Armed forces
All Standard Notes
51 Documents
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 10.06.2013 | In brief: Iraq abuse judgment of May 2013 |
| 24.05.2013 | In brief: UK withdrawal from Afghanistan |
| The drawdown of British troops in Afghanistan has begun. The number of British troops in Afghanistan will be reduced to 5,200 by the end of 2013. | |
| 10.05.2013 | In brief: Future Reserves 2020 |
| The Defence Reform Bill announced during the Queen's Speech 2013 will increase the size and role of the Reserve Forces. This note provides a short overview of the changes proposed to the Reserve Forces. | |
| 25.04.2013 | Military Search and Rescue to end in 2016 |
| The Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy will no longer provide a Search and Rescue Helicopter service in the UK after March 2016. A wholly civilian service run by Bristow Helicopters Ltd and managed by the Department for Transport will provide the Search and Rescue Helicopter capability for the UK. | |
| 23.04.2013 | In Brief: International Military Forces in Mali |
| As offensive military operations in the country have begun to wind down concerns remain that Malian and foreign forces will now face a protracted insurgency from Islamic militants who have continued to conduct counter-attacks from the north of the country. | |
| 17.04.2013 | Military forces in Syria and the rise of the jihadis |
| Sunni fundamentalist groups are now thought by some to be the most important force in the Syrian rebellion. | |
| 16.04.2013 | Defence Estate Rationalisation |
| This note provides a summary of the main changes to the defence estate that have been announced since the Army basing review was published in March 2013. Further decisions on aspects of the defence estate, including the training estate and the Reserves estate are expected to be made over the course of 2013. This note will be updated as and when those plans are announced. | |
| 03.04.2013 | Army Basing Review 2013 |
| The outcome of the Army Basing Review was announced on 5 March 2013. This note summarises the main changes envisaged under those plans and where they differ from the previous basing decisions announced in 2011. | |
| 15.03.2013 | Defence employment: Social Indicators page |
| A summary of statistics on the strength of the armed forces | |
| 20.02.2013 | Parliamentary Approval for Deploying the Armed Forces: An Update |
| 15.02.2013 | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones): an introduction |
| This note provides an introduction to the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) by the UK Armed Forces, more commonly known as drones. | |
| 05.02.2013 | The crisis in Mali: current military action and upholding humanitarian law |
| This note describes the current military intervention in Mali, led by France, which began on 11 January as a reaction to the southward advance of militant Islamist armed groups with links to al-Qaeda. It also looks at the intervention in the context of upholding humanitarian law. | |
| 24.01.2013 | Armed Forces Redundancies |
| This note provides information about the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme. | |
| 08.01.2013 | Defence expenditure: Social Indicators page |
| Defence expenditure: Social Indicators page. By Gavin Berman. SN/SG/2623. | |
| 04.01.2013 | The Armed Forces Covenant |
| The Armed Forces Covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces. It was published in May 2011 and its core principles were enshrined in law, for the first time, in the Armed Forces Act 2011. It applies to all three services. The Government published the first annual report in December 2012. | |
| 28.12.2012 | Housing options for ex-service personnel |
| This note provides an overview of the housing options available to ex-service personnel in England. | |
| 20.12.2012 | In brief: Military Medals review update |
| Veterans of the Arctic Convoys in the Second World War are to be awarded medals, the Prime Minister announced on 19 December 2012. The aircrews of Bomber Command will be awarded a Bomber Command clasp. | |
| 30.11.2012 | Defence personnel statistics |
| This note provides information on the current and future strength of the UK Armed Forces | |
| 27.07.2012 | Medal Campaigns |
| Examines the process by which campaign medals are instituted, the rules governing the acceptance and wearing of foreign medals, and some of the medal campaigns that are currently underway. Summarises the findings of the interim Military Medals Review. | |
| 26.07.2012 | Army 2020 |
| The Ministry of Defence announced a major re-structuring of the British Army in July 2012. This note looks at what the restructure involves and which regiments and battalions it affects. | |
| 09.07.2012 | Afghanistan: The Timetable for Security Transition |
| NATO assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2003. At its summit in Chicago in May 2012, NATO confirmed ISAF's mission will end on 31 December 2014. It also mapped out the transition of security for Afghanistan from ISAF to Afghan National Security Forces. Specifically, it set the goal for Afghan forces to be in the lead for security nation-wide by mid-2013. | |
| 19.06.2012 | Armed Forces pensions - 2011 onwards |
| Provides an over view of armed forces pensions and current reform issues | |
| 15.06.2012 | In Brief: Armed Forces Day 2012 |
| Armed Forces Day will be held on 30 June 2012. | |
| 31.05.2012 | In brief: Guinea-Bissau - has the 12 April coup been overturned or rewarded? |
| A 12 April coup has provoked renewed political crisis in the West African state of Guinea Bissau. On 20 May there was an ECOWAS-backed deal under which power was ostensibly returned to civilians, but there is concern about its credibility and legitimacy. The crisis is likely to set-back recent efforts to strengthen Guinea-Bissau's capacity to combat drug-trafficking and thereby shed its reputation as a 'narco-state'. In a country where there are regular military coups, no president has completed a full term in office since the mid 1990s. | |
