{"id":71781,"date":"2016-06-29T19:38:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T19:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=40665b98561d9cd459e10722615464f4"},"modified":"2016-06-29T19:38:33","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T19:38:33","slug":"speech-secretary-of-states-speech-to-the-rusi-land-warfare-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=71781","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Secretary of State\u2019s speech to the RUSI Land Warfare conference"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Just last week we marked Armed Forces Day<\/p>\n

\u2026as literally thousands of people came together<\/p>\n

\u2026from Cleethorpes\u2026 where I attended with the Prime Minister<\/p>\n

\u2026to Caerphilly<\/p>\n

\u2026and places in between<\/p>\n

\u2026to applaud\u2026as members of the public\u2026 the immense contribution of our Army.<\/p>\n

In a few days\u2019 time<\/p>\n

\u2026local communities up and down the land<\/p>\n

\u2026will gather once more<\/p>\n

\u2026this time not in celebration<\/p>\n

\u2026but in commemoration<\/p>\n

\u2026as we mark 100 years on<\/p>\n

\u2026from that immense battle<\/p>\n

\u2026fought in the trenches of the Somme.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s troops<\/p>\n

\u2026are worlds apart from their WW1 counterparts<\/p>\n

\u2026in terms of firepower, technology and protection<\/p>\n

\u2026yet they do share the same commitment to service<\/p>\n

\u2026the same passionate belief in the values of our nation<\/p>\n

\u2026the values of justice and tolerance and freedom<\/p>\n

\u2026that are worth fighting for now as they were worth fighting for then.<\/p>\n

Values under attack<\/h4>\n

And they do have to be fought for now.<\/p>\n

100 years after the Somme, those values remain under attack.<\/p>\n

From Islamist extremists\u2026 who most recently wrought havoc in a concert hall in Paris and in a nightclub in Orlando.<\/p>\n

From aggressor states\u2026like Russia\u2026 who continue to menace the Ukraine.<\/p>\n

From rogue nations like North Korea\u2026who keep rattling their nuclear sabre.<\/p>\n

But just as our forefathers did 100 years ago, today we face those dangers head on.<\/p>\n

Last year we had almost 80,000 British soldiers deployed on more than 380 commitments in 69 different countries around the world.<\/p>\n

This year our troops have maintained that relentless pace.<\/p>\n

Today they are training tens of thousands of Iraqis and Kurds to counter Daesh.<\/p>\n

They are assisting Nigerian forces to take on Boko Haram.<\/p>\n

And they are providing essential support to our Ukrainian allies as they stand firm in defence of their nation\u2019s territorial integrity.<\/p>\n

Our personnel\u2026our service people\u2026 around the world are making a difference.<\/p>\n

And they deserve our heartfelt thanks.<\/p>\n

It is through their service that they remind us<\/p>\n

\u2026that if we\u2019re to continue protecting our own people<\/p>\n

\u2026projecting our influence<\/p>\n

\u2026promoting our national prosperity<\/p>\n

\u2026then we have to have a strong Army out in front leading the way.<\/p>\n

Investing in a strong army<\/p>\n

Now not so very long ago, Malcolm, there were some who questioned this Government\u2019s commitment to the Army.<\/p>\n

In fact, I now recall standing at this very lectern a year ago<\/p>\n

\u2026fielding a barrage of questions<\/p>\n

\u2026polite but firm<\/p>\n

\u2026about forces being hollowed out<\/p>\n

\u2026budgets being constrained<\/p>\n

\u2026and continual retrenchment.<\/p>\n

Yet, barely a week after that conference\u2026of course because of that Conference!\u2026the Chancellor announced that we would not only meet our 2 per cent NATO target<\/p>\n

\u2026but 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.<\/p>\n

And, as you have said, a few months after that the Strategic Defence and Security Review decided<\/p>\n

\u2026to put us back on the map<\/p>\n

\u2026by investing in stronger defence<\/p>\n

\u2026in the shape of Joint Force 2025<\/p>\n

\u2026an Air Group<\/p>\n

\u2026a Maritime Taskforce<\/p>\n

\u2026and a Land Force made up of 112,000 Regulars and Reserve<\/p>\n

\u2026able to deploy more rapidly an expeditionary force of around 50,000<\/p>\n

\u202620,000 more on the equivalent review four or five years before<\/p>\n

And committed over the next five years to spend some 12bn on the Army\u2019s equipment programme alone<\/p>\n

Some 28bn over the next 10 years up till 2025.<\/p>\n

That additional force will give us a war-fighting division<\/p>\n

\u2026optimised for high intensity combat operations<\/p>\n

\u2026including two new strike Brigades<\/p>\n

\u2026able to deploy over long distances.<\/p>\n

It will give reconfigured infantry battalions<\/p>\n

\u2026who will increasingly contribute to countering terrorism and building stability overseas.<\/p>\n

