Editing British Army (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of the British Army}}

=== Formation ===
[[File:Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper.jpg|thumb|[[Lord Protector]] [[Oliver Cromwell]]]]
[[File:General Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671) by Robert Walker and studio.jpg|thumb|Lord General Thomas Fairfax, the first commander of the New Model Army]]

Until the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms|Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639–1653)]], neither England nor Scotland had had a [[standing army]] with professional officers and career corporals and sergeants. England relied on [[Militia (English)|militia]] organised by local officials or private forces mobilised by the nobility, or on hired mercenaries from Europe.<ref>David G. Chandler, ed., ''The Oxford history of the British army'' (1996) pp. 24–45.</ref> From the [[later Middle Ages]] until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when a foreign expeditionary force was needed, such as the one that [[Henry V of England]] took to France and that fought at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] (1415), the army, a professional one, was raised for the duration of the expedition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/|title=A victorious army in the making: Raising King Henry V's army of 1415|date=11 August 2015|first=Benjamin|last=Trowbridge|publisher=National Archives|access-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018013732/http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/|archive-date=18 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the members of the English [[Long Parliament]] realised that the use of county militia organised into regional associations (such as the [[Eastern Association]]), often commanded by local members of Parliament (both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords), while more than able to hold their own in the regions which [[Parliamentarians (English Civil War)|Parliamentarians ('Roundheads")]] controlled, were unlikely to win the war. So Parliament initiated two actions. The [[Self-denying Ordinance]] forbade members of Parliament (with the notable exception of [[Oliver Cromwell]], then a member of parliament and future Lord Protector) from serving as officers in the Parliamentary armies. This created a distinction between the civilians in Parliament, who tended to be [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] and conciliatory to the Royalists ("Cavaliers") in nature, and a corps of professional officers, who tended to be Independent ([[Congregational]]) in theology. The second action was legislation for the creation of a Parliamentary-funded army, commanded by Lord General [[Thomas Fairfax]], which became known as the [[New Model Army]] (originally phrased "new-modelled Army").{{sfn|Rogers|1968|pp=207–211}}

While this proved to be a war-winning formula, the New Model Army, being organised and politically active, went on to dominate the politics of the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] and by 1660 was widely disliked. The New Model Army was paid off and disbanded at the later [[Restoration (1660)|Restoration]] of the monarchy in 1660 with the accession of King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. For many decades the alleged excesses of the New Model Army under [[the Protectorate]]  / Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell were used as propaganda (and still feature in Irish folklore){{sfn|Ó Siochrú|2008|p=1–2}} and the [[Whig Party (England)|Whig Party]] element recoiled from allowing a standing army to continue with the agreed-upon rights and privileges under the return of a king.<ref>Lord Macaulay ''The History of England from the accession of James the Second'' (C.H. Firth ed. 1913) 1:136–38</ref> The militia acts of 1661 and 1662 prevented local authorities from calling up militia and oppressing their own local opponents. Calling up the militia was possible only if the king and local elites agreed to do so.<ref>{{cite web|title= 'Charles II, 1661: An Act declaring the sole Right of the Militia to be in King and for the present ordering & disposing the same.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628–80 (1819)|pages=308–309|url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290|access-date= 5 March 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215615/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290|archive-date= 27 September 2007|url-status= live}}</ref>

[[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] and his "[[Cavalier]]" / Royalist supporters favoured a new army under royal control, and immediately after the Restoration of 1660 to 1661 began working on its establishment.<ref>David Chandler, ''The Oxford History of the British Army'' (2003) p. 46. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOgs8WpJI9AC&dq=british+army+founded+1660&pg=PA46]</ref> The first [[English Army#Restoration|English Army]] regiments, including elements of the disbanded [[New Model Army]], were formed between November 1660 and January 1661<ref>David Chandler, ''The Oxford History of the British Army'' (2003) p. 47. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOgs8WpJI9AC&dq=british+army+founded+1660&pg=PA47]</ref> and became a standing military force for England (financed by [[Parliament of England|Parliament]]).<ref>Mallinson, p. 2</ref><ref name=Clayton2014>{{cite book|last1=Clayton|first1=Anthony|title=The British Officer: Leading the Army from 1660 to the Present|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-86444-8|page=12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlDJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12|quote=The first standing Army for Britain, a force of some 5,000 men on the English establishment, was formed at the Restoration in 1660–61. Separate forces were maintained on the Scottish and Irish establishments.}}</ref> The [[Royal Scots Army|Royal Scots]] and [[Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland)|Irish Armies]] were financed by the parliaments of [[Parliament of Scotland|Scotland]] and [[Parliament of Ireland|Ireland]].<ref name=Glozier2007>{{cite book|last1=Glozier|first1=Matthew|last2=Onnekink|first2=David|title=War, religion and service: Huguenot soldiering, 1685–1713|date=2007|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-0-7546-5444-5|page=31|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uC7TWCDcOBwC&pg=PA31|quote=After the Restoration there were separate English and Scottish (until 1707 unification) and Irish (until later 1800 union) military establishments, reflecting the national revenue from which a military unit was maintained. In operational and administrative matters all three combined into a single formation of a unified British Army by the start of the 19th century. From 1688, the description 'British' army is both textually convenient and historically accurate.}}</ref> Parliamentary control was established by the [[Bill of Rights 1689]] and [[Claim of Right Act 1689]], although the monarch continued to influence aspects of army administration until at least the end of the 19th century.<ref>David Chandler, ''The Oxford History of the British Army'' (2003) pp. xvi–xvii</ref>

