what are the uk defence tasks

The Ministry of Defence covers 8 broad tasks, overseen by the CDS:

Full Answer

What are the defence tasks?

The Defence Tasks form the basis of the Defence Plan and the delivery of Defence Outputs. Figure 5: Defence Tasks by National Security Objective 15 How Defence Delivers –Planning

What is the government doing in relation to defence?

The government is conducting an Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. The Ministry of Defence has permanent and casual civilian personnel, including Royal Fleet Auxiliaries, Trading Funds and locally engaged civilians .

What are the powers of the Defence Council?

The Defence Council has formal powers of command and administration over the Armed Forces.

Why do you want to work in defence?

As we respond to rapidly evolving threats to our values and way of life, our people – military and civilian – will remain fundamental to delivering our competitive advantage, our links to society, and our global standing. We want to attract the most talented individuals to Defence.

What does the UK military do?

The British Army protects the United Kingdom's interests at home and abroad, providing a safe and secure environment in which all British citizens can live and prosper.

What is the UK defence strategy?

The Defence Space Strategy (DSS) was published on 1 February 2022. It sets out the UK Government's ambition to be a meaningful actor in space and details how we will operationalise this key domain, working closely with allies and partners to keep space safe, secure and sustainable.

What is the work of defence?

The principal task of the Defence Ministry is to obtain policy directions of the Government on all defence and security related matters and communicate them for implementation to the Services Headquarters,Inter-Services Organisations,Production Establishments and Research and Development...

What forces does the UK have?

Branches of the UK military There are four branches of the UK armed forces, the British Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Marines.

What types of conflict are the British military currently facing?

The British Army and future conflictCounter-Insurgency. The British Army has a long history of fighting successful counter-insurgency operations. ... Conventional Warfare. ... Iraq and Afghanistan. ... Asymmetric Warfare. ... Cyberwarfare.

How much does the UK spend on military?

approximately 48.6 billion British poundsIn 2021/22, the United Kingdom spent approximately 48.6 billion British pounds on defense, an increase of around four billion pounds when on the previous year.

Who is head of all three forces?

The President of IndiaThe Indian security system primarily consists of three wings: Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The President of India is the supreme commander of all the three divisions. He or she exercises control over all the three divisions.

What are the 3 military departments?

The three military departments within the Department of Defense (DOD), created by the National Security Act of 1947, are the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force (P.L. 80- 253).

Who is head of military?

General Mark A. Milley is the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.

Is Britain still powerful?

The United Kingdom today retains extensive global soft power, including a formidable military. The United Kingdom has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council alongside only 4 other powers, and is one of the nine nuclear powers.

How powerful is the British Army?

According to Global Firepower, it is the second-strongest country globally, and the CIA World Factbook and IISS's Military Balance 2022 both estimate that it spends about 4% of its GDP on the military.

Why is the British Army so powerful?

The British Army maintains its high standing because of elite unites like the Paras. The Parachute Regiment is the British Army's rapid response team. The British Army maintains its high standing because of elite unites like the Paras. The Parachute Regiment is the British Army's rapid response team.

What is command strategy?

The Strategic Command Strategy directs and guides the transformation of Strategic Command to deliver as Defence's integrator. It outlines the critical capabilities that the Command must transform, and the strategic outcomes it will achieve.

How does defense deliver?

Defence delivers its outputs through the seven core activities of Policy, Strategy, Planning, Governance, Generate, Enable and Operate, together with a series of cross-cutting Functions. The core activities and Functions are described in more detail in How Defence Delivers.

What is the UK Armed Forces?

The UK Armed Forces are ensuring they keep the country safe, supporting the national response to Covid-19, continuing their critical operations at home and overseas, while ensuring they prepare for future tasks in a deliberate and disciplined manner. The UK Armed Forces are ensuring they keep the country safe, supporting ...

What is required to maintain all these operations?

Maintaining all these operations requires a level of training to continue, ensuring both personnel and equipment remain ready to be deployed, both for scheduled operations and in case of unexpected tasks needed to guarantee national security.

What are some examples of safe training?

Examples of steps taken to enable safe training include social distancing during roll calls and physical training, isolating at the beginning of courses and reconfiguring communal spaces such as canteens, sleeping quarters and classrooms. Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey said:

Where were the RAF Typhoons deployed?

deployed RAF Typhoons jets to the NATO air policing operation in Lithuania

Can the UK army stop training?

It has been an enormous effort from people across the UK Armed Forces to reconfigure the training activity that simply cannot be stopped without impacting our national security in the months ahead. I am grateful to all of them for their hard work and ensuring essential training continues to happen safely.

Is there a great deal of defence activity that will remain paused?

There is a great deal of defence activity that will remain paused, which is entirely right, as we will always ensure the safety of our service personnel, their families and the communities that support them.

