Project Avanti

Thursday 10th November 2011 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (Nick Harvey)]

On 29 June 2010, the Minister responsible for defence personnel, welfare and veterans established a project team to identify and implement the most cost-effective organisational structure for the Army’s regional structure. The strategic defence and security review White Paper¹ (SDSR) directed that the four Army regional divisional headquarters would be replaced by a single support command and that at least two of the 10 regional brigade headquarters would close. This capitalised on earlier work which concluded that the rationalisation of the regional structure would principally increase effectiveness with the added benefit of saving resources.

On 18 July 2011, the then Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House— Official Report, columns 66-70WS—that in accordance with SDSR direction it was proposed that the Army’s four regional divisional headquarters² would be replaced by a single support command. The new formation, commanded by a major-general, would be known as Headquarters Support Command and it would be based in Aldershot. He said that its creation would lead to the disbandment of Headquarters 2nd Division at Edinburgh, Headquarters 4th Division at Aldershot and Headquarters 5th Division at Shrewsbury in 2012. Savings at the regional brigade level would be made through structural changes to each of the 10 regional brigade headquarters and to HQ London District, together with their supporting structures rather than by closing individual brigade headquarters.

Today I am announcing that consultation on those proposals has concluded and I have endorsed the approval given by the Army investment board to implement the restructuring of the Army’s regional structure. Formal consultation will now commence with the trade unions on the implementation and we plan to begin to stand up the new support command headquarters at the beginning of January 2012 when we shall disband HQ 4th Division. The headquarters of 2nd and 5th Divisions will disband by the beginning of April 2012 although tasks will continue to be carried out in Edinburgh and Shrewsbury until the end of August 2012 when we expect HQ Support Command to achieve full operating capability. The 10 regional brigade headquarters and HQ London District will also move towards their new structures from January 2012 and we expect the new structures in these organisations to be achieved by 31 March 2013.

I have written to colleagues who have the headquarters of the regional divisions or brigades within their constituencies and the adjutant-general has written to other key external stakeholders to apprise them of these developments. The project team will continue to engage with all other interested parties, especially those personnel who are affected by these changes.

¹Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review—Cm 7948 dated 19 October 2010.

²In addition to HQ 2nd Division in Edinburgh, HQ 4th Division in Aldershot and HQ 5th Division in Shrewsbury, the 4th regional division is HQ UKSC in Germany. The drawdown of HQ UKSC is being addressed under the Borona programme.