Hoon's model army

摘要

Even before a deal in Northern Ireland seemed near, the Ministry of Defence had plans for the resulting peace dividend. Although four infantry battalions may no longer need to be stationed in Ulster, that is not the main reason for the reform that the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, is expected to announce next week. Dealing with rogue states and terrorism requires an army that can quickly deploy and sustain forces in several different parts of the world at once. British troops are currently heavily committed in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. That has exposed long-standing inefficiencies in the army's traditional regimental structure. So a radical proposal, which looks like going ahead after it was approved earlier this week by the army's top brass, merges 24 infantry regiments (out of a total of 32) into seven super-regiments over the next four years. That is the most far-reaching reorganisation of the army since the end of conscription 42 years ago.