Does the UK have a force generation?

In order to continue defending the nation over the longer term, the UK Armed Forces must also conduct routine force-generation, and is doing so in line with government guidelines .

What is the Ministry of Defence?

The Ministry of Defence provides global military strategic efforts against both state and non-state threats in order to ensure the safety, territorial integrity and resilience of the UK, Overseas Territories and our overseas bases. We will continue to deter and defend against multi-domain threats to UK territory and – with partners across Government – similarly protect our Critical National Infrastructure, operating across the five domains: Maritime, Land, Air, Cyberspace and Space.

Who is the head of the Defence Council?

The Defence Council has formal powers of command and administration over the Armed Forces. It is a formal body which is chaired by the Secretary of State and comprises all Defence Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, the four heads of the Military Commands (including the three Service Chiefs), and Director General Finance.

What is the purpose of the central evaluation team in the Analysis Directorate?

The Ministry of Defence has established a new central Evaluation Team in the Analysis Directorate to improve the quantity, quality and materiality of evaluation evidence supporting spending decisions. The strategy is to embed a more systematic approach to evaluation in the MOD.

What is the MOD Science and Technology Strategy 2020?

Through the MOD Science and Technology Strategy 2020, we will prioritise higher-risk research to support the modernisation of our armed forces. Over the next four years, we will invest at least £6.6-billion of Defence funding in advanced and next-generation R&D to deliver an enduring military edge in areas including space, directed energy weapons, and advanced high-speed missiles. We will work to shape international legal, ethical and regulatory norms and standards for new and emerging technologies.

What are the threats to the UK?

The threats to the UK and our interests are in all five domains (Maritime, Land, Air, Cyberspace and Space), with those in the ‘new’ domains of cyberspace and space presenting particular challenges. This demands that decision making at all levels must be founded on insights and foresight derived from understanding these threats. By doing so, we will be able to protect our most precious assets, whether our critical national infrastructure, our intellectual property or our strategic nuclear deterrent. As well as protecting our vulnerabilities, we can also identify opportunities to exploit those of our adversaries.

What is Global Britain in a Competitive Age?

In March 2021, the Government published Global Britain in a Competitive Age, the Integrated Review (IR) of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, and Defence in a Competitive Age. These documents set out how we will ensure the UK and its citizens will be kept safe through working with our partners across Government and our Allies to protect the UK and its territories and deter, constrain and defeat state and non-state adversaries.

What is the role of risk management in the Ministry of Defence?

We make decisions on risk every day, managing those uncertainties that could impact on the delivery of Defence outputs and objectives. The Ministry of Defence has a risk management policy to identify and manage risks to avoid unwanted surprises and to identify opportunities. Our detailed list of risks is not published for reasons of national security, but it includes risks associated with:

What is the purpose of the UK's defence activities?

Defence activity is designed to help deliver the UK’s three National Security Objectives (NSOs) of ‘protect our people’ , ‘project our global influence’ and ‘promote our prosperity’. The UK’s NSOs are further supported by a framework of 25 Defence Tasks which state what the UK’s defence capability should be used for and what capability should be maintained. The Defence Tasks cover Defence activity both in the UK and overseas and, by training to conduct these tasks, MOD is best prepared to support the NSOs. The Defence Tasks form the basis of the Defence Plan and the delivery of Defence Outputs.

What is the role of the Ministry of Defence?

It includes both: • a Department of State, responsible for supporting Ministers, developing policy, developing and delivering plans, and generating Military Capability. In this sense MOD is like any other department that has a policy and delivery role. The great majority of funding and activity in Defence (including in the Military Commands) supports this role; and • a Military Strategic Headquarters . This is very a specialised role, unique to MOD, that directs and carries out military operations on behalf of the government. MOD’s organisational structure encompasses the UK’s three armed forces: the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. It also includes Strategic Command, the Defence Nuclear Organisation and the Head Office, and a range of Enabling Organisations that provide supporting services to the whole of Defence. The basic role of MOD is summarised in the Defence Purpose:

What is DFD in the military?

Defence Force Development (DFD) is an evidence-informed process by which forces and capabilities are designed, tested and generated to meet policy requirements effectively and efficiently. DFD’s principal aim is to develop options for commanders, officials and, where necessary, ministers, to inform strategy choices and improve the outputs of the Military Commands and MOD. It is an iterative process in which Head Office directs top level budget holders to develop existing capabilities, as well as evolving it towards a defined Future Force (through the use of the Defence Plan and other relevant DOM processes). DFD enables MOD to deliver forces that are fit-for-purpose, resilient and sustainable in order to meet current and future challenges. To do this, MOD must understand how well it is meeting today’s challenges and be able to adapt to the pace of change of those challenges, that is, to be ‘agile’. It must also be able to evaluate advances in a wide range of technologies and set a trajectory for developing military capability that best meets the range of possible futures. The DFD process includes the development of Concepts, which describes how forces will need to operate and adapt to meet predicted future threats and subsequently develop the military capability that Defence needs now and in the future.

