The British Army Land Training System

Over the past 12 months the British Army has designed a model to train its entire force to a set standard. It will also have the credibility and capacity to train the follow-on force, whatever that is, when the time comes. The new way of training is built on three interlinked blocks – Tradewinds (that provides the skills at individual level within a sub-unit), Cyclone (the primary sub unit training block -designed to deliver individual and collective competencies), and Storm (a reinvigorated combined-arms, formation level event – the optimization phase). Within the current plan all sub-units will conduct a dedicated 10-week training period each and every year providing the UK with more military capability, more options for responses, and increased lethality across the British Army. More importantly, the new system is driven by the people within units – not the system. This means that, perhaps for the first time, the Army can exploit its people, their drive and determination to be ‘the best’, and build on the differentiation in capabilities between units. The shift in emphasis is warranted: the British Army is so not the homogenous mass of yesteryear, meaning that a reversion to a Cold War training modalities would be disingenuous to the soldiers of today. As Major General Chris Barry tells us, shifting to a new way of training that best fits the demands of a smaller, busier, more technology dependent force of today (and tomorrow) was the only way to realise the operational demands and credibly deter adversaries.

Training a military force is a proposition unlike the one faced by other civil organisations: It has to prepare people to perform in the chaos and turmoil of battle – even simple tasks like making deliveries or baking bread become very different in the face of artillery fire or roadside bombs. It’s not just about mental pressure and physical discomfort, it is about facing death while doing the mundane and business-as-usual tasks. It is, perhaps, the greatest test of humans and has always been so. As military training has evolved (along with the force it enables), so have the opportunities in technologies such as simulation: are the benefits without bounds, or is there a point that the benefits of simulation tail off? What mix of virtual and physical performance maximises performance? And amongst all of this is the reality of organisational culture, and the cost-effectiveness of training. How much of this training can be outsourced to a commercial provider? What is the optimal amount of training done away from the cauldron of combat, and how much must be exercised under arms and stressing conditions? Answering these questions is crucial if we are to all understand the importance of training in a military force – and how to optimise it to win in the greatest of contests. Listen to the series as we talk to people who think a lot about military training - from the professional soldiers and commanders to the academics who study it, as well as the commercial operators who are increasingly being employed to deliver it.

• No. of episodes: 28
• Latest episode: 2024-07-01
• Society & Culture Government Relationships

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