Secretary of State鈥檚 speech to the RUSI Land Warfare conference
Speech by Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence
Just last week we marked Armed Forces Day
鈥s literally thousands of people came together
鈥rom Cleethorpes鈥� where I attended with the Prime Minister
鈥o Caerphilly
鈥nd places in between
鈥o applaud鈥s members of the public鈥� the immense contribution of our Army.
In a few days鈥� time
鈥ocal communities up and down the land
鈥ill gather once more
鈥his time not in celebration
鈥ut in commemoration
鈥s we mark 100 years on
鈥rom that immense battle
鈥ought in the trenches of the Somme.
Today鈥檚 troops
鈥re worlds apart from their WW1 counterparts
鈥n terms of firepower, technology and protection
鈥et they do share the same commitment to service
鈥he same passionate belief in the values of our nation
鈥he values of justice and tolerance and freedom
鈥hat are worth fighting for now as they were worth fighting for then.
Values under attack
And they do have to be fought for now.
100 years after the Somme, those values remain under attack.
From Islamist extremists鈥� who most recently wrought havoc in a concert hall in Paris and in a nightclub in Orlando.
From aggressor states鈥ike Russia鈥� who continue to menace the Ukraine.
From rogue nations like North Korea鈥ho keep rattling their nuclear sabre.
But just as our forefathers did 100 years ago, today we face those dangers head on.
Last year we had almost 80,000 British soldiers deployed on more than 380 commitments in 69 different countries around the world.
This year our troops have maintained that relentless pace.
Today they are training tens of thousands of Iraqis and Kurds to counter Daesh.
皇冠体育appy are assisting Nigerian forces to take on Boko Haram.
And they are providing essential support to our Ukrainian allies as they stand firm in defence of their nation鈥檚 territorial integrity.
Our personnel鈥ur service people鈥� around the world are making a difference.
And they deserve our heartfelt thanks.
It is through their service that they remind us
鈥hat if we鈥檙e to continue protecting our own people
鈥rojecting our influence
鈥romoting our national prosperity
鈥hen we have to have a strong Army out in front leading the way.
Investing in a strong army
Now not so very long ago, Malcolm, there were some who questioned this Government鈥檚 commitment to the Army.
In fact, I now recall standing at this very lectern a year ago
鈥ielding a barrage of questions
鈥olite but firm
鈥bout forces being hollowed out
鈥udgets being constrained
鈥nd continual retrenchment.
Yet, barely a week after that conference鈥f course because of that Conference!鈥he Chancellor announced that we would not only meet our 2 per cent NATO target
鈥ut that our budget would grow for the first time this April in real terms and would go on growing for each of the next six years.
And, as you have said, a few months after that the Strategic Defence and Security Review decided
鈥o put us back on the map
鈥y investing in stronger defence
鈥n the shape of Joint Force 2025
鈥n Air Group
鈥 Maritime Taskforce
鈥nd a Land Force made up of 112,000 Regulars and Reserve
鈥ble to deploy more rapidly an expeditionary force of around 50,000
鈥�20,000 more on the equivalent review four or five years before
And committed over the next five years to spend some 12bn on the Army鈥檚 equipment programme alone
Some 28bn over the next 10 years up till 2025.
That additional force will give us a war-fighting division
鈥ptimised for high intensity combat operations
鈥ncluding two new strike Brigades
鈥ble to deploy over long distances.
It will give reconfigured infantry battalions
鈥ho will increasingly contribute to countering terrorism and building stability overseas.
And it will give us firepower to match this additional manpower.
鈥igitally-enhanced Ajax armoured vehicles
鈥echanised Infantry Vehicles
鈥arrior Fighting vehicles
鈥hallenger tanks
鈥pgraded Apaches and Chinooks
鈥nd cutting edge Remotely Piloted Air Systems.
