Force Troops Command was a combat support and combat service support command 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 ...

. Its headquarters was at Upavon, Wiltshire. It was formed in 2013 as a re-designation of the previous Headquarters Theatre Troops. Force Troops Command was renamed as 6th (United Kingdom) Division in August 2019.

History

Previously, General Officer Commanding, Theatre Troops was a senior

officer responsible for the provision of Combat Support and Combat Service Support operations worldwide in support of the UK's Defence Strategy. On formation in 2003 it included 1st Artillery Brigade; 7th Air Defence Brigade; Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) HQ RE Theatre Troops with 12th and 29th Engineer Brigades; 1st, 2nd, and 11th Signal Brigades; and two logistic brigades 102 Logistic Brigade in Germany and 101 Logistic Brigade in the United Kingdom which contained logistic units to support the two deployable divisions ( 1st Armoured Division in Germany and 3rd Mechanised Division in the United Kingdom). 104th Logistic Support Brigade with the specialist units needed to deploy a force overseas such as pioneers, movements and port units was also part of Theatre Troops. The final two components were 2 Medical Brigade and Commander, Equipment Support. Theatre Troops became Force Troops Command under

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 ...

in 2013 and reached Full Operating Capability (FOC) on 1 April 2014. 101 or 102 Logistic Brigades subsequently left Force Troops Command. The Joint Ground-Based Air Defence Command, which was jointly controlled by

RAF Air Command Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshi ...

, was replaced by 7 Air Defence Group on 1 April 2019. Force Troops Command was renamed as 6th (United Kingdom) Division on 1 August 2019, with sub-units consisting of 1st Signal Brigade, 11th Signal Brigade, 1st Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade, 77th Brigade and the Specialised Infantry Group. It will sit alongside restructured 1st UK Division and 3rd UK Division.

Structure

Formation

Largest

Force Troops Command comprised nine ‘functional’ brigades. The various units included: The Intelligence and Surveillance Brigade which provided integrated intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, drawing specifically on lessons from Afghanistan. 1st Artillery Brigade delivered both close support artillery and precision fires, as well as leading Air-Land Integration. 8 Engineer Brigade commanded the close support engineer units, as well as Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search, Force Support and Infrastructure Groups. The 77th Brigade was involved in conflict prevention and stabilisation through the projection of soft power.Major-General Tim Radford, 'Troops at the ready,' The British Army 2014, p.118-119 UK Army Force Troops 2018

Commanders

Commanders have included:Army Commands

General Officer Commanding, Theatre Troops *2001–2004 Major General James Shaw *2004–2006 Major General Tim Cross *2006–2008 Major General Hamish Rollo *2008–2011 Major General Bruce Brealey *2011–2013 Major General Shaun Burley General Officer Commanding, Force Troops Command *2013–2015 Major General Tim Radford *2015–2017 Major General

Tyrone Urch Lieutenant General Sir Tyrone Richard Urch, (born 12 June 1965) is a former senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding, Force Troops Command and later Commander, Home Command. Early life and education Urch was born ...

*2017–2019 Major General Tom Copinger-Symes *July 2019–August 2019 Major General James Bowder

Footnotes

References

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External links

6th (United Kingdom) Division
{{British Army Divisions Commands of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2013 Organisations based in Wiltshire Army 2020 Military units and formations disestablished in 2019