A SUMMARY OF THIS WEEK’S DEFENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

A SUMMARY OF THIS WEEK’S DEFENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Overview.  Details of the Integrated Review are included in the public documents at the link attached.  These documents and videos set out the overall intent only and no details have yet been announced that impact the Corps directly.  REME RHQ will now be included in the planning activity to shape the decisions over the coming months so that the Corps remains fit for the demands of the next decade and beyond. 

Structural Changes.  What we do know is that the Army will retain a ‘Theatre Sustainment Brigade’ and two ‘Operational Sustainment Brigades’. It has also been stated that the Army’s new Brigade Combat Teams will contain Combat Service Support Battalions that include logisticians, electrical and mechanical engineers, and medics. How many, where they sit in the structure and their precise role is subject to further detailed work by HoC CSS, supported by REME RHQ, and confirmed in the Autumn. Reserve structures will be the focus of the MOD Reserve Forces 30 paper due to be released in May 21. 

The REME Strategy. The REME Strategy will be developed to align with the themes of the IR, and the REME Skills Review will incorporate these themes to ensure that our soldiers remain prepared and relevant to face the challenges of the future. 

The ‘Lived Experience’. Several pan-Defence initiatives will enhance living and working conditions for our people. Across Defence, £1.3Bn will be spent over 4 years to upgrade Single Living Accommodation. There will also be a Digital People Strategy that will enhance career management across Defence using digital applications to improve accessibility for our people. Additionally, Defence will become a more family-friendly employer, investing in spousal employment initiatives and spending £1.4Bn over the next decade on wraparound childcare.

Next Steps.  We will continue to keep you informed with any further significant updates and decisions as the planning develops over the coming months.

More information can be found by following this link: https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/events/future-soldier/ 

A MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER GENERAL – LIEUTENANT GENERAL PW JAQUES CB, CBE

Since its formation, the Corps has constantly changed and adapted to meet the evolving needs of the Army.  The recently published Integrated Review and the Command Papers that support it see the Army changing significantly to meet future challenges.  The detail of what this means for REME will be developed over the next few months.  We have a strategy that is already looking at the changes needed in our skills, training and career structures to best deliver engineering support on the battlefield.  On top of this, we are likely to see change in the way the REME is structured, both regular and reserve, and how we interface with industry.   Change always creates some uncertainty but as a Corps we are well placed and motivated as individuals, units and as an institution to help design, and then deliver, this change to ensure REME continues to keep the punch in the Army’s fist.  – Paul Jaques