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Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
 in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
.

UK military strategy had until this point been almost entirely focused on defending the UK against the Soviet military; whether the Royal Marines
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
 in Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 in West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
 or over the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
, the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea

The Norwegian Sea is part of the North Atlantic Ocean northwest of Norway, located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea.It adjoins the Iceland Sea to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast....
 and North Atlantic, or the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
 in Germany. With the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 and Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was an organization of communist states in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The treaty was signed in Warsaw, Poland on May 14, 1955 and official copies were made in Russian language, Polish language, Czech language and German language....
 these scenarios were no longer relevant.






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Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
 in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
.

UK military strategy had until this point been almost entirely focused on defending the UK against the Soviet military; whether the Royal Marines
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
 in Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 in West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
 or over the North Sea
North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
, the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea

The Norwegian Sea is part of the North Atlantic Ocean northwest of Norway, located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea.It adjoins the Iceland Sea to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast....
 and North Atlantic, or the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
 in Germany. With the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 and Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was an organization of communist states in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The treaty was signed in Warsaw, Poland on May 14, 1955 and official copies were made in Russian language, Polish language, Czech language and German language....
 these scenarios were no longer relevant. While criticised both before and after, it was an exercise mirrored by governments of almost every major western military power, the so called "peace dividend
Peace dividend

The peace dividend is a political slogan popularized by US President George H.W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the early 1990s, purporting to describe the economics benefit of a decrease in defense spending....
".

Among the changes implemented was the cutting total manpower by approximately 18% to around 255,000 (120,000 British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
; 60,000 Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
; 75,000 Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
). Another major casualty of options for change was the UK's combined nuclear civil defence organisations comprising of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation and its fieldforce the Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps

The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
 (a spare time volunteer branch of the RAF), both of which were wound down and disbanded between September 1991 and December 1995.

British Army

  • Halving the troop strength in Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     by replacing the British Army of the Rhine
    British Army of the Rhine

    There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after World War I, and the other after World War II....
     with British Forces Germany
    British Forces Germany

    British Forces Germany is the name for British service personnel and civilians based in Germany. Disbandment of the British Army of the Rhine and Royal Air Force Germany following the end of the Cold War reduced the personnel strength of the British Armed Forces in Germany by almost 30,000....
     in 1994.
  • Several British Army
    British Army

    The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
     regiments amalgamated:

Infantry

  • The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) - 1 battalion
    • The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)
      Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)

      The Queen's Own Highlanders , officially abbreviated "QOHldrs," was an infantry regiment in the Scottish Division of the British Army. It was formed on 7 February 1961 at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, with the amalgamation of 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders....
    • The Gordon Highlanders
      The Gordon Highlanders

      The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. The regiment took its name from the Clan Gordon and recruited principally from Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland....
  • The The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
    Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

    "PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division....
     - 2 battalions
    • The Queen's Regiment
      The Queen's Regiment

      The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division....
    • The Royal Hampshire Regiment
      Royal Hampshire Regiment

      The Royal Hampshire Regiment is a former British Army line infantry regiment who trace their origins back to 1702. In World War I it took part in the Battle of Gallipoli when engaged in the fatal Landing at Cape Helles of the 88th Brigade, 29th Division ....
  • The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
    Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

    The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of two English regiments....
     - 1 battalion
    • The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment
    • The Gloucestershire Regiment
      The Gloucestershire Regiment

      The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their Regimental colours than any other British Army Line infantry....
  • The Royal Gurkha Rifles
    Royal Gurkha Rifles

    The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Royal Gurkha Rifles are now the sole infantry regiment of the British Army Gurkhas....
     - 3 battalions (later reduced to two)
    • 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles
    • 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
    • 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
    • 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
  • The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) - 2 general service battalions (later reduced to one)
    • The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th)
      Royal Irish Rangers

      The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army....
    • The Ulster Defence Regiment
      Ulster Defence Regiment

      The Ulster Defence Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which became operational in 1970, formed on similar lines as other British reserve forces but with the operational task of "guarding key points and installations, to carry out patrols and to establish check points and road blocks" against "armed guerilla-type attacks"....
  • In addition, seven regiments each lost a battalion:
    • Grenadier Guards
      Grenadier Guards

      The Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry....
    • Coldstream Guards
      Coldstream Guards

      Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
    • Scots Guards
      Scots Guards

      The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland....
    • The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
      The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

      The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large regiment', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier regiments....
    • The Royal Anglian Regiment
    • The Light Infantry
      The Light Infantry

      The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
    • The Royal Green Jackets


In addition, the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers

The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II....
 into the Royal Scots Borderers
Royal Scots Borderers

The Royal Scots Borderers is the name given to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland . The battalion was formed in August 2006 by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers....
 (1 battalion) and the Cheshire Regiment
Cheshire Regiment

The Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and Volunteer Force of Cheshire....
 and Staffordshire Regiment into the Cheshire and Staffordshire Regiment (1 battalion) was announced, but suspended in 1994.