| 29.03.2012 | In brief: Afghanistan - timetable to 2014 |
| This note provides a brief outline of the timetable for withdrawal of NATO combat forces from Afghanistan by 2014. | |
| 08.02.2012 | The Defence of the Falkland Islands |
| This note looks at the UK defence presence in the Falkland Islands and reviews the current debate about whether the Islands are adequately defended in the event of future aggression. | |
| 16.12.2011 | Privatisation of RAF/Royal Navy Search and Rescue |
| 14.11.2011 | Defence Basing Review |
| Since October 2010 the MOD has been conducting a basing review to examine all of the issues that arose out of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The conclusions of that review were announced in the House on 18 July 2011. In November 2011 the MOD announced the first tranche of moves envisaged under the rebasing programme. | |
| 03.11.2011 | Armed Forces Bill: Lords Amendments |
| Six amendments to the Armed Forces Bill were agreed at Lords Third Reading which took place on 10 October, including several tabled or supported by the Government. This note briefly examines those amendments. | |
| 24.10.2011 | Military Operations in Libya |
| Military action to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1973 in Libya | |
| 15.06.2011 | Armed Forces Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| The Committee of the Whole House debate on the Armed Forces Bill took place on 14 June 2011. All of the Government's amendments to the Bill relating to the call-out of the Reserves and the Armed Forces Covenant were adopted. Several other amendments and new clauses relating to the Covenant and the publication of defence statistics were defeated on division. Report Stage and Third Reading of the Bill is scheduled for 16 June 2011. | |
| 13.06.2011 | Amendments to the Armed Forces Bill |
| This note examines the Committee of the Whole House amendments to the Armed Forces Bill that have been tabled thus far. | |
| 09.06.2011 | Armed Forces Covenant |
| The Government published the first tri-Service Armed Forces Covenant on 16 May 2011. This note examines the background to the Covenant and some of the measures to support it that the Government intends to introduce over the next few years. | |
| 09.06.2011 | Armed Forces Bill: Consideration in Select Committee |
| Unlike the majority of Government Bills, the Armed Forces Bill has traditionally been committed to a specially convened Select Committee after Second Reading, which sits only for the duration of the Bill. Three oral evidence sessions were held in early February 2011 on some of the general themes associated with the Bill. Armed Forces welfare and the section of the Bill relating to the Military Covenant received particular attention. Those sessions were then followed by four sessions dedicated to formal consideration of the Bill. Several amendments relating to clause 2 of the Bill were moved in Committee, but after extensive debate were defeated on division. The Special Report of the Select Committee was published on 10 March 2011 (HC 779, Session 2010-11). | |
| 27.05.2011 | Inquests of Service personnel - jurisdiction and recent developments |
| 04.04.2011 | No-Fly Zone Over Libya: Suggested Reading |
| UN Security Council Resolution 1973 adopted on 17 March 2011, established, among other things, a no-fly zone over Libya. This note provides a list of suggested reading material on the arguments for and against the establishment of a no fly zone over Libya and its likelihood of success. | |
| 04.03.2011 | Armed forces pension reform,1995 - 2005 |
| Covers the reform process which lead up to the introduction of Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 | |
| 22.12.2010 | Security-related incidents, paramilitary-style attacks, and deaths due to the security situation in Northern Ireland |
| Security-related incidents, paramilitary-style attacks, and deaths due to the security situation in Northern Ireland. By Ross Young. SN/SG/2229. | |
| 03.11.2010 | Strategic Defence and Security Review: Defence Policy and the Armed Forces |
| 20.10.2010 | In Brief: Strategic Defence and Security Review - Headline Recommendations for the Armed Forces |
| Five months after entering office the Coalition Government published its Strategic Defence and Security Review on 19 October 2010. The following note is a guide to the principal recommendations and conclusions of that review which relate to the Armed forces specifically. It will be followed by a more detailed paper on the wider recommendations of the SDSR, and their implications, in the near future. | |
| 15.10.2010 | Georgia after the 2008 war |
| President Saakashvili's second term expires in 2013. Whether the election is won by a more Moscow-friendly successor will be critical for the progress of Russia's efforts to establish its ""zone of privileged interest". Critics of the US administration may say that Obama's decision to "press the reset button" on relations with Russia has betrayed Georgia's ambitions to join western countries. | |
| 19.08.2010 | Afghanistan: Towards a Handover of Security Responsibility? |
| 14.07.2010 | Military Campaign in Afghanistan |
| 26.05.2010 | Armed Forces Compensation Scheme |
| The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) replaced both the War Pensions Scheme and 'attributable' benefits payable under the old Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) for service personnel experiencing ill health, injury or death arising from service-related incidents on or after 6 April 2005. This note outlines the scheme and changes made to it since its introduction. | |
| 12.05.2010 | Iraq: Multinational Forces after the Drawdown |
| 11.02.2010 | Strategic Defence Review Green Paper: Preliminary Observations |