After the Restoration, King Charles II pulled together four regiments of infantry and cavalry, calling them his guards, at a cost of £122,000 from his general budget. This became the foundation of the permanent English Army. By 1685, it had grown to number 7,500 soldiers in marching regiments, and 1,400 men permanently stationed in garrisons. A [[Monmouth Rebellion]] in 1685 allowed successor King  [[James II of England|James II]] to raise the forces to 20,000 men. There were 37,000 in 1678, when England played a role in the closing stage of the cross-channel [[Franco-Dutch War]]. After [[Protestantism|Protestant]] dual Monarchs [[William III of England|William III]], formerly William of the Dutch [[House of Orange]], and his wife [[Mary II of England|Mary II's]] joint accession to the throne after a short constitutional crisis with Parliament sending  Mary's father, predecessor King James II, (who remained a Catholic) during his brief controversial reign, off the throne and into exile.  England then involved itself in the [[War of the Grand Alliance]] on the Continent, primarily to prevent a possible French  Catholic monarch organizing an invasion restoring the exiled James II (Queen Mary's father and still a [[Roman Catholic]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Miller|2000|p=144}}</ref> Later in 1689, William III to solidify his and Mary's hold on the monarchy, expanded the new English army to 74,000, and then a few years later to 94,000 in 1694. Parliament was very nervous and reduced the cadre to 70,000 in 1697. Scotland and Ireland had theoretically separate military establishments, but they were unofficially merged with the English Crown  force.<ref>Chandler, ed., ''The Oxford history of the British army'' (1996) pp. 46–57.</ref><ref>Correlli Barnett, ''Britain and her army, 1509–1970: a military, political and social survey'' (1970) pp. 90–98, 110–125.</ref>

[[File:John Churchill Marlborough porträtterad av Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).jpg|thumb|alt=Oil-on-canvas portrait|[[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]], was one of the first generals in the new British Army and fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was a noted ancestor of Sir [[Winston S. Churchill]], later famous [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] during [[World War II]].]]

By the time of the 1707 [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]], many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were combined under one operational command and stationed in the [[Netherlands]] for the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. Although all the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment,<ref name=Chandler2003>{{cite book|last1=Chandler|first1=David|title=The Oxford history of the British Army|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-280311-5|page=xv|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOgs8WpJI9AC&q=British+army+from+the+Act+of+Union&pg=PA45|quote=It is generally accepted that the regular standing army in Britain was officially created – in the sense of being fully accommodated within parliamentary control in 1689, although it is, strictly speaking, only correct to refer to the British army from the Act of Union with Scotland in 1707.}}</ref> they remained under the old operational-command structure and retained much of the institutional ethos, customs and traditions of the standing armies created shortly after the [[restoration (England)|Restoration of the Monarchy]] 47 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most-senior British Army line regiments is based on that of the earlier English army. Although technically the Scots [[Royal Regiment of Foot]] was raised in 1633 and is the oldest Regiment of the Line,<ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx|publisher=British Army|access-date=12 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118061954/http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx|archive-date=18 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army on the date of their arrival in England (or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment). In 1694, a board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment which became known as the [[Scots Greys]] were designated the [[4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards|4th Dragoons]] because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed in the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of several regiments, the seniority of the Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their June 1685 entry into England. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and the Scots Greys eventually received the British Army rank of 2nd Dragoons.{{sfn|Royal Scots Greys|1840|pp=56–57}}

=== British Empire (1707–1914) ===
{{main|British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British Army during the Napoleonic Wars|British Army during the Victorian Era}}

After 1707, British continental policy was to contain expansion by competing powers such as France and Spain. Although Spain was the dominant global power during the previous two centuries and the chief threat to England's early trans-Atlantic colonial ambitions, its influence was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=50}}</ref> and the later  [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name=ma165/>