Cavalry

  • The Household Cavalry Regiment
    Household Cavalry Regiment

    The Household Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army, and is one of two regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry....
     (each retained regimental identity)
    • The Life Guards
      Life Guards (British Army)

      The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army. With the Blues and Royals they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of horse guards raised by Charles II of England around the time of his English Restoration, plus two troops of horse grenadier guards which were raised some years later....
    • The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)
      Blues and Royals

      The Blues and Royals is a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.The Colonel-in-Chief is Majesty Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Colonel is Her Royal Highness The Anne, Princess Royal....
  • The King's Royal Hussars
    King's Royal Hussars

    The King's Royal Hussars is a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and was formed on 4 December 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments:...
    • The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)
    • 14th/20th King's Hussars
      14th/20th King's Hussars

      The 14th/20th King's Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992....
  • The Light Dragoons
    • 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)
      13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)

      The 13th/18th Royal Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army....
    • 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
      15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars

      The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army. It was created as part of the reduction in the cavalry in the aftermath of World War I....
  • The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
    • The Queen's Own Hussars
    • The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
  • The Queen's Royal Lancers
    • 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers
    • 17th/21st Lancers
      17th/21st Lancers

      The 17th/21st Lancers was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.It was formed in 1922 in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers ....
  • The Royal Dragoon Guards
    Royal Dragoon Guards

    The Royal Dragoon Guards is a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments:...
    • 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
      4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards

      The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army from 1922 to 1992.It was formed in India in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and 7th Dragoon Guards , as the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards; it gained the distinction Royal in 1935....
    • 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
      5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards

      The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army of the British Army in existence from 1922 to 1992, when it was amalgmated into the Royal Dragoon Guards....


Services

  • Royal Logistic Corps
    Royal Logistic Corps

    The Royal Logistic Corps is the British Army corps that provides the logistics for the Army. It is the largest corps in the British Army....
    • Royal Corps of Transport
      Royal Corps of Transport

      The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army corps formed in 1965 from the transport and movement control elements of the Royal Logistic Corps and the Royal Engineers....
    • Royal Army Ordnance Corps
      Royal Army Ordnance Corps

      The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a former corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service Corps....
    • Royal Pioneer Corps
      Royal Pioneer Corps

      The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks.The Royal Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939 as the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps....
    • Army Catering Corps
      Army Catering Corps

      The Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
    • Postal and Courier Service, Royal Engineers
      Royal Engineers

      The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....


  • Adjutant General's Corps
    Adjutant General's Corps

    The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services. As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 people....
    • Royal Army Educational Corps
      Royal Army Educational Corps

      The Royal Army Educational Corps was a corps of the British Army tasked with educating and instructing personnel in a diverse range of skills. On 6 April 1992 it became the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps....
    • Royal Army Pay Corps
      Royal Army Pay Corps

      The Royal Army Pay Corps was a former corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992....
    • Women's Royal Army Corps
      Women's Royal Army Corps

      The Women's Royal Army Corps was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains and nurses belonged from 1949 to 1992....
    • Army Legal Corps
    • Corps of Royal Military Police
      Royal Military Police

      The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises....
    • Military Provost Staff Corps
      Military Provost Staff Corps

      The Military Provost Staff Corps was the corps of the British Army which ran its military prisons. As the Military Provost Staff , the corps is now administratively part of the Adjutant General's Corps....


Royal Air Force

  • Halving the number of RAF
    Royal Air Force

    The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
     bases in Germany to two
  • Withdrawing the F-4 Phantom II
    F-4 Phantom II

    The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic interceptor jet fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft....
     squadrons from service
  • Cancellation of the Brimstone missile
    Brimstone missile

    Brimstone is an advanced air-launched anti-tank guided missile developed by MBDA....
    , although it was later reinstated.


Royal Navy

  • Cutting the number of frigate
    Frigate

    A frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 18th century, the term referred to ships which were as long as a ship-of-the-line and were square rig on all three masts , but were faster and with lighter armament, used for patrolling and escort....
    s and destroyer
    Destroyer

    In navy terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers ....
    s from around 50 to 40.


On television

A fictionalised portrayal of the effects of Options for Change on the ordinary men and women serving in the armed forces came in the ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 drama series Soldier Soldier
Soldier Soldier

Soldier Soldier was a United Kingdom television drama series. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name.Produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 1991 to 1997....
. In this, the fictional infantry regiment portrayed in the series, the King's Fusiliers, was one of those selected for amalgamation. The series showed the whole process of negotiation regarding traditions, embellishments, etc. between the two regiments involved, and of the uncertainty that many of those serving felt for their jobs in the light of two separate battalions merging into one, with the resulting loss of manpower.

See also

  • List of British Army regiments (1994)
    List of British Army regiments (1994)

    This is a list of British Regular Army regiments in the aftermath of the defence cuts of the Options for Change defence white paper in 1991....
     - British Army regiments after the defence cuts.
  • Front Line First
    Front Line First

    Front Line First: The Defence Cost Study was a programme of defence cuts announced on 1994-07-14 by then Secretary of State for Defence Malcolm Rifkind....
     (1994)
  • Strategic Defence Review
    Strategic Defence Review

    The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the British Labour Party Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United Ki...
     (1998)
  • Delivering Security in a Changing World:Future Capabilities
    Delivering Security in a Changing World

    The 2003 Defence white paper, entitled Delivering Security in a Changing World set out the future structure of the Military of the United Kingdom, and was preceded by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks....
     (2004)