Large regiment
[1] However, Indian independence in 1947 saw plans put in place to reduce all of the British Army's line infantry and rifles regiments to a single battalion.
Reductions in troop numbers following the 1957 review had necessitated the amalgamation of pairs of regiments within the brigades from 1958 to 1961, a process that sometimes proved controversial.
Speaking in the House of Commons on 8 March, the Minister of War, John Profumo, stated that there was not going to be a further extensive reorganisation of army units.
However, talking of the need to increase flexibility in the services, he noted that the regimental system of the infantry could be said to "stand in the way of change".
[5] On 16 March The Times reported that the War Office were in the early stages of planning for the creation of large regiments.
The survival of the weaker brigades was under doubt, while a feasibility study into the formation of a single "Corps of Infantry" was initiated.
The Royal Irish Rangers was allocated, along with the single battalion regiments from the North of England, to the King's Division.
This was created to replace the Ulster Special Constabulary, a quasi-military reserve policing force, in order to remove duties more suited to the military from civilian control in Northern Ireland, which, at the time, had seen increasing violence occurring (regarded as the beginning of the period known as "The Troubles").
Although the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment, initially with seven battalions, saw a major increase in the Army's presence in Northern Ireland, the continuing presence of the Regular Army (under Operation BANNER), which required infantry battalions to be deployed on regular roulement tours, led to the difficulties in being able to meet the UK's standing commitments to NATO in addition to the requirements of Northern Ireland, and saw the decision taken to increase the number of available infantry battalions.
[22] The Board argued that the existing system led to seven or eight battalions being unavailable at any time due to retraining while changing roles.
The lack of stability for the families of soldiers due to constant moving of locations was also cited as a disadvantage.
[note 58] The Parachute Regiment, although ostensibly unaffected by the reforms, saw its 1st Battalion removed from the infantry order of battle and transferred to the control of the United Kingdom Special Forces to form the core element of the tri-service Special Forces Support Group.
As part of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the British Army would be restructured and reduced in size, including the reduction of the infantry by a total of two battalions.
[29] Further changes were announced relating to the so-called "specialised infantry" battalions formed under the 2015 SDSR, with their operational formation, the Specialised Infantry Group, to be regimented as a new large regiment, dubbed the "Ranger Regiment", initially intended to be formed in August 2021 as part of a new "Special Operations Brigade":[note 66][30] On 25 November 2021, the new plan for the restructuring of the Army, which was entitled Future Soldier, was announced.
Instead, individual company sized units were formed intended to operate across the army, including attached to The Rangers.
