Page 68 - KRH Year of 2021 CREST

66 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
The Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times” is per- haps nowadays a little hackneyed, but 2021 has been noth- ing if not ‘interesting’ from an Army Headquarters perspective. Whilst the quinquennial turbulence of an Integrated Review of defence, security and foreign policy (the artist formerly known as a Defence Review/SDSR) is nothing new, juggling this with simultaneous restructuring of the Army’s operating model ‘in contact’ has added a layer of complexity that continues to keep the headquarters on its toes.
To any sane, red-blooded cavalier the thought of a two-year sen- tence in Army HQ doubtless sends shivers down the spine. It is fair to say that visions of life in Andover are perhaps not what motivates an officer cadet to persevere through long, cold nights on ‘stag’ at Sandhurst. However, if you wake up one morning to find that staff jobs are a necessary evil, a role on the bridge of the ‘Death Star’ is probably not a bad place to start. This is the posi- tion that Messrs. Nick Perry (as Assistant Chief of the General Staff [ACGS]), Simon Graham (as Director Army Reserves), Pete Perowne (Future Force Development), Henry Foster (Organisation Branch) and Harry Bartles (International Comms & Engagement) have occupied over the last year; rather alarm- ingly, with a growing ‘Strategic Centre’ purview.1 Whilst ACGS
had previously sat over strategy, structure, and corporate govern- ance, the job’s remit (in collaboration with Director Resources and Director Army Reserves) has now been expanded to include all aspects of resourcing and strategic communications; the idea
Strat Branch discovering where the money went
Hawks in Headquarters