And it will give us firepower to match this additional manpower.<\/p>\n

\u2026digitally-enhanced Ajax armoured vehicles<\/p>\n

\u2026Mechanised Infantry Vehicles<\/p>\n

\u2026Warrior Fighting vehicles<\/p>\n

\u2026Challenger tanks<\/p>\n

\u2026upgraded Apaches and Chinooks<\/p>\n

\u2026and cutting edge Remotely Piloted Air Systems.<\/p>\n

And I can announce today that we\u2019ve signed a \u00a380m support contract with Thales<\/p>\n

\u2026that will keep our Watchkeepers flying high for years to come<\/p>\n

\u2026helping in the process to sustain 80 jobs and more in the supply chain.
\nSo we know now from the SDSR\u2026what our future force\u2026 will look like.<\/p>\n

But the questions for today go much deeper.
\n.
\nAnd they return us, as you said Malcolm, to the theme of this conference, \u201cadaptability\u201d.<\/p>\n

How should the Army adapt to a much more complex age?<\/p>\n

How can we make sure, as you\u2019ve already been discussing in earlier sessions, that the Army does have the ability to react to such a wide range of threats<\/p>\n

\u2026whether simultaneously from the East or South<\/p>\n

\u2026whether from conventional or from cyber warfare.<\/p>\n

In answering that question, I would like to set out my vision of Army 2025<\/p>\n

In my view, it should be a future force with three essential characteristics:<\/p>\n

1. INTEGRATION<\/h4>\n

First, it should be an integrated Army.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t mean an Army structure that\u2019s better integrated.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t mean an Army that\u2019s better integrated with the Royal Navy and Royal Airforce – they\u2019re already doing it.<\/p>\n

I mean an Army that is integrated with the \u201cwhole of Government\u201d.<\/p>\n

Increasingly, the threats we face transcend departmental boundaries.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

It will joining up with key government departments to support national resilience contingency planning.<\/p>\n

It will be building stability overseas by improving our partners\u2019 abilities to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and extremism.<\/p>\n

Now the Army, of course, always been more than just a blunt instrument.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always been an organisation with the skills, the intelligence and on-the-ground knowledge of how to make as well as how to break.<\/p>\n

And having fully absorbed CGS\u2019s doctrine note on integrated action\u2026that he released last year\u2026I want to see Army 2025 fully utilise its in-depth expertise<\/p>\n

\u2026not just in theatre but at the heart of our government<\/p>\n

\u2026helping to shape and inform the decisions that are taken in government<\/p>\n

2. INFORMATION<\/h4>\n

Secondly, I want to see Army 2025 dominate<\/p>\n

\u2026not simply enter\u2026the information space<\/p>\n

\u2026in the way the Army currently masters the physical terrain.<\/p>\n

We can already see our adversaries waging war differently<\/p>\n

\u2026using cyber to take down infrastructure<\/p>\n

\u2026using social media to spread misinformation<\/p>\n

\u2026using chat groups and rooms to radicalise followers.<\/p>\n

The Army of the future<\/p>\n

\u2026will be plugged into the digital age.<\/p>\n

It will be able\u2026 in the words of those tech experts over at Silicon Valley<\/p>\n

\u2026 \u201cto translate the virtual bits into physical atoms\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2026that emerge from multiple receptors<\/p>\n

\u2026whether digital tanks\u2026carriers\u2026or the F35.<\/p>\n

And it will have the capability to deploy that real-time information<\/p>\n

\u2026to disrupt and dismantle our adversaries\u2019 capabilities<\/p>\n

\u2026to help inform political decision making<\/p>\n

\u2026and to deliver\u2026above all\u2026a faster truth to our public.<\/p>\n

So just as the pioneers of air support and tanks were to be found in the later stages of the battle of the Somme<\/p>\n

\u2026so the pioneers of information warfare will now be found amongst our men and women of 77 Brigade and 1st Reconnaissance Brigade.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re already learning ways to improve information\u2026influence capabilities<\/p>\n

\u2026counter hybrid warfare techniques<\/p>\n

\u2026and improve battlefield intelligence.<\/p>\n

And along the way they are pioneering techniques that will undoubtedly be taken up throughout the rest of the Army.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re breaking down barriers in the way we organise ourselves so that our intelligence analysts receive the information from unmanned aerial systems more swiftly.<\/p>\n

And they\u2019re finding out how to give our deployed forces even greater access to the additional expertise and services that UK assets can provide worldwide.<\/p>\n

I believe that impact will in time be revolutionary.<\/p>\n

3. INTERNATIONAL-BY-DESIGN<\/h4>\n

Third, Army 2025, as Malcolm reminded us, will be international-by-design.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the Army 2020 refine programme we will be a force to be reckoned with\u2026with a full array of capabilities to operate alone if required.<\/p>\n

But we will also be in a much better position to work together with our global partners.<\/p>\n