And I can announce today that we鈥檝e signed a 拢80m support contract with Thales
鈥hat will keep our Watchkeepers flying high for years to come
鈥elping in the process to sustain 80 jobs and more in the supply chain. So we know now from the SDSR鈥hat our future force鈥� will look like.
But the questions for today go much deeper. . And they return us, as you said Malcolm, to the theme of this conference, 鈥渁daptability鈥�.
How should the Army adapt to a much more complex age?
How can we make sure, as you鈥檝e already been discussing in earlier sessions, that the Army does have the ability to react to such a wide range of threats
鈥hether simultaneously from the East or South
鈥hether from conventional or from cyber warfare.
In answering that question, I would like to set out my vision of Army 2025
In my view, it should be a future force with three essential characteristics:
1. INTEGRATION
First, it should be an integrated Army.
I don鈥檛 mean an Army structure that鈥檚 better integrated.
I don鈥檛 mean an Army that鈥檚 better integrated with the Royal Navy and Royal Airforce - they鈥檙e already doing it.
I mean an Army that is integrated with the 鈥渨hole of Government鈥�.
Increasingly, the threats we face transcend departmental boundaries.
Tomorrow鈥檚 Army is going to be working more closely than ever before with Intelligence Agencies, with the Police and Home Office to deter and respond to threats.
It will joining up with key government departments to support national resilience contingency planning.
It will be building stability overseas by improving our partners鈥� abilities to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and extremism.
Now the Army, of course, always been more than just a blunt instrument.
It鈥檚 always been an organisation with the skills, the intelligence and on-the-ground knowledge of how to make as well as how to break.
And having fully absorbed CGS鈥檚 doctrine note on integrated action鈥hat he released last year鈥 want to see Army 2025 fully utilise its in-depth expertise
鈥ot just in theatre but at the heart of our government
鈥elping to shape and inform the decisions that are taken in government
2. INFORMATION
Secondly, I want to see Army 2025 dominate
鈥ot simply enter鈥he information space
鈥n the way the Army currently masters the physical terrain.
We can already see our adversaries waging war differently
鈥sing cyber to take down infrastructure
鈥sing social media to spread misinformation
鈥sing chat groups and rooms to radicalise followers.
皇冠体育app Army of the future
鈥ill be plugged into the digital age.
It will be able鈥� in the words of those tech experts over at Silicon Valley
鈥� 鈥渢o translate the virtual bits into physical atoms鈥�
鈥hat emerge from multiple receptors
鈥hether digital tanks鈥arriers鈥r the F35.
And it will have the capability to deploy that real-time information
鈥o disrupt and dismantle our adversaries鈥� capabilities
鈥o help inform political decision making
鈥nd to deliver鈥bove all鈥 faster truth to our public.
So just as the pioneers of air support and tanks were to be found in the later stages of the battle of the Somme
鈥o the pioneers of information warfare will now be found amongst our men and women of 77 Brigade and 1st Reconnaissance Brigade.
皇冠体育appy鈥檙e already learning ways to improve information鈥nfluence capabilities
鈥ounter hybrid warfare techniques
鈥nd improve battlefield intelligence.
And along the way they are pioneering techniques that will undoubtedly be taken up throughout the rest of the Army.
皇冠体育appy鈥檙e discovering how to use more flexible terms-of-employment so we can do more to tap into the deeper wells of talent within our country.
皇冠体育appy鈥檙e breaking down barriers in the way we organise ourselves so that our intelligence analysts receive the information from unmanned aerial systems more swiftly.
And they鈥檙e finding out how to give our deployed forces even greater access to the additional expertise and services that UK assets can provide worldwide.
I believe that impact will in time be revolutionary.
3. INTERNATIONAL-BY-DESIGN
Third, Army 2025, as Malcolm reminded us, will be international-by-design.
Thanks to the Army 2020 refine programme we will be a force to be reckoned with鈥ith a full array of capabilities to operate alone if required.
But we will also be in a much better position to work together with our global partners.
And make no mistake鈥egardless of the result of the referendum鈥� we will remain a major international power with global responsibilities.
