Through the varying periods of history a lot of armed forces have sought to protect the interests and welfare of their respective countries. There are some who have succeeded and still there are some who strives to have full grasp of peace and independence. Let’s take a look at some of the documentations and find out how the UK’s military force has been doing for the past years.

There have been three reviews of Britain’s Armed Forces ever since the commencement of the Cold War. One of the results included is the development of the Options for Change review in the 90s which was facilitated by the country’s Conservative Government. It was seeking to gain strides and benefits from a projected post-Cold War peace dividend.

It is stated that during this time all of the force’s three main divisions have endured a considerable decrease in terms of infrastructure, facilities, and manpower. Even though it is a fact that the Soviet Union was vanquished, there is still a possible military presence within the lines of Germany, more so that there was a reduction in the British Forces Germany. Due to the happenings brought about by the first ever Gulf War, authorities were obliged to make revitalized efforts to upgrade joint operational connections and effectiveness within the circles of the force. This was achieved by structuring a Permanent Joint Headquarters in 1996. 

The UK force took upon itself to take more international obligations especially after the end of the Cold War. It has been notable that HM Armed Forces is taking extra effort in order to contribute to the ongoing mission of both the NATO and the United Nations in keeping peace globally. There has been a challenge to the positive aspirations of the organization within the past years. It has been faced with difficulties to consistently attend to its overseas responsibilities and commitment because of the issues revolving around the reduced number in manpower. The Armed Forces are making a considerable amount of overstretching during the recent years.

In 1998, the Strategic Defense Review was laid on the table. It focused on expeditionary warfare and tri-service integration in order to enhance the efficiency and decrease the amount of expenditure via consolidation of resources. Actions involved helicopters of the Armed Forces being compacted into one single command and the establishment of a Joint Force Harrier in 2000 which was composed of the Navy and the Royal Air Force fleets of Harrier Jump Jets. Moreover, in 1999 a Joint Rapid Reaction Force was created which resulted into a significant amount of tri-service resources at hand.

During the post-September 11 period in 2004 the Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities review was launched. It still focused on expeditionary warfare with the addition of a vision directed on mobility. The actions involved in the review included the purchase of two huge aircraft carriers and a bundle of medium-sized vehicles. In order to bring back the equilibrium in the composition of deployable light and medium forces, the review introduced Challenger 2 main battle tanks and AS-90 regiments wherein self-propelled artillery were converted to lighter role degrees.

The advancement and continued maintenance of a country’s armed forces will not only benefit its constituents but also give the international scene a boost to gain better strides and success.