspended animation” while politicians continue to waffle that all is well.
Future Soldier was published, Project Wavell wasn’t, only internally I believe, will this be?
On 1 RRF, you’d assume that the term Mechanized Infantry Company would be standard for a Boxer Company? Battalions usually had 3, plus FS Coy, plus HQ. All that is changing in various units as FS Coys assets merge with the Infantry Companies, Drones become dominant, and names change, which give the opportunity for cloak and mirror cuts in headcount, something that’s been going on since General Mike Jackson I believe.