A former British Army General says "only a tiny difference" has been made in terms of money following the refresh of the Integrated Review.

Richard Barrons, the former head of Joint Forces Command, spoke to Forces News after the "long-awaited refresh of the Integrated Review", with a particular interest in any big shifts following the invasion and war in Ukraine.

He said: "Many of us were looking to see what difference that made. And, certainly, in terms of money, it's made only a tiny difference, with essentially the big decisions about how to rebuild the Army, and to make the Navy and Air Force more resilient have all been shoved out to about 2025 and another review."

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The former British Army General told Forces News earlier this month that the military needs billions of pounds to stop what is been dubbed the "hollowing out" of Britain's Armed Forces.

General Barrons highlighted that the Government often points to the military's world-class equipment and its huge budget – the second largest in Nato. 

But he said even that is not enough to overcome the damage that has been done by decades of underfunding.

"The Army at current rates of investment needs at least five years, and more likely 10 years, to be rebuilt in terms of a deployable division, with the people, the equipment, the training and the stocks, to be effective in the face of a confrontation with Russia."

 

Watch: The description 'hollowed out' has become increasingly familiar in describing the state of Britain's Armed Forces.

Following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's promise of an extra £5bn for the military over two years, Gen Barrons believes it is only really buying two things, but "they both matter".

He said: "The £5bn is coming over two years, so it averages an extra £2.5bn per year and that's important.

"It's buying really only two things, and they both matter, it's buying the submarine programme in unison with Australia and the United States, that's really important for our own submarine programme for the security of Asia Pacific and for our high-tech industrial base, and that's why I think it's very attractive to the Government."

The retired general added: "About half a million pounds is going on buying munitions to replace those that have been sent to and expended in Ukraine.

"That's really good news. Ukraine will need ammunition for some time to come and our own Armed Forces need their own shelves replenishing."

However, he added that "it will take, in most cases, around about a year to begin to see a big difference from that sort of investment even if the contracts are signed very quickly".

'It could have been worse'

The former British Army general, in response to being asked to give his initial thoughts on the defence investment, said that "in many ways, it could have been worse".

"The extra £5bn means that that is £5bn over two years that's not having to be found from elsewhere within in the defence budget, which would have been a possibility."

However, the retired general did note that "many people like me [were] really looking to see if the UK would emulate what France and Germany are doing in quickly ramping up spending on their army, navy and air force in face of the world we now live in, in terms of a confrontation with Russia and a harder relationship with China, even if it need not become a war".

"And really that's not happened, what the Government is saying is [we're] going to think about this, we've tried to get to 2.5% spent on defence of GDP at some point, it doesn't say when.

"And pushing big decisions to 2025, and everybody knows that means after the next general election."

Impact on defence

With decisions being pushed back, Gen Barrons believes that "for the Army, there will be greater disquiet".

He noted that "the Army is going to continue to get smaller, as was decided in the 2021 review, the Army will not get recapitalised much quicker than towards the end of this decade and that's been made worse by giving a lot of working equipment to Ukraine.

"One of the things we are now going to be looking for is, will the Ministry of Defence (MOD) be able to buy the Army more artillery and more new tanks and other equipment to make up for what it has given away?"

Gen Barrons added: "If it doesn't get that sort of relief then the Army is going to bump along without much equipment and without much training for another couple of years."

He did however say that this was "not the end of the world" unless that is "you are serving in the army right now, in which case it will feel terrible given Russia is so distracted".

Watch: Tank numbers on the agenda for new defence review refresh.

Revitalising the tri-service

"There is a big question mark over precisely when and how the Army, in particular, will get revitalised and the other two services, well they need more people, more engineering, more ammunition, and, already, there isn't anything in this outcome that says they are going to get it soon.

"That's all to come in decisions to be made in a year or two."

Gen Barrons added: "I think all three of the Armed Forces are in the same boat, in that they find themselves in big handfuls at the bottom of a trajectory of more decline and hollowing out which you can track back for 30 years."

British personnel in Bahrain have carried out the last wish of a sailor’s widow, 65 years to the day after the couple were married.

June Daniels had been married to Able Seaman Joseph Sullivan for just 21 months when he was killed in a road crash in the Gulf kingdom in December 1957.

She subsequently remarried and went on to have two children and five grandchildren, living in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey until her death in February aged 82.

Her daughter Michele Weaver said, “Mum was married and widowed in less than 21 months, which was a sadness she kept to herself her whole life.

“Mum had a lifelong hope to one day visit Joe’s grave in Bahrain, but she sadly never managed it.”

Joe was a keen sportsman, playing for the base’s football and cricket teams

 

Michele reached out to the Royal Navy via the War Graves Photographic Project, set up by retired sailor Steve Rogers to record the memorials of service personnel around the world.

 

They arranged a service for the couple at Joe’s graveside in the Old Christian Cemetery in Bahrain on the Sullivans’ 65th wedding anniversary.

It was led by Naval chaplain Reverend Balogun and attended by the Royal Navy’s Deputy Commander in the region, Captain Nick Wood and Army Postal Courier Corporal Jim Allen.

Joe had served as a mailman during his time in Bahrain, collecting and distributing post and parcels from Muharraq Airport to sailors based at HMS Jufair, which had been the Royal Navy’s base in the kingdom.

After Joe's death, June returned to the UK as a young widow and enrolled on a nursing course.