Although the [[Royal Navy]] is widely regarded as vital to the rise of the [[British Empire]], the British Army played an important role in the formation of colonies, [[protectorate]]s and [[dominion]]s in the [[Americas]], [[Africa]], [[Asia]], [[India]] and [[Australasia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=104}}.</ref> British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire's borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years' War,<ref name="ma106">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=106}}.</ref> the [[American Revolutionary War]],<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=129}}</ref> the [[Napoleonic Wars]],<ref name="ma165">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=165}}.</ref> the [[First Opium War|First]] and [[Second Opium War]]s,<ref name="ma102">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=102}}</ref> the [[Boxer Rebellion]],<ref name="boxer">{{harvnb|Bates|2010|p=25}}.</ref> the [[New Zealand Wars]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1|title=1. – New Zealand wars – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|website=www.teara.govt.nz|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403190049/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1|archive-date=3 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Australian frontier wars]],<ref>{{Citation | author1=Connor, John | title=The Australian frontier wars, 1788–1838 | date=2005 | publisher=UNSW Press | isbn=978-0-86840-756-2 }}</ref> the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Sepoy Rebellion of 1857]],<ref name="ma210">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=210}}</ref> the [[First Boer War|first]] and [[second Boer War]]s,<ref name="ma257">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=257}}</ref> the [[Fenian raids]],<ref name="fenian">{{cite web |url=http://www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm |title=The Fenian Raids |publisher=Doyle.com.au |date=15 September 2001 |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404161321/http://www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm |archive-date=4 April 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> the [[Irish War of Independence]],<ref name="ma282">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=282}}</ref> interventions in [[Afghanistan]] (intended to maintain a [[buffer state]] between [[British India]] and the [[Russian Empire]])<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=203}}.</ref> and the [[Crimean War]] (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the [[Black Sea]] at a safe distance by aiding the [[Ottoman Empire]]).<ref name="ma195">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=195}}.</ref> Like the [[English Army]], the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the [[First French Empire]]) and the Netherlands ([[Dutch Republic]]) for supremacy in [[North America]] and the [[West Indies]]. With native and provincial and colonial assistance, the Army conquered [[New France]] in the [[French and Indian War]] (North American theatre) of the parallel [[Seven Years' War]]<ref name="ma106" /> and suppressed a [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native / Indian North Americans]] uprising in [[Pontiac's War]] around the [[Great Lakes]].<ref>[http://www.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/Pontiacs_War(PrinterFriendly).pdf Pontiac's War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428140752/http://www.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/Pontiacs_War(PrinterFriendly).pdf |date=28 April 2011 }} Baltimore County Public Schools</ref> The British Army was defeated in the [[American Revolutionary War]], losing the [[Thirteen Colonies]] but retaining [[The Canadas]] and [[The Maritimes]] as in [[British North America]], including [[Bermuda]] (originally part of  the [[Colony of Virginia]], and which had been originally strongly sympathetic to the American colonial rebels early in the war).<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=110}}.</ref>

[[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] and [[Bermuda]] were to become [[Imperial fortress]]es (although Bermuda, being safer from attack over water and impervious to attack overland, quickly became the most important in British North America), along with [[Malta]] and [[Gibraltar]], providing bases in the eastern [[Atlantic Ocean]] and [[Mediterranean Sea]] for [[Royal Navy]] squadrons to control the oceans and trade routes, and heavily garrisoned by the British Army both for defence of the bases and to provide mobile military forces to work with the Navy in amphibious operations throughout their regions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Donald Craigie |author-link= |date=1965 |title=The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870–1914 |url= |location=Baltimore, Maryland, US |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |page=14 |isbn= |quote=There were more than 44,000 troops stationed overseas in colonial garrisons, and slightly more than half of these were in imperial fortresses: in the Mediterranean, Bermuda, Halifax, St. Helena, and Mauritius. The rest of the forces were in colonies proper, with a heavy concentration in New Zealand and South Africa. The imperial government paid approximately £1,715,000 per annum toward the maintenance of these forces, and the various colonial governments contributed £370,000,  the largest amounts coming from [[Ceylon]] and [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] in [[Australia]].}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kennedy, R.N. |first=Captain W. R. |date=1 July 1885 |title=An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies |url= |magazine=Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine |location= |publisher=William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 37 Paternoster Row, London, England |access-date= |page=111 |quote=As a fortress, Bermuda is of the first importance. It is situated almost exactly half-way between the northern and the southern naval stations; while nature has made it practically impregnable. The only approach lies through that labyrinth of reefs and narrow channels which Captain Kennedy has described. The local pilots are sworn to secrecy; and, what is more reassuring, by lifting buoys and laying down torpedoes, hostile vessels trying to thread the passage must come to inevitable grief, So far Bermuda may be considered safe, whatever may be the condition of the fortifications and the cannon in the batteries. Yet the universal neglect of our colonial defences is apparent in the fact that no telegraphic communication has hitherto been established with the West Indies on the one side, or with the Dominion of Canada on the other.}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=VERAX |first=(anonymous) |date=1 May 1889 |title=The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn's United Service Magazine) |url= |magazine=The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs |location= |publisher=LR Hamersly & Co., 1510 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US; subsequently LR Hamersly, 49 Wall Street, New York City, New York, US; BF Stevens & Brown, 4 Trafalgar Square, London, England |access-date= |page=552 |quote=The objectives for America are clearly marked — Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Prescott, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Halifax and Vancouver are certain to be most energetically attacked, for they will be the naval bases, besides Bermuda, from which England would carry on her naval attack on the American coasts and commerce.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=George M. |last2=Sutherland |first2=Alexander |author-link= |date=1898 |title=MacMillan's Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies |url= |location=London |publisher=MacMillan and Co., Limited, London, England, UK; The MacMillan Company, New York City, New York, US |page=184 |isbn= |quote=There is a strongly fortified dockyard, and the defensive works, together with the intricate character of the approaches to the harbour, render the islands an almost impregnable fortress. Bermuda is governed as a Crown colony by a Governor who is also Commander-in-Chief, assisted by an appointed Executive Council and a representative House of Assembly.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=MacFarlane |first=Thomas |author-link= |date=1891 |title=Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation |url= |location=Ottawa |publisher=James Hope & Co., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |page=29 |isbn= |quote=Besides the Imperial fortress of Malta, Gibraltar, Halifax and Bermuda it has to maintain and arm coaling stations and forts at Siena Leone, St. Helena, Simons Bay (at the Cape of Good Hope), Trincomalee, Jamaica and Port Castries (in the island of Santa Lucia).}}</ref>