And make no mistake\u2026regardless of the result of the referendum\u2026 we will remain a major international power with global responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Leaving one particular union means we will have to work even harder with our commitment to others and to our key financial operations.<\/p>\n

We will continue to be leading members<\/p>\n

\u2026of NATO
\n\u2026of the UN Security Council
\n\u2026of the Commonwealth
\n\u2026of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
\n\u2026of the Northern Group of European nations
\n\u2026of the Five Power Defence Arrangements in the Far East
\n\u2026of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance<\/p>\n

And we will continue to be a country with strong and valued Defence relationships<\/p>\n

\u2026with the United States<\/p>\n

\u2026and with countries around the world.<\/p>\n

The result of the referendum does not change our global outlook.<\/p>\n

We will continue to fight terror with our partners<\/p>\n

\u2026to support counter migration efforts<\/p>\n

\u2026whether organised by NATO or the European Union\u2026or the United Nations.<\/p>\n

We will continue to tackle counter-arms smuggling.<\/p>\n

We will continue to deepen and broaden those relationships we set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review last year.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Army 2025 is being configured to l operate predominantly in combined formations<\/p>\n

\u2026as part of NATO\u2019s VJTEF\u2026which we lead next year<\/p>\n

\u2026as part of our Joint Expeditionary Force of northern European nations.<\/p>\n

That combined formation in each case exemplifies the sort of relationship that international-design will forge and sustain.<\/p>\n

So Army 2025 will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our American allies
\n\u2026building on the strength of our existing partnership.<\/p>\n

\u2026building on the regular joint exercises between our nations<\/p>\n

\u2026and the recent agreement to integrate more effectively a UK division into a US corps.<\/p>\n

\u2026and the fact we\u2019re one of the few Armies in the world able to match the tempo of the US Higher Headquarters.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why Army 2025 will also be there alongside our French colleagues.<\/p>\n

And this year we\u2019re not just looking back<\/p>\n

\u2026to the Anglo-French efforts on the Somme<\/p>\n

\u2026but looking forward\u2026with the successful testing of our Combined Joint Expeditionary Force.<\/p>\n

And beyond that, I want Army 2025 to be the partner of choice for smaller nations.<\/p>\n

\u2026giving us greater options for a sharper and speedier response against our adversaries.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a network that is being strengthened and expanded all the time<\/p>\n

\u2026through our Specialised Infantry Battalions<\/p>\n

\u2026through our culturally-aware regional specialists<\/p>\n

\u2026through our world renowned military courses<\/p>\n

\u2026and the events we hold \u2026such as the conference we\u2019re in with you today<\/p>\n

Above all\u2026through the routine engagements of our troops throughout the year\u2026 throughout the world.<\/p>\n

This year there have already been more than 100 such tasks ranging from Belize to Burkino Faso\u2026from Ethiopia to Egypt\u2026from Sierra Leone to Singapore.<\/p>\n

Just this week British troops deployed again on exercise in the Ukraine .<\/p>\n

Diversity<\/h4>\n

So that\u2019s my vision for Army 2025.<\/p>\n

And I need only add that this is a force whose diversity of allies<\/p>\n

\u2026needs to be matched by the diversity of its own personnel.<\/p>\n

By 2020, as you know, we want 10 per cent of new soldiers to come from an ethnic minority background.<\/p>\n

We want more than 15 per cent to be women.<\/p>\n

And we want them\u2026in both cases\u2026not simply to make up numbers<\/p>\n

\u2026not simply to meet a Government target<\/p>\n

\u2026but to bring their skills and their talents to every part of the Army<\/p>\n

\u2026and to every corner of the world in which our people serve.<\/p>\n

These are the people with the talent that takes them to the very top.<\/p>\n

And this will be a force<\/p>\n

\u2026that represents the nation<\/p>\n

\u2026that enjoys\u2026as it did last week\u2026the nation\u2019s wholehearted support<\/p>\n

\u2026and a force that is admired worldwide for the values that it embodies.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h4>\n

So let me conclude by saying\u2026that is the Army 2025 that I want to see in the coming years.<\/p>\n

A stronger, forward leaning force, leading a more secure, more prosperous and more confident country into the future.<\/p>\n

And though we don\u2019t know today\u2026when and where the British Army will be deployed next\u2026 I do know that where it is deployed it will be used successfully.<\/p>\n

\u2026not just because of the building blocks are already in place<\/p>\n

\u2026not even just because we are now putting our money where our mouth is<\/p>\n

\u2026but above all because of the iron will and determination<\/p>\n

\u2026that once drove those heroes on the Somme<\/p>\n

\u2026to preserve the freedoms we cherish against the forces of aggression and intolerance and injustice<\/p>\n

Because that determination and iron will<\/p>\n

\u2026remains<\/p>\n

\u2026after all these years<\/p>\n

\u2026the driving force of our militarily today.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speech by Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71781\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}