Page 6 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

4 EAGLE AND CARBINE
FOREWORD FROM THE COLONEL COMMANDANT OF THE RAC
This last year has seen substantial change to the British Army as set out under the IR and the Future Soldier plan. Many of these changes will be keenly felt by the soldiers and officers of the Royal Armoured Corps. For that reason, I wrote to the Regimental Colonels in November setting out the broad order design for the Corps post IR. I enclose an extract from that let- ter below so that the message is transparent across all ranks. The changes to our Corps roles across the Regulars and Reserves are as follows:
• Armour. The RAC will retain two Armoured Regiments (QRH and RTR) ~ one allocated to each of the two Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). The Armoured Regiments will retain four Sabre Squadrons and one HQ Squadron. Each Sabre Squadron will have four troops of three tanks, with one of the troops in each squadron provided by the Yeomanry. The King’s Royal Hussars will re-role as Armoured Cavalry on the AJAX platform. The RWxY, scaled to four squadrons, will provide formed Troops to sup- port the two Regular Armoured Regiments listed above; scaled at one Yeomanry Troop per Regular Squadron.
• Armoured Cavalry. Two Regiments of Armoured Cavalry (KRH and RDG) will be allocated at one Regiment per Heavy BCT, and the HCR and RL will be allocated to the Deep Recce Strike BCT. All four Armoured Cavalry units will lose their C&S Squadron and Surveillance Troop. Consequently, their three Sabre Squadrons will contain two Find Troops, a Guided Weapons Troop and a Support Troop. All will have an RHQ and G4 focussed HQ Squadron. Yeomanry Regiments will, in due course, be aligned with Regular Armoured Cavalry units. They will gen- erate one Yeomanry Squadron per ACR, mounted initially in Jackal, for warfighting.
• Light Cavalry. The SCOTS DG and LD will be allocated to each of the two Light BCTs, whilst the QDG will be allocated to the Deep Recce Strike BCT. The Regular Light Cavalry Regiments will have three Sabre Squadrons (structured as they are now) and a HQ Squadron. At Warfighting
these units will be augmented with an additional Yeomanry Sabre Squadron, to bring them up to four squadrons. The SNIY will continue to sup- port the SCOTS DG, the RY the QDG, and the QOY the LD, as well as being tasked to support the ACRs.
You will have heard much about the changing char- acter of warfare, of the so-called ‘grey zone’ and the requirement for asymmetric forces. Do not for a moment assume that the consequence of this change is a diminished requirement for armour. War remains a fundamentally human endeavour and a psychological one too. The capability to seize, clear and hold terrain is as relevant today as it was in World War II. Armour is a demonstrable statement on the ability to win a human conflict that will be high intensity and violent
Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne KCVO CBE