[[File:Battle of Waterloo 1815.PNG|thumb|250px|upright=1.05|alt=Panoramic painting of the Battle of Waterloo|The [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] and [[Field Marshal von Blücher]]'s triumph over [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] at the [[The Battle of Waterloo (painting, Sadler II)|Battle of Waterloo]]]]

The British Army was heavily involved in the [[Napoleonic Wars]], participating in a number of campaigns in Europe (including continuous deployment in the [[Peninsular War]]), the [[Caribbean]], North Africa and [[War of 1812|North America]]. The war between the British and the [[First French Empire]] of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] stretched around the world; at its peak in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies under the [[Duke of Wellington]] and [[Field Marshal von Blücher]] finally defeated Napoleon at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] in 1815.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=177}}.</ref>

The English were involved politically and militarily in Ireland. The campaign of English republican Protector [[Oliver Cromwell]] involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns (most notably [[Drogheda]] and [[Wexford]]) which supported the Royalists during the [[English Civil War]]. The English Army (and the subsequent British Army) remained in Ireland primarily to suppress Irish revolts or disorder. In addition to its conflict with Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster Scots]] in Ireland who were angered by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain. With other Irish groups, they raised a volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Learning from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army fought Irish rebels—Protestant and Catholic—primarily in [[Ulster]] and [[Leinster]] ([[Theobald Wolfe Tone|Wolfe Tone's]] [[United Irishmen]]) in the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|1798 rebellion]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/irish_reb_01.shtml The 1798 Irish Rebellion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207080021/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/irish_reb_01.shtml |date=7 February 2011 }} BBC</ref>

[[File:Alphonse de Neuville - The defence of Rorke's Drift 1879 - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|alt=Painting of the Battle of Rorke's Drift, with a building burning|In the 1879 [[Battle of Rorke's Drift]], a small British force repelled an attack by overwhelming [[Zulu Empire|Zulu]] forces; eleven [[Victoria Cross]]es were awarded for its defence.]]
In addition to battling the armies of other European empires (and its former colonies, the United States, in the [[War of 1812]]),<ref>{{cite web |date=30 July 2010 |title=Guide to the War of 1812 |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805043534/http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/ |archive-date=5 August 2011 |access-date=28 March 2011 |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second [[Opium Wars]]<ref name=ma102/> and the [[Boxer Rebellion]],<ref name=boxer/> [[Māori people|Māori]] tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars,<ref name=":0" /> [[Siraj ud-Daulah|Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula's]] forces and [[British East India Company]] mutineers in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Sepoy Rebellion of 1857]],<ref name=ma257/> the Boers in the first and second Boer Wars,<ref name=ma257/> Irish [[Fenian]]s in Canada during the [[Fenian raids]]<ref name=fenian/> and [[Irish Republican Army|Irish separatists]] in the [[Anglo-Irish War]].<ref name=ma102/> The increasing demands of imperial expansion and the inadequacy and inefficiency of the underfunded British Army, [[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]], Ordnance Military Corps, [[Yeomanry]] and [[Volunteer Force (Great Britain)|Volunteer Force]] after the Napoleonic Wars led to series of reforms following the failures of the [[Crimean War]].<ref>Peter Burroughs, "An Unreformed Army? 1815–1868", in David Chandler, ed., ''The Oxford History of the British Army'' (1996), pp. 183–184</ref>

[[File:Establishment and Strength of the British Army (excluding Indian native troops stationed in India) prior to August, 1914.jpg|thumb|Establishment and strength of the British Army, excluding Indian native troops stationed in India, prior to August 1914]]
Inspired by the successes of the [[Prussian Army]] (which relied on short-term conscription of all eligible young men to maintain a large reserve of recently discharged soldiers, ready to be recalled on the outbreak of war to immediately bring the small peacetime regular army up to strength), the [[Regular Reserve (United Kingdom)#Army Reserve (Regular)|''Regular Reserve'']] of the British Army was originally created in 1859 by [[Secretary of State for War]] [[Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea|Sidney Herbert]], and re-organised under the [[Reserve Force Act 1867]]. Prior to this, a soldier was generally enlisted into the British Army for a 21-year engagement, following which (should he survive so long) he was discharged as a Pensioner. Pensioners were sometimes still employed on garrison duties, as were younger soldiers no longer deemed fit for expeditionary service who were generally organised in invalid units or returned to the regimental depot for home service. The cost of paying pensioners, and the obligation the government was under to continue to employ invalids as well as soldiers deemed by their commanding officers as detriments to their units were motivations to change this system. The long period of engagement also discouraged many potential recruits. The long service enlistments were consequently replaced with short service enlistments, with undesirable soldiers not permitted to re-engage on the completion of their first engagement. The size of the army also fluctuated greatly, increasing in war time, and drastically shrinking with peace. Battalions posted on garrison duty overseas were allowed an increase on their normal peacetime establishment, which resulted in their having surplus men on their return to a ''Home'' station. Consequently, soldiers engaging on short term enlistments were enabled to serve several years with the colours and the remainder in the Regular Reserve, remaining liable for recall to the colours if required. Among the other benefits, this thereby enabled the British Army to have a ready pool of recently trained men to draw upon in an emergency. The name of the Regular Reserve (which for a time was divided into a ''First Class'' and a ''Second Class'') has resulted in confusion with the ''Reserve Forces'', which were the pre-existing part-time, local-service home-defence [[Units of the British Army#British Army units in other areas of the British Armed Forces|forces]] that were auxiliary to the British Army (or ''Regular Force''), but not originally part of it: the [[Yeomanry]], [[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]] (or ''Constitutional Force'') and [[Volunteer Force]]. These were consequently also referred to as ''Auxiliary Forces'' or ''Local Forces''.<ref>''The Army Book For The British Empire'', by Lieutenant-General WH Goodenough, Royal Artillery, CB, and Lieutenant-Colonel JC Dalton (HP), Royal Artillery. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. 1893.</ref>

