Strategic Defence Review facts for kids
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a big plan for the United Kingdom's military. It was created in July 1998 by the Labour Government, which had just taken power. The person in charge of defence, George Robertson, announced this plan. It included important decisions to make the UK's armed forces stronger and better.
Two very large military projects were not part of this plan. These were the Vanguard-class Trident submarines and the Eurofighter jets. The Trident system was almost finished and was needed for the UK's nuclear defence. The Eurofighter was also close to being made. Stopping these projects would have meant losing a lot of money and upsetting other countries involved.
The SDR decided that the British Armed Forces should be ready for big international problems. This meant they needed to be able to fight in a war similar to the Gulf War (like Operation Granby). They also needed to be able to send troops to smaller missions overseas, like in Bosnia. On top of that, they should be able to send a second group of soldiers, ships, and planes if another problem came up, like in Operation Veritas in Afghanistan.
However, the plan did not expect the military to fight two big wars at the same time for more than six months. The armed forces also needed to be able to grow back to a larger size if a major threat to NATO appeared again. The next big review of the British Armed Forces happened in 2010, called the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Contents
Key Changes from the SDR
The Strategic Defence Review made many important changes to the UK's military. Here are some of the main points:
Aircraft and Air Forces
Joint Force Harrier
The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the RAF combined their Harrier jet forces. This new group was called "Joint Force Harrier." They used Sea Harrier and Harrier GR7 jets. These jets could fly from Royal Navy Invincible-class aircraft carriers or from air bases. The Sea Harriers were retired between 2004 and 2006. The Joint Force Harrier then used the Harrier GR7 and upgraded GR9 jets. These jets were later removed from service after a defence review in 2010. They have since been replaced by the 'Lightning II' Joint Combat Aircraft.
New Aircraft Carriers
The three Invincible-class aircraft carriers were planned to be replaced. Two new, larger, and more flexible aircraft carriers were ordered. These ships, the Queen Elizabeth class, started service in 2017 and 2019.
Boosting Air Transport
To move troops and equipment around the world more easily, the UK ordered six Point-class sealift ships. They also leased four C-17 Globemaster transport planes. The SDR also confirmed the need for a permanent transport force. The Airbus A400M was chosen for this in 2000. Later, the RAF bought the leased C-17s and added more. They now have eight C-17s, which work alongside the A400M and C130 planes.
RAF Fast Jet Force
The number of frontline RAF fast jets was reduced by 36, which meant two fewer squadrons. However, the plan confirmed that the Eurofighter project would continue. The SDR also looked into replacing the Tornado GR4 jet, which was later replaced by the F-35B. The purchase of Meteor, Brimstone, and Storm Shadow missiles was also confirmed.
The number of surface ships in the Royal Navy was reduced. The fleet went from 35 to 32 frigates and destroyers. This happened when some Batch 2 Type 22 frigates were removed. The number of minehunters also dropped from 25 to 22. The SSN attack submarine force was reduced from 12 to 10. However, these submarines became more powerful. This was because all of them were made able to fire the Tomahawk land attack missile (TLAM). The SDR also confirmed the purchase of an initial group of three Astute-class submarines.
Nuclear Deterrent
The plan decided not to use the full power of the Trident missile system. The number of nuclear warheads was reduced from 300 to about 200. Also, the last group of missile bodies would not be bought, leaving a total of 58 missiles. The Vanguard-class submarines would only have one vessel on patrol at a time. This submarine would carry fewer warheads, 48 instead of 96. The SDR also suggested getting rid of the WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons faster.
Army and Ground Forces
British Army Reorganization
The British Army was reorganized. Two main divisions were set up in the UK and Germany. These were the 1st (UK) Armoured Division and the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division. Another important change was the creation of the 16th Air Assault Brigade. This brigade includes the Army's WAH-64 Apache attack helicopters. This gave the Army a fighting structure of three armoured brigades, three mechanised brigades, and one airmobile brigade.
A Joint Rapid Reaction Force was also created. This force could quickly send a brigade-sized group of soldiers if needed. The number of British Army soldiers in Germany was reduced. However, the total number of soldiers in the Army increased by 3,300. The eight armoured regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps were reduced to six larger ones. Each of these would have 58 Challenger 2 tanks instead of 38.
Territorial Army Modernization
The TA was planned to be updated and improved. The goal was to make it easier to send them into action and work more closely with the regular Army. The total number of TA members was cut from 56,000 to 42,000.
Ground-Based Air Defence
Ground-Based Air Defence, which protects against air attacks, was no longer split between the Army and the RAF. Instead, it was combined under one command called the Joint Ground-Based Air Defence Command.
Support Helicopters
All the battlefield support helicopters from different services (about 400 of them) were brought together. They formed the Joint Helicopter Command.
NBC Defence
A combined force from the British Army and RAF was created. This force included both regular soldiers and reservists. Their job was to specialize in defending against NBC attacks. This led to the creation of the Joint NBC Regiment in 1999.
SDR New Chapter
After the terrible September 11th attacks in New York and Washington, the Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, announced a "New Chapter" for the Strategic Defence Review. This meant they would look at the UK's defence plans again. The goal was to make sure the country had the right tools and forces to deal with new challenges after 9/11.
The review concluded that the UK needed to invest more in certain areas. This included gathering intelligence, improving network-based capabilities (like better strike forces and Special Forces), and using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). They also needed to improve how quickly lighter forces could move and fight, provide temporary housing for troops, and improve night operations. Extra money given to defence in 2002 helped them make these changes quickly.
See also
- Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010
- Options for Change (1990 restructuring)
- Front Line First (1994)
- Delivering Security in a Changing World (2003 restructuring)
- Military of the United Kingdom
