Page 98 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
SO2 G35 Force Troops Command/ 6th (United Kingdom) Division
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose one Brigade might be considered unfortunate, to lose two is carelessness. Over the course of the last two years Force Troops Command (FTC) shrank from ten Brigades to five, but rather than an accident this has been an ‘intelligent re-design’ to adapt to changing global trends and threats. As SO2 G35 I was heavily involved in the planning and execution of this, and so it may be useful to recap recent history and some of the many changes we have seen over my time here in Upavon.
Formed out of the earlier Theatre Troops, under Army 2020 FTC’s role was to cohere the “scarce resources” of the Combat Support and Combat Service Support elements which had been significantly reduced by Army 2020. Commanding almost all of the Army’s Royal Signals, Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, Intelligence Corps, Logistics and Royal Army Medical Servic- es, FTC was designed to apportion out supporting elements to Combat Brigades and Divisions as required. The old days of 7 Armoured Brigade in Hohne having its own integral guns and Engineer regiments with Headquarters Signal Squadron are sadly long since-gone in the much smaller Army of today. In- dividual Combat Support or Combat Service Support units are now effectively ‘taskorged’ out to whichever part of the Army is at readiness that year, leading to constant upheaval for many units and permanent readiness for others.
In 2016 the Executive Committee of the Army Board recognised the changing face of warfare and the increasingly complex infor- mation environments in which we might find ourselves fight- ing. Just as Joint Effects doctrine recognised that striking with heavy artillery and persuading with a media campaign sat on the same spectrum and could not be considered in isolation of each other, so too does Information Manoeuvre combine mutually supporting capabilities of Intelligence, Communications, Coun- ter-Intelligence, Cyber and Influence Activities. A cyber-attack on a tactical communications node might drive a requirement to protect the network whilst giving intelligence to the Com- mander of enemy intentions or tactics. A hostile misinformation campaign about UK troops exercising in a friendly nation like Norway that seeks to drive a wedge between allies might be an- ticipated by intelligence, limited by counter-intelligence capa- bilities and countered by our own information activities. These capabilities may not in themselves be new, but their increased levels of coherence to inform the Commander’s timely decision- making in an increasingly complex environment is, rather than reinventing the wheel, fitting a new tyre to allow it to go off-road into this ever-more contested world.
To optimise itself for this new role over the last two years FTC has gradually divested itself of its other capabilities. For those trying to keep track of the latest changes, 3rd (UK) Division now holds all close artillery and most of the close support engineers, as well as Air Defence and MP, and is optimised for its war fight- ing role. 1st (UK) Division has taken on FTC’s Theatre Enable- ment Role with command of the logistics, engineers and medical elements required to establish and deploy a force into a new the- atre. These changes have left the newly re-designated 6th (UK) Division (as of July 2019) leaner and fitter for the challenges ahead. Having retained 1 and 11 Signal Brigades, 1 Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Brigade and 77 Brigade, it has also taken command of the Specialised Infantry Brigade, leaving it optimised for information operations but with the ability to add physical action to amplify that information where required.
FTC
In the world of today where little green men can operate freely in Ukraine with plausible-deniability, the old rules no longer apply. 6th (UK) Division now finds itself at the forefront of a brave new world; whilst 3rd (UK) Division is preparing to “fight tonight” against a peer enemy it will hopefully never face, and 1st (UK) Division continues to juggle competing demands of Defence Engagement, UK resilience and Lt Forces readiness, 6th (UK) Division is increasingly actively engaged in a current struggle in the ‘Grey Zone’, whether it be contesting enemy mis- information campaigns against UK troops deployed in Poland, or conducting counter-intelligence planning to protect UK bas- es or infrastructure here on the home front.
Based in Upavon on Salisbury Plain, FTC and now 6th (UK) Division is the most successful example I have ever worked in of the whole force approach, with regular, reserve and civilian per- sonnel all bringing their own approaches and working together in a relaxed and welcoming Headquarters environment. It is a far more pleasant working alternative than one might expect of a 2* Headquarters. I have had the opportunity to engage heavily in the Mess, seemingly covering half the committee posts on my own at times, and working hard to bring some élan to this cor- ner of the Plain. I deployed to France with the Headquarters to deliver the 75th anniversary commemorations of the Normandy Beach landings, whilst I’ve also managed to trawl myself for ex- ercises as varied as the US’ Strategic Command in Nebraska and discussing war crimes in Croatia.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and would heartily rec- ommend it, particularly at SO3 or SO2 level. It offers consid- erable autonomy, mostly working directly to the Chief of Staff and regularly briefing the General Officer Commanding. It is a rewarding step outside the safety of the Combined Arms comfort zone, and an invaluable education on emerging capabilities and the unique challenges they face. I am leaving Upavon with a new appreciation and better prepared for future challenges, first of which will be Op SHADER. The future’s bright, the future’s grey.
AJC