The late-19th-century [[Cardwell Reforms|Cardwell]] and [[Childers Reforms]]  gave the army its modern shape and redefined its [[regimental system]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24992|page=3300|date=1 July 1881}}</ref> The 1907 [[Haldane Reforms]] created the [[Territorial Force]] as the army's volunteer reserve component, merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia and Yeomanry.<ref>{{harvnb|Cassidy|2006|p=79}}.</ref>

=== World Wars (1914–1945) ===
{{main|British Army during the First World War|British Army during the Second World War}}
[[File:British Mark I male tank Somme 25 September 1916.jpg|alt=Early First World War tank, with soldiers in a trench next to it|thumb|250px|British First World War [[Mark I tank]]; the guidance wheels behind the main body were later scrapped as unnecessary. Armoured vehicles of the era required considerable infantry and artillery support. ''(Photo by [[Ernest Brooks (photographer)|Ernest Brooks]])'']]

[[File:Scotishadvanceepsom.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Bagpiper leading a line of soldiers though thigh-high growth|Led by their piper, men of the 7th Battalion, [[Seaforth Highlanders]] (part of the [[46th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|46th (Highland) Brigade]]), advance through Normandy during [[Operation Epsom]] on 26 June 1944]]

Great Britain was challenged by other powers, primarily the [[German Empire]] and [[Nazi Germany]], during the 20th century. A century earlier it vied with Napoleonic France for global pre-eminence, and [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian]] Britain's natural allies were the kingdoms and principalities of [[northern Germany]]. By the middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allies in preventing Russia's appropriation of the [[Ottoman Empire]], although the fear of French invasion led shortly afterwards to the creation of the Volunteer Force. By the first decade of the 20th century, the United Kingdom was allied with France (by the [[Entente Cordiale]]) and Russia (which had a secret agreement with France for mutual support in a war against the [[Prussia]]n-led German Empire and the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Anglo-Russian_Entente|title=Agreement concerning Persia|access-date=23 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708181007/https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Anglo-Russian_Entente|archive-date=8 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the British Army sent the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF), consisting mainly of [[Standing army|regular army]] troops, to [[Western Front (World War I)|France and Belgium]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ensor|1980|pp=525–526}}.</ref> The fighting bogged down into static [[trench warfare]] for the remainder of the war. In 1915 the army created the [[Mediterranean Expeditionary Force]] to invade the [[Ottoman Empire]] via [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]], an unsuccessful attempt to capture [[Constantinople]] and secure a sea route to [[Russian Empire|Russia]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=3}}

The First World War was the most devastating in [[Military history of the United Kingdom|British military history]], with nearly 800,000 men killed and over two&nbsp;million wounded. Early in the war, the BEF was virtually destroyed and was replaced first by [[Kitchener's Army|volunteers]] and then by a [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|conscript]] force. Major battles included those at [[Battle of the Somme|the Somme]] and [[Battle of Passchendaele|Passchendaele]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=310}}.</ref> Advances in technology saw the advent of the [[tank]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014050900/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml |archive-date=14 October 2007 |title=Mark I tank |access-date=28 March 2011}}</ref> (and the creation of the [[Royal Tank Regiment]]) and advances in aircraft design (and the creation of the [[Royal Flying Corps]]) which would be decisive in future battles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm|title=RAF – World War 1|last=here|first=RAF Details|website=www.raf.mod.uk|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129020520/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm|archive-date=29 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Trench warfare dominated Western Front strategy for most of the war, and the use of [[Chemical weapons in World War I|chemical weapons]] (disabling and poison gases) added to the devastation.<ref>{{cite web |author=Michael Duffy |url=http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm |title=Weapons of War: Poison Gas |publisher=Firstworldwar.com |date=22 August 2009 |access-date=28 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821004525/http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm |archive-date=21 August 2007 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

The [[World War II|Second World War]] broke out in September 1939 with the Soviet and [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]]'s [[invasion of Poland]].<ref name=ma335>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=335}}.</ref> British assurances to the Poles led the British Empire to declare war on [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]. As in the First World War, a relatively small [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|BEF]] was sent to France<ref name=ma335/> but then hastily evacuated from [[Dunkirk evacuation|Dunkirk]] as the German forces [[Battle of France|swept through the Low Countries and across France]] in May 1940.<ref name=ma342>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=342}}.</ref>