| The Government published its defence Green Paper on 3 February 2010. The observations and recommendations in that paper will now inform the work of a Strategic Defence Review which the Government has committed to undertaking shortly after the General Election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats have also stated that they will hold a defence review should they take office. This note sets out some of the background to the Green Paper, its main conclusions and some initial reactions within Parliament, the media and the wider defence community. This briefing will eventually form part of a larger Library Research Paper on the forthcoming Strategic Defence Review. | |
| 16.12.2009 | Democratic Republic of Congo: An Update |
| This note briefly summarises some of the key developments over the past two years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including efforts to bring to an end the armed conflict in the East. | |
| 21.07.2009 | Immigration: settlement and British citizenship for discharged Gurkhas and Commonwealth members of the armed forces |
| Over the last five years it has become easier for discharged Gurkhas and Commonwealth members of the armed forces to obtain settlement in the UK and British citizenship. The Government's policy on Gurkhas discharged before 1 July 1997 has recently been subject to a successful challenge in the High Court. | |
| 14.07.2009 | Afghanistan: Equipment Issues |
| 09.02.2009 | The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan |
| This note is intended to be a brief guide to the mandate upon which those forces are deployed; the command and control of forces in the country and the integration of ISAF with the US-led Operation Enduring freedom; current troop contributions and future force rotation plans and commitments. It does not examine either wider political and economic developments in Afghanistan or the ccounter narcotics strategy. | |
| 07.01.2009 | The Future of Coalition Forces in Iraq |
| This note examines the legal basis for the ongoing presence of Coalition forces in Iraq, current troop commitments and plans for the future. |
All Research Papers
16 Documents
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 26.07.2012 | Olympic Britain |
| Olympic Britain tells the story of the profound economic and social change in the UK since the two previous London Olympics, in 1908 and 1948, using statistics and expert analysis. The book can also be browsed using the Parliament website at www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/olympic-britain/ | |
| 15.11.2011 | The Arab Uprisings |
| Since December 2010, the most profound process of change has affected the countries of the Arab world. The change spread quickly between the countries of the region, underlining the many common factors that provoked unrest. How the region's revolutions progress, however, depends on the individual characteristics of each country, which are very different. This paper looks at these similarities and differences and considers the possible outcomes in each case. The legitimacy of ruling regimes, the effect of societies' divisions along confessional lines and the role of the region's militaries are considered. | |
| 17.12.2010 | Armed Forces Bill [Bill 122 of 2010-11] |
| The purpose of the Armed Forces Bill is to provide the legal basis for the Armed Forces and the system of military law which exists in the UK. It also offers an opportunity to make necessary amendments, such as those required by changes to civilian law in the UK or as a result of cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights. The Bill has also been used, on occasion, to introduce new measures relating to the Armed Forces that fall outside the Bill's traditional remit. | |
| 24.04.2009 | Russia's Military Posture |
| This paper examines Russia's current military posture. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive examination of every aspect of Russian military policy but is intended as an introduction to some of the more pertinent aspects, including Russia's military capabilities, its ability to defend its increasingly diverse strategic interests and the credibility of Russia's modernisation and rearmament programme which was announced toward the end of 2008. | |
| 27.11.2008 | Parliamentary Approval for Deploying the Armed Forces: An introduction to the issues. |
| Parliamentary Approval for Deploying the Armed Forces: An introduction to the issues. This paper examines the debate on the Royal prerogative and parliamentary approval for the deployment of the Armed Forces. | |
| 12.02.2008 | China's Military Posture |
| 07.12.2005 | Armed Forces Bill (Bill 94 of 2005-06) |
| The Armed Forces Bill (Bill 94 2005-06). House of Commons Library Research Paper 05/86 | |
| 11.11.2005 | Background to the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill. |
| 17.09.2004 | Defence White Paper |
| The Defence White Paper. House of Commons Library Research Paper 04/71. | |
| 17.09.2004 | Defence White Paper:future capabilities |
| The Defence White Paper: future capabilities. House of Commons Library Research Paper 04/72. | |
| 08.01.2004 | Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill (Bill 10 2003/04) |
| Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill (Bill 10 2003/04). House of Commons Library Research Paper 04/05. | |
| 20.09.2002 | Iraq: the debate on policy options |
| Iraq: the debate on policy options. House of Commons Library Research Paper 02/53. | |
| 19.07.2002 | Defence Statistics - July 2002 |
| Defence Statistics - July 2002. House of Commons Library Research Paper 02/48. | |
| 21.12.2000 | Defence Statistics 2000 |
| Defence Statistics 2000. House of Commons Library Research Paper 00/99. (Updates RP 99/112). | |
| 04.02.2000 | Armed Forces Discipline Bill (HL) (Bill 61 of 1999/2000) |
| Armed Forces Discipline Bill (HL) (Bill 53 of 1999/2000). House of Commons Library Research Paper 00/12. | |
| 15.10.1998 | The Strategic Defence Review White Paper |
| The strategic defence review White Paper. House of Commons Library Research Paper 98/91. |