How does the DSD work?

The DSD document sets out how it will achieve the ‘Future Force’ and describes how MOD will use and adapt its existing Military Capability. As well as defining the Defence Tasks, it provides the central framework for long-term planning and describes the Defence Planning Assumptions that are an integral part of the Defence Force Development process and inform Policy, Strategy and Planning. Ultimately DSD is approved by the Secretary of State for Defence. Head Office prepares an annual Defence Plan from DSD and uses both documents to explain what is required of all the various organisations across Defence in order to meet the objectives assigned to them. These organisations respond in the form of Command and Corporate Plans, Functional Strategies and Plans and Portfolio and Programme Plans. Many of the organisations and Functions that make up Defence develop their own more detailed supporting strategies, aligned with DSD. Examples include regional and thematic strategies which provide objectives for how Defence works with international allies and partners, and a Capability Strategy that explains how MOD’s resources will be deployed to develop and deliver military capability as far as 30 years into the future.

What is the agreement of defence policy?

It articulates the ultimate aim of defence and security in the UK and provides the overarching framework for all the outputs MOD delivers, including how MOD contributes to wider government objectives. Agreement of Defence Policy is also an output in itself for MOD in the Defence Operating Model and forms the basis for Strategy and Planning. The Permanent Secretary is the Secretary of State’s principal policy adviser and delegates responsibility for formulating advice on defence and security policy and strategy to Director General Security Policy and Director General Strategy and International who, with the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Military Strategy and Operations, jointly run the Head Office Security Policy and Operations (SP&O) team. The SP&O team advises ministers on how Defence capabilities and international partnerships could, and should, be used to achieve the UK’s national security and wider government objectives. It also shapes the development of national security policy and strategy across government, and the development of future capabilities and force structures within MOD. Other Head Office teams lead MOD’s contribution to policy formulation in conjunction with other government departments, co-ordinating advice and views from across MOD. These can cover a wide range of external or public policy areas. Examples include industrial policy, environmental policy, finance, and people policies including diversity and inclusion; as well as policy areas more specific to MOD such as military capability, nuclear policy and corporate and business policies. The Chief Scientific Adviser and Director General Joint Force Development in Strategic Command advise on how the Armed Forces could develop as far as 30 years into the future, and how this should inform future iterations of government security and defence policy. Other senior stakeholders, including for example the Chief of Defence Intelligence and the Chief Information Officer, also contribute insights from their specialisms.

What is the main document of the Defence Planning Process?

The primary planning document is the annual Defence Plan which directs the work of the whole of the Department and is structured around the Defence Tasks set out in Defence Strategic Direction (DSD). The Defence Planning Process (Figure 6) translates DSD into deliverables and activities for these plans. The Defence Plan informs the development of Command Plans and Enabling Organisation Corporate Plans. The Defence Planning Process is led by Head Office in close consultation with all parts of Defence. It involves prioritising and planning the delivery of outputs in each part of Defence in order to meet MOD’s overall strategic intent as set out in DSD and other supporting strategies (e.g. Functional Strategies). The process includes the allocation of appropriate resources across Defence to deliver these outputs through the Annual Budget Cycle. The key output from the Planning Process is a clear articulation of the required deliverables against the 25 Defence Tasks, which each have a number of sub-tasks and activities. The Planning process is shown in Figure 6, along with how Policy and Strategy is set.

What are the functions of the DOM?

The DOM is based on the principles that, under the Secretary of State for Defence: • Head Office ‘directs’ and coheres all Defence activities, in that: it sets overarching and internal policies and strategies; constructs and monitors delivery of the Defence Plan; and sets the governance framework for the entire MOD, including for ensuring accountability, providing effective risk-management and delivering the necessary assurance to the Permanent Secretary as Accounting Officer. • Commands ‘generate’ today’s military capability from the resources available to them, and work with Head Office to develop future capabilities. • ‘Enabling’ Organisations provide specialist supporting services to the rest of Defence. Within this framework, Commands and Enabling Organisations have considerable delegated authority. In order to ensure MOD functions as a single integrated enterprise where all of the component parts work effectively and efficiently together, Head Office must provide strong leadership in terms of both giving direction to and ensuring coherence across delegated activities. Part of the challenge of delivering coherence is to ensure that key cross-cutting activities that are carried out in multiple parts of Defence are done in a consistent and joined-up way. This includes activities common to most organisations, such as Finance or Digital, and others specific to Defence, such as Intelligence or Military Capability Management (see full list on page 26). To this end the DOM defines these cross-cutting activities as ‘Functions’ and recognises for each an empowered Functional Owner. Functional Owners are senior post-holders either within Head Office or elsewhere but with a direct authority from, and reporting to, the Permanent Secretary. A central responsibility of all Functional Owners is to set a Functional Operating Model to deliver the necessary coherence; this explains how activities are to be carried out, risks managed, and major decisions taken; it also references common rules and standards, and any exceptions. In effect, Functional Operating Models define which aspects of the activity are fully, partially or not delegated.