After the British Army recovered from its earlier defeats, it defeated the Germans and Italians at the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] in [[North African Campaign|North Africa]] in 1942–1943 and helped drive them from Africa. It then fought through [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]]{{sfn|Taylor|1976|p=157}} and, with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theddaystory.com/discover/what-is-d-day/|title=The D-Day Story|publisher=theddaystory.com|access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref> was the principal organiser and participant in the [[Normandy landings|D-Day invasion of Normandy]] on 6 June 1944; nearly half the Allied soldiers were British.{{sfn|Gilbert|2005|p=301}} In the [[South-East Asian theatre of World War II|Far East]], the British Army rallied against the Japanese in the [[Burma Campaign]] and regained the British Far Eastern colonial possessions.{{sfn|Taylor|1976|p=210}}

=== Postcolonial era (1945–2000) ===
[[File:1945 Order of Precedence of the British Army.jpg|thumb|left|upright|1945 Order of Precedence of the British Army]]

After the Second World War the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although [[National Service]] continued until 1960.<ref name="M 384">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=384}}</ref> This period saw [[decolonisation]] begin with the [[partition of India|partition]] and [[Indian independence movement|independence]] of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia.

The [[Corps Warrant]], which is the official list of which bodies of the British Military (not to be confused with ''naval'') Forces were to be considered Corps of the British Army for the purposes of the [[Army Act]], the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, and the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act, 1907, had not been updated since 1926 (Army Order 49 of 1926), although amendments had been made up to and including Army Order 67 of 1950. A new Corps Warrant was declared in 1951.

Although the British Army was a major participant in [[1st Commonwealth Division|Korea]] in the early 1950s<ref name="M 384" /> and [[Suez Crisis|Suez]] in 1956,<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=407}}</ref> during this period Britain's role in world events was reduced and the army was downsized.<ref>{{cite news|title=Merged regiments and new brigading – many famous units to lose separate identity|newspaper=The Times |date=25 July 1957}}</ref> The [[British Army of the Rhine]], consisting of [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I (BR) Corps]], remained in Germany as a bulwark against Soviet invasion.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=440}}</ref> The [[Cold War]] continued, with significant technological advances in warfare, and the army saw the introduction of new weapons systems.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=442}}</ref> Despite the decline of the British Empire, the army was engaged in [[Aden Emergency|Aden]],<ref name="ma401">{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=401}}</ref> [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation|Indonesia]], [[EOKA|Cyprus]],<ref name="ma401" /> [[Mau Mau Uprising|Kenya]]<ref name="ma401" /> and [[Malayan Emergency|Malaya]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=402}}</ref> In 1982, the British Army and the [[Royal Marines]] helped liberate the [[Falkland Islands]] during the [[Falklands War|conflict with Argentina]] after that country's invasion of the British territory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html |title=Falklands Surrender Document |publisher=Britains-smallwars.com |date=14 June 1982 |access-date=28 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501162727/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref>

In the three decades following 1969, the army was heavily deployed in [[Northern Ireland]]'s [[Operation Banner]] to support the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (later the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]]) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=411}}.</ref> The locally recruited [[Ulster Defence Regiment]] was formed, becoming home-service battalions of the [[The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)|Royal Irish Regiment]] in 1992 before it was disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during [[the Troubles]]. Following the 1994–1996 [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] ceasefires and since 1997, demilitarisation has been part of the peace process and the military presence has been reduced.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6923342.stm Army ending its operation in NI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123025906/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6923342.stm |date=23 November 2008 }} BBC News, 31 July 2007</ref> On 25 June 2007 the 2nd Battalion of the [[Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment]] left the army complex in [[The Troubles in Bessbrook|Bessbrook]], [[County Armagh]], ending the longest operation in British Army history.<ref>{{cite news |title=Last troops pull out of Bessbrook |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=25 June 2007 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820103544/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm |archive-date=20 August 2007 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

==== Persian Gulf War ====
{{Main|Gulf War|Operation Granby}}

[[File:An APC of the 7th Brigade Royal Scots.JPEG|thumb|250px|alt=An armoured personnel carrier flying the Union Jack|British APC passing by wrecked and abandoned vehicles along the "[[Highway of Death]]" in 1991.]]

The British Army contributed 50,000 troops to the coalition which fought [[Iraq]] in the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/11/iraq.military|title=50,000 troops in Gulf illness scare|date=11 June 2004|work=The Guardian|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029043911/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/11/iraq.military|archive-date=29 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and British forces controlled [[Kuwait]] after its liberation. Forty-seven British military personnel died during the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788|title=Supreme sacrifice: British soldier killed in Iraq was unemployed TA man|date=28 August 2003|publisher=Thefreelibrary.com|access-date=28 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430043927/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788|archive-date=30 April 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== {{anchor|Balkans conflicts}}Balkan conflicts ====
[[File:British Army vehicles in Croatia, 1996.jpg|thumb|British Army vehicles in a staging area before being deployed to Bosnia]]
{{Main|Yugoslav Wars}}

