Spearhead Land Element
Encyclopedia
The Spearhead Lead Element (SLE), sometimes referred to as the Spearhead Land Element, is the principal high-readiness component of the British Armed Forces
under the operational control of the Permanent Joint Headquarters
. It is typically a battle group formed around a light infantry
battalion
, or Commando, with force elements from other arms allocated.
The SLE is oriented towards low and medium-intensity operations such as regional security, disaster-relief or non-combatant evacuation.
The SLE is nominated for a six month period, avoid burnout and maintenance of capability.
levels required of a Spearhead battalion is not easy. Equipment and supplies can be kept up to the necessary establishment relatively simply but the readiness of the soldiers, individually and collectively, inevitably declines unless active measures are taken to maintain it. The value of collective training
diminishes over time, individual skills fade rapidly if not practised continually and administrative matters, such as passport
s, vaccination
s and Next of Kin
documentation, require constant refreshment (including keeping up with the constant inflow and outflow of personnel). A number of measures are taken to mitigate this potential ‘readinessfade’, as battalions are unlikely to participate in a high-value overseas training exercise more often than once every 2 – 21/2 years. Sub-unit exercises are run throughout the period of the Spearhead commitment, a Combined Arms Staff Trainer exercise is conducted to train and test the battalion headquarters staff and weekly company training programmes are scrutinised by the Battalion Headquarters to ensure meaningful, focussed training is undertaken on a regular basis. Finally, the Lead Company role is rotated between companies every month. This enables the Battalion Headquarters to ‘call-out’ the Lead Company, thus regularly auditing the companies’ (and the battalion headquarters’) abilities to deploy in the required timeline
s and with the correct equipment and documentation.
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
under the operational control of the Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
. It is typically a battle group formed around a light infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, or Commando, with force elements from other arms allocated.
The SLE is oriented towards low and medium-intensity operations such as regional security, disaster-relief or non-combatant evacuation.
Deployment
Initial force elements required to deploy from the base location within 24 hours are the Headquarters company, high-readiness company and associated logistic enablers. The remaining force will be required to deploy within 48 hours.The SLE is nominated for a six month period, avoid burnout and maintenance of capability.
Maintaining readiness
Maintaining the highest readinessCombat readiness
Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistently with the purpose for which they are organised or...
levels required of a Spearhead battalion is not easy. Equipment and supplies can be kept up to the necessary establishment relatively simply but the readiness of the soldiers, individually and collectively, inevitably declines unless active measures are taken to maintain it. The value of collective training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
diminishes over time, individual skills fade rapidly if not practised continually and administrative matters, such as passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s, vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
s and Next of Kin
Next of Kin
Next of Kin could refer to;*Next of kin, a term used to describe blood relatives*Next of Kin , a 1995 to 1997 British sitcom with Penelope Keith*The Next of Kin, a 1942 British film often called Next of Kin...
documentation, require constant refreshment (including keeping up with the constant inflow and outflow of personnel). A number of measures are taken to mitigate this potential ‘readinessfade’, as battalions are unlikely to participate in a high-value overseas training exercise more often than once every 2 – 21/2 years. Sub-unit exercises are run throughout the period of the Spearhead commitment, a Combined Arms Staff Trainer exercise is conducted to train and test the battalion headquarters staff and weekly company training programmes are scrutinised by the Battalion Headquarters to ensure meaningful, focussed training is undertaken on a regular basis. Finally, the Lead Company role is rotated between companies every month. This enables the Battalion Headquarters to ‘call-out’ the Lead Company, thus regularly auditing the companies’ (and the battalion headquarters’) abilities to deploy in the required timeline
Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
s and with the correct equipment and documentation.
Partial list of nominated SLE battalions
- 2009 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment
- 2009 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
- 2008 3rd Battalion, The RiflesThe RiflesThe Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
- 2006 2nd Battalion, The Light InfantryThe Light InfantryThe 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:...
- 2005 1st Battalion Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire RegimentRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire RegimentThe Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of two English regiments.*The Gloucestershire Regiment...
- 2003 42 Commando42 Commando42 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines and a subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
, Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service... - 2003 1st Battalion, Royal Green JacketsRoyal Green JacketsThe Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
Spearhead in popular culture
- SpearheadSpearhead (TV series)Spearhead is a British television series. Produced by Southern Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of three series and 19 episodes from 1978 to 1981. It featured the daily lives of a group of soldiers in 'B' Company, 1st Battalion Royal Wessex Rangers, a fictional...
- British television drama series 1978-1981