Leaving one particular union means we will have to work even harder with our commitment to others and to our key financial operations.
We will continue to be leading members
鈥f NATO 鈥f the UN Security Council 鈥f the Commonwealth 鈥f the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe 鈥f the Northern Group of European nations 鈥f the Five Power Defence Arrangements in the Far East 鈥f the Five Eyes intelligence alliance
And we will continue to be a country with strong and valued Defence relationships
鈥ith the United States
鈥nd with countries around the world.
皇冠体育app result of the referendum does not change our global outlook.
We will continue to fight terror with our partners
鈥o support counter migration efforts
鈥hether organised by NATO or the European Union鈥r the United Nations.
We will continue to tackle counter-arms smuggling.
We will continue to deepen and broaden those relationships we set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review last year.
That鈥檚 why Army 2025 is being configured to l operate predominantly in combined formations
鈥s part of NATO鈥檚 VJTEF鈥hich we lead next year
鈥s part of our Joint Expeditionary Force of northern European nations.
That combined formation in each case exemplifies the sort of relationship that international-design will forge and sustain.
So Army 2025 will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our American allies 鈥uilding on the strength of our existing partnership.
鈥uilding on the regular joint exercises between our nations
鈥nd the recent agreement to integrate more effectively a UK division into a US corps.
鈥nd the fact we鈥檙e one of the few Armies in the world able to match the tempo of the US Higher Headquarters.
And that鈥檚 why Army 2025 will also be there alongside our French colleagues.
And this year we鈥檙e not just looking back
鈥o the Anglo-French efforts on the Somme
鈥ut looking forward鈥ith the successful testing of our Combined Joint Expeditionary Force.
And beyond that, I want Army 2025 to be the partner of choice for smaller nations.
鈥iving us greater options for a sharper and speedier response against our adversaries.
That鈥檚 a network that is being strengthened and expanded all the time
鈥hrough our Specialised Infantry Battalions
鈥hrough our culturally-aware regional specialists
鈥hrough our world renowned military courses
鈥nd the events we hold 鈥uch as the conference we鈥檙e in with you today
Above all鈥hrough the routine engagements of our troops throughout the year鈥� throughout the world.
This year there have already been more than 100 such tasks ranging from Belize to Burkino Faso鈥rom Ethiopia to Egypt鈥rom Sierra Leone to Singapore.
Just this week British troops deployed again on exercise in the Ukraine .
Diversity
So that鈥檚 my vision for Army 2025.
And I need only add that this is a force whose diversity of allies
鈥eeds to be matched by the diversity of its own personnel.
By 2020, as you know, we want 10 per cent of new soldiers to come from an ethnic minority background.
We want more than 15 per cent to be women.
And we want them鈥n both cases鈥ot simply to make up numbers
鈥ot simply to meet a Government target
鈥ut to bring their skills and their talents to every part of the Army
鈥nd to every corner of the world in which our people serve.
皇冠体育appse are the people with the talent that takes them to the very top.
And this will be a force
鈥hat represents the nation
鈥hat enjoys鈥s it did last week鈥he nation鈥檚 wholehearted support
鈥nd a force that is admired worldwide for the values that it embodies.
Conclusion
So let me conclude by saying鈥hat is the Army 2025 that I want to see in the coming years.
A stronger, forward leaning force, leading a more secure, more prosperous and more confident country into the future.
And though we don鈥檛 know today鈥hen and where the British Army will be deployed next鈥� I do know that where it is deployed it will be used successfully.
鈥ot just because of the building blocks are already in place
鈥ot even just because we are now putting our money where our mouth is
鈥ut above all because of the iron will and determination
鈥hat once drove those heroes on the Somme
鈥o preserve the freedoms we cherish against the forces of aggression and intolerance and injustice
Because that determination and iron will
鈥别尘补颈苍蝉
鈥fter all these years
鈥he driving force of our militarily today.
Thank you.