The army was deployed to former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] in 1992. Initially part of the [[United Nations Protection Force]],<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=446}}</ref> in 1995 its command was transferred to the [[Implementation Force]] (IFOR) and then to the [[Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (SFOR);<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=447}}</ref> the commitment rose to over 10,000 troops. In 1999, British forces under SFOR command were sent to [[Kosovo]] and the contingent increased to 19,000 troops.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces|title=Former Yugoslavia and the Role of British Forces|website=politics.co.uk|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318172737/http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died during operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416474/20150326_UK_Armed_Forces_Operational_deaths_post_World_War_II_O.pdf|title=UK Post-WW2 Operational Deaths|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507071536/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416474/20150326_UK_Armed_Forces_Operational_deaths_post_World_War_II_O.pdf|archive-date=7 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== The Troubles ====
Although there have been permanent garrisons in Northern Ireland throughout its history, the British Army was deployed as a peacekeeping force from 1969 to 2007 in [[Operation Banner]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm|title=Army paper says IRA not defeated|work=BBC News|date=6 July 2007|access-date=21 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111180357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm|archive-date=11 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Initially, this was (in the wake of [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] attacks on nationalist communities in [[Derry]]<ref>[[Kenneth Bloomfield|Bloomfield, K]] Stormont in Crisis (Belfast 1994) p. 114.</ref> and [[Belfast]])<ref>[[Public Record Office of Northern Ireland|PRONI]]: Cabinet conclusions file CAB/4/1460</ref> to prevent further loyalist attacks on Catholic communities; it developed into support of the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) and its successor, the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI) against the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (PIRA).{{sfn|McKernan|2005|p=17}} Under the 1998 [[Good Friday Agreement]], there was a gradual reduction in the number of soldiers deployed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/859388.stm Army dismantles NI post] BBC News, 31 July 2000</ref> In 2005, after the PIRA declared a ceasefire, the British Army dismantled posts, withdrew many troops and restored troop levels to those of a peacetime garrison.<ref>[http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php Army To Dismantle Tower Block Post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912070458/http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php |date=12 September 2008 }} Skyscrapernews, 2 August 2005</ref>

Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007 after about 38 years of continuous deployment, the longest in British Army history.<ref name="analysis">{{cite web|url=http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf|title=Operation Banner: An analysis of military operations in Northern Ireland|year=2006|publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]|access-date=21 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227094451/http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2008}}</ref> According to an internal document released in 2007, the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but made it impossible for them to win by violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007, maintaining fewer service personnel in a more-benign environment.<ref name="analysis" /><ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm|title=Army paper says IRA not defeated|date=6 July 2007|work=BBC News|access-date=21 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111180357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm|archive-date=11 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Of the 300,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, there were 763 British military personnel killed<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11743727 Remembrance Day: Where they fell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928140734/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11743727 |date=28 September 2018 }} BBC News, 13 November 2010</ref> and 306 killed by the British military, mostly civilians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html|title=Tabulations (Tables) of Basic Variables|publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk|access-date=28 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513081528/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html|archive-date=13 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 100 soldiers committed suicide during Operation Banner or soon afterwards and a similar number died in accidents. A total of 6,116 were wounded.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harding |first=Thomas |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1482975/Troop-deaths-in-Ulster-higher-than-thought.html |title=Troop deaths in Ulster 'higher than thought' |newspaper=Telegraph |date=7 February 2005 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921112055/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1482975/Troop-deaths-in-Ulster-higher-than-thought.html |archive-date=21 September 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

'''Sierra Leone'''
{{Main|British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War}}
The British Army deployed to Sierra Leone for [[Operation Palliser]] in 1999, under United Nations resolutions, to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen. British troops also provided support during the 2014 [[West African Ebola virus epidemic]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=4 January 2017|title=Sierra Leone profile – Timeline|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419|url-status=live|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509114751/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419|archive-date=9 May 2017}}</ref>

=== Recent history (2000–present) ===
==== War in Afghanistan ====
{{Main|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)}}

[[File:3royalanglianafghan.JPG|thumb|250px|alt=Armed soldiers in and around a military vehicle|[[Royal Anglian Regiment]] in Helmand Province]]

In November 2001, as part of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] with the United States, the United Kingdom deployed forces in [[Afghanistan]] to topple the [[Taliban]] in [[Operation Herrick]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=452}}.</ref> The [[3rd Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Division]] were sent to [[Kabul]] to assist in the liberation of the capital and defeat Taliban forces in the mountains. In 2006 the British Army began concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to [[Helmand Province]], with about 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) deployed at its peak<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx|title=Why we are in Afghanistan|publisher=Ministry of Defence (MoD)|access-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022195153/http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx|archive-date=22 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>—the second-largest force after that of the US.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8305922.stm UK sends 500 more to Afghanistan] BBC News, 15 October 2009</ref> In December 2012 Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] announced that the combat mission would end in 2014, and troop numbers gradually fell as the [[Afghan National Army]] took over the brunt of the fighting. Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died in Afghan operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/fields-of-operation/afghanistan|title=British fatalities in Afghanistan|publisher=MoD|access-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725021450/https://www.gov.uk/government/fields-of-operation/afghanistan|archive-date=25 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Operation Herrick ended with the handover of [[Camp Bastion]] on 26 October 2014,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544|title=UK ends Afghan combat operations|date=26 October 2014|work=BBC News|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026082004/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544|archive-date=26 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> but the British Army maintained a deployment in Afghanistan as part of [[Operation Toral]].<ref name=toral>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/09/uk-afghanistan-troops-increase-david-cameron|title=UK to increase troops in Afghanistan from 450 to 500|date=9 July 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207151415/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/09/uk-afghanistan-troops-increase-david-cameron|archive-date=7 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following an announcement by the US Government of the end of their operations in the Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced in April 2021 that British forces would withdraw from the country by 11 September 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56744265|title=UK troops to begin 'drawdown' in Afghanistan|work=BBC News|date=14 April 2021}}</ref> It was later reported that all UK troops would be out by early July.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/uk-to-bring-home-last-remaining-troops-in-afghanistan-this-weekend|title=UK to bring home last remaining troops in Afghanistan this weekend|date=2 July 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref> Following the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the completion of the withdrawal of civilians, all British troops had left by the end of August 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58372437|title=Afghanistan: British ambassador home as last UK troops leave|work=BBC News|date=29 August 2021}}</ref>

