The Cyber and Electro Magnetic Activities Effects Group (CEMA Effects Group) is a combat support formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

formed in 2024. The group brings together three specialist regiments of the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

under Commander Field Army.

History

As part of the

Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...

and subsequently

Army 2020 Refine Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army in the mid-to-late 2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. As its name suggests, it was a "refinement" of Army 2020, an early 2010s reorganisa ...

programmes, the 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) under control of the

1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade The Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is a formation of the British Army that commands the Army's miniature UAS, tactical UAS, counter-intelligence and reach back intelligence capabilities, the Specialist Group Military Intell ...

(6th (UK) Division), while the 13th Signal Regiment was formed in June 2020 under 1st (UK) Signal Brigade (6th (UK) Division) as the first dedicated cyber unit. The last regiment, 21st Signal Regiment was under

7th Signal Group 7th Signal Group (7 Sig Gp) is a military communications formation of the British Army, British Army's Royal Corps of Signals, currently subordinated to 3 (UK) Division, 3rd (UK) Division. The group oversees the close-support signal units of the c ...

, part of

11th Signal Brigade and Headquarters West Midlands The 11th Signal and West Midlands Brigade was a signal formation of the British Army's 3rd UK Division. By November 2024, it had been disbanded, with its sub-units resubordinated. History The brigade was formed as 11th Signal Group in Liverpool ...

(1st (UK) Division, later 3rd (UK) Division). However, under the Future Soldier programme, these three units will be grouped together into a new Colonel's command (Group) and become the "Cyber and Electro Magnetic Activities Effects Group". The group will, alongside 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group The Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is a formation of the British Army that commands the Army's miniature UAS, tactical UAS, counter-intelligence and reach back intelligence capabilities, the Specialist Group Military Intell ...

2nd Medical Group 2nd Medical Group (2 Med Gp) is a formation of the British Army under Field Army Troops. It predominantly provides deployed hospital care via 11 Multi-Role Medical Regiments. It also provides specialist medical capabilities via three Nationally R ...

, and the Land Warfare Centre be part of

Field Army Troops Field Army Troops is a formation of the British Army under direct control of Field Army (United Kingdom), Headquarters, Field Army. Its purpose is to "centrally command high-demand, low-volume capabilities." 2019 reorganisation In 2019, under ...

, a sub-command of the Field Army which is under direct control of Field Army HQ. The group's role was described as follows "The Cyber and Electro Magnetic Activities (CEMA) Effects Group will command the Army's two Electronic Warfare and

Signals Intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

(EWSI) regiments; 14th and 21st Signals Regiments, and the cyber regiment, 13th Signals Regiment; delivering cutting edge technical capability to the point of need".

Structure

The structure of the group by 2030 will be as follows: * Group Headquarters, at

Marlborough Lines Marlborough Lines is a British Army installation on the former site of RAF Andover in Hampshire, England. The site is the location of Army Headquarters, the most senior headquarters in the British Army, led by the Chief of the General Staff, a ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

** 13th Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at

Basil Hill Barracks Basil (, ; , ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' (, )), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variet ...

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the southwestern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 road (England), A4 national route. It is southwest of Swindon, east of ...

– cyber operations ** 14th Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at

Imjin Barracks Imjin Barracks is a British Army installation situated near Innsworth in Gloucestershire, that is home to the headquarters of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). History Imjin Barracks is located at the site of the former RAF Innsworth, ...

Innsworth Innsworth is a village near Gloucester, and a civil parish in the borough of Tewkesbury, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The parish population taken at the 2011 census was 2,468. It contains Imjin Barracks, the home of Allied R ...

– electronic warfare operations ** 21st Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at Colerne Station, Chippenham – electronic warfare operations

Footnotes

Group sized units of the British Army Communications units and formations of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2022 {{UK-mil-unit-stub