What is the Defence Board?

The Defence Board is the highest committee in the Ministry of Defence ( MOD ). It is responsible for the full range of defence business, other than the conduct of operations. The Defence Board is responsible for the Defence Vision, which is: ‘To defend the United Kingdom and its interests, strengthen international peace and stability, ...

Who is the most senior member of the Defence Council?

The Secretary of State is the most senior individual in the Defence Council, which comprises of other Defence ministers, the Permanent Secretary, the Chief of Defence Staff, senior service officers and senior officials who head the armed services and the department’s major corporate functions.

What are the three service boards?

In addition, the three Service boards (the Admiralty Board, the Army Board and the Air Force Board), which are sub-committees of the Defence Council, meet annually for each service chief to report to the Secretary of State on the health of their respective services.

Who makes the decisions on the use of the British army?

The Prime Minister (acting with the Cabinet) makes the key decisions on the use of the armed forces. The UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the British Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, as required by the Bill of Rights 1689.

What is the British army?

Navy officer ranks. Navy ratings. Air Force officer ranks. Air Force other ranks. The British Armed Forces, also known as Her Majesty's Ar med Forces, are the military services responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and the Crown dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, ...

What is the only legal private army in Europe?

Armed Forces Day (United Kingdom) Atholl Highlanders – The only legal private army in Europe under the command of the Duke of Atholl in Scotland. Banknotes of the British Armed Forces. Community Cadet Forces. Military Covenant – The mutual obligations between the nation and its Armed Forces.

What is the British nuclear deterrent?

The United Kingdom is one of five recognised nuclear weapon states under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and maintains an independent nuclear deterrent, currently consisting of four Vanguard -class ballistic missile submarines, UGM-133 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and 160 operational thermonuclear warheads. This is known as Trident in both public and political discourse (with nomenclature taken after the UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missile). Trident is operated by the Royal Navy Submarine Service, charged with delivering a 'Continuous At-Sea Deterrent' (CASD) capability, whereby one of the Vanguard -class strategic submarines is always on patrol. According to the British Government, since the introduction of Polaris (Tridents predecessor) in the 1960s, from April 1969 "the Royal Navy’s ballistic missile boats have not missed a single day on patrol", giving what the Defence Council described in 1980 as a deterrent "effectively invulnerable to pre-emptive attack". As of 2015, it has been British Government policy for the Vanguard -class strategic submarines to carry no more than 40 nuclear warheads, delivered by eight UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missiles. In contrast with the other recognised nuclear weapon states, the United Kingdom operates only a submarine-based delivery system, having decommissioned its tactical WE.177 free-fall bombs in 1998.

How old do you have to be to join the British army?

The minimum recruitment age is 16 years (although personnel may not serve on armed operations below 18 years, and if under 18 must also have parental consent to join); the maximum recruitment age depends whether the application is for a regular or reserve role; there are further variations in age limit for different corps/regiments. The normal term of engagement is 22 years; however, the minimum service required before resignation is 4 years, plus, in the case of the Army, any service person below the age of 18. At present, the yearly intake into the armed forces is 11,880 (per the 12 months to 31 March 2014).

What were the naval forces?

Naval forces included the Royal Navy, the Waterguard (subsequently HM Coastguard ), and Sea Fencibles and River Fencibles formed as and when required for the duration of emergencies. The Merchant Navy and offshore fishing boat crews were also an important reserve to the armed naval forces.

How many British soldiers are there in 2021?

The British Armed Forces are a professional force with a strength of 153,290 UK Regulars and Gurkhas, 37,420 Volunteer Reserves and 8,170 "Other Personnel" as of 1 April 2021. [update] .

A. Executive Summary

B. Introduction

C. Priority Outcomes Delivery Plans

• Priority Outcome 1 – Strengthen the UK’s national security through delivering threat-based defen…
  Outcome strategy The threats to the UK and our interests are in all five domains (Maritime, Land, Air, Cyberspace and Space), with those in the ‘new’ domains of cyberspace and space presenting particular challenges. This demands that decision making at all levels must be founded on insig…
• Priority Outcome 2 – Protect the UK and its Overseas Territories
  Outcome Strategy The Ministry of Defence provides global military strategic efforts against both state and non-state threats in order to ensure the safety, territorial integrity and resilience of the UK, Overseas Territories and our overseas bases. We will continue to deter and defend against …

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D. Strategic Enablers

E. Our Equality Objectives