==== Iraq War ====
{{Main|Iraq War|Operation Telic}}

[[File:1 RRF engage Iraqi Army positions with their 81mm Mortars. Iraq. 26-03-2003 MOD 45142764.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Two soldiers with a mortar gun—one loading and the other aiming|British soldiers from the [[Royal Regiment of Fusiliers|1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers]] [[Battlegroup (army)|battlegroup]] engage Iraqi positions with an [[81mm mortar]] [[Battle of Basra (2003)|south of Basra]]]]

In 2003, the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]], sending a force of over 46,000 military personnel. The British Army controlled southern Iraq, and maintained a peace-keeping presence in [[Basra]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm|title=Timeline: UK troops in Basra|work=BBC News|access-date=9 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403070032/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm|archive-date=3 April 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> All British troops were withdrawn from Iraq by 30 April 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html |title=British Troops Leave Iraq As Mandate Ends |date=31 July 2009 |publisher=Rferl.org |access-date=22 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108093957/http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html |archive-date=8 November 2010 |url-status=live  }}</ref> One hundred and seventy-nine British military personnel died in Iraqi operations.<ref name=":6" /> The [[British Armed Forces]] returned to Iraq in 2014 as part of [[Operation Shader]] to counter the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]] (ISIL).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmdfence/106/106.pdf|title=UK Operations in Syria and Iraq|year=2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318085447/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmdfence/106/106.pdf|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Recent military aid ====
{{Main|Operation Rescript|Operation Temperer|Military Aid to the Civil Authorities}}
The British Army maintains a standing liability to support the civil authorities in certain circumstances, usually in either niche capabilities (e.g. explosive ordnance removal) or in general support of the civil authorities when their capacity is exceeded.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61965/defenceconrtibution1.pdf|title=Operations in the UK: Defence Contribution to Resilience|date=2007|website=Ministry of Defence|access-date=1 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305164425/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61965/defenceconrtibution1.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx|title=UK Operations|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421033859/http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx|archive-date=21 April 2017}}</ref> In recent years this has been seen as army personnel supporting the civil authorities in the face of the [[2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak]], the 2002 firefighters strike, widespread flooding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014, [[Operation Temperer]] following the [[Manchester Arena bombing]] in 2017 and, most recently, [[Operation Rescript]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/23/raise-terror-level-critical-5000-troops-streets-operation-temperer|title=Critical threat level: who made the decision and what does it mean?|last1=Travis|first1=Alan|date=24 May 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=28 May 2017|last2=MacAskill|first2=Ewen|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526163704/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/23/raise-terror-level-critical-5000-troops-streets-operation-temperer|archive-date=26 May 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="OpRESCRIPT">{{cite news|last1=Haynes|first1=Deborah|author-link=Deborah Haynes|date=19 March 2020|title=Coronavirus: Up to 20,000 troops on standby to help deal with COVID-19 outbreak|work=[[Sky News]]|url=https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-up-to-20-000-troops-on-standby-to-help-deal-with-covid-19-outbreak-11959977|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref>

==== Baltic States ====
Since 2016, the British Army has maintained a presence in the [[Baltic States]] in support of the [[NATO Enhanced Forward Presence]] strategy which responded to the [[2014 Russian annexation of Crimea]]. The British Army leads a multinational armoured battlegroup in [[Estonia]] under Operation Cabrit and contributes troops to another military battle group in [[Poland]].<ref name="efp">{{cite web |url=https://www.army.mod.uk/deployments/baltics/ |title=ENHANCED FORWARD PRESENCE (EFP) |work=British Army |accessdate=23 March 2022 }}</ref> As part of the NATO plans, Britain has committed a full mechanized infantry [[brigade]] to be on a high state of readiness to defend Estonia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brigade assigned to Estonia likely to be one of British Army's strongest|url=https://news.err.ee/1609141828/brigade-assigned-to-estonia-likely-to-be-one-of-british-army-s-strongest|date=23 October 2023|access-date=11 July 2024|website=ERR News}}</ref>

==== Ukraine ====
Between 2015 and 2022, the British Army deployed Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) to [[Ukraine]] under [[Operation Orbital]] to help train the [[Armed Forces of Ukraine]] against further Russian aggression.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forces.net/news/uk-troops-training-forces-ukraine-leave-weekend-armed-forces-minister-says|title=UK troops training forces in Ukraine to leave this weekend|date=12 February 2022|publisher=Forces.net}}</ref> This operation was succeeded by [[Operation Interflex]] in July 2022.<ref name="politico1">{{cite news |last1=Gallardo |first1=Cristina |last2=Caulcutt |first2=Clea |title=Ukraine's military recruits need training. Only one of Europe's giants is pulling its weight |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-and-france-at-odds-over-military-training-for-ukrainians/ |access-date=17 September 2022 |work=[[Politico]] |date=16 September 2022}}</ref>