A service at Joe’s graveside in the Old Christian Cemetery in Bahrain marked the Sullivans’ 65th wedding anniversary

 

“It meant so much to me personally, to be able to fulfil June’s wishes and pay tribute to AB Sullivan and the valuable contribution he made to the Naval Service,” said Lieutenant Commander Sarah Vines from the staff of the UK Maritime Component Command, the Royal Navy’s HQ in the Middle East.

 

“People are the Armed Forces' most important asset, and whether past or present, they remain part of the Forces family.

"It was a real honour to be able to pay our respects to Joe and his late wife.”

Michele said her family has been deeply moved by the efforts of personnel in Bahrain, saying;

 “We feel very fortunate to have had the Royal Navy’s support in this tribute to them both and we feel at peace in the sense that Mum’s dear wish to mark Joe’s passing and remember their time together in Bahrain has been fulfilled."

HMS Montrose has set off on her final journey ahead of being decommissioned by the Royal Navy.

The Type 23 frigate paid her last visit to her affiliate town of Montrose, Angus, before heading south to Portsmouth for the last time on Tuesday.

HMS Montrose was the 11th of 13 Duke-Class frigates when she was launched in 1992.

She was initially designed as a fast manoeuvrable vessel required to scout ahead of the main fleet.

More recently Montrose has been deployed to the Gulf as an escort vessel and has seized more than 16 tonnes of illegal drugs – with a value of more than £111m – over 10 narcotic boarding missions.

HMS Montrose has been part of the Royal Navy for more than 30 years.

"I can't think that there could have been a better final port visit for our ship," said Commander Claire Thompson, Montrose's Commanding Officer.

"HMS Montrose has been part of the Royal Navy for over 30 years and for her to end her time here at Montrose has been amazing.

"From the ship open to visitors, which sold out, through to sports fixtures, additional tours, and receptions, we have been spoiled by the affection we received from the town of Montrose.

"I am incredibly grateful for the support," she added.

The crew also took the opportunity to lay a wreath at the grave of Bamse, a St Bernard dog that served on the Norwegian coastal patrol ship Thorodd when he was stationed at Montrose during the Second World War.

He became a well-known and much-loved sight in the town as well as a symbol of Norwegian freedom.  

The Type 23 frigate paid her last visit to her affiliate town of Montrose in Angus.

For Leading Seaman (Above Water Tactical) Paul Linford, the visit to the town was particularly poignant. 

A Montrose native, LS Linford relished the opportunity to take the ship home and to have his sister Sarah, brother-in-law Lewis, and nephew Ruairidh, on board.

"My nephew asks quite a lot what it's like on HMS Montrose," said Paul, "so it is fantastic to be able to show him first-hand where I work.

"It was also great to catch up with some of my friends in Montrose and introduce them to those friends I have made in the Royal Navy.

"I've wanted to be in the Navy since I was in first year at High School – around 12 years old – so to be able to return to Montrose on board HMS Montrose has been a privilege. 

"The support which the town has given us has been really quite special," he added.

HMS Montrose left her affiliate town on Tuesday evening – setting sail for the final time.

She will be formally decommissioned at a ceremony in Portsmouth next month.

The British Army recently announced it is forming a new 'Ranger Regiment', which will be at the heart of a Special Operations Brigade. The thousand-strong Ranger Regiment will be established by August 2021.  The new Special Operations Brigade will replace the existing Specialised Infantry Group, and the Army hopes to be able to deploy it by 2022.

It will see soldiers take on roles usually carried out by Special Forces personnel, operating in high-threat environments to train, advise and accompany allies.

The Chief of the General Staff says the brigade will "build on the lessons that we've learnt from Iraq and Afghanistan about just how important it is to build up local and regional capacity".

 

It is part of a significant restructuring of the British Army following the publication of the Government's Defence Command Paper, which has laid out plans for the Armed Forces over the coming decade.

 

The new Ranger Regiment will be formed of four "all-arms" battalions, each of about 250 personnel.

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To begin with, it will be 'seeded' from the four current Specialised Infantry Battalions: 1 SCOTS, 2 PWRR, 2 LANCS, and 4 RIFLES.  The new regiment will be established in August and receive £120m over the next four years to equip it.

It will be routinely deployed around the world supporting allied nations in delivering defence and security.

Mozambique and Somalia have been reported as two of the countries under consideration for the first deployment.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the new regiment would be at the forefront of a more "active and engaged" Armed Forces.

The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, meanwhile, said the Ranger Regiment will be the "vanguard of the Army's global footprint", adding that it will be: "Matching brainpower with firepower, data and software with hardware."  However, in time the Special Operations Brigade will select personnel from across the Army.

 

According to the Defence Command Paper, the Ranger Regiment "will be aligned with the new divisions of infantry".

"They will be able to operate in complex, high-threat environments, taking on some tasks traditionally done by Special Forces," the document continues.

"This work will involve deterring adversaries and contributing to collective deterrence by training, advising and, if necessary, accompanying partners."

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History of the 'Rangers'

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According to the British Army, the Ranger Regiment's name comes from an 18th century unit that saw action in North America, using "irregular tactics".

The first Ranger groupings fought in the French and Indian War, between 1754 and 1763, including the unit of Robert Rogers, who wrote '28 Rules of Ranging'.

These early units specialised in "unconventional warfare", such as forest ranging, and environments usually inaccessible to other forces, as well as carrying out reconnaissance roles.

Rangers were also used by both sides during the American War of Independence, with Robert Rogers' unit eventually evolving into a British Army regiment, the Queen's Rangers.