The Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC) is a two-star 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 ...

and "is responsible for all recruiting, selection, and basic training of soldiers and the recruitment and selection of officers".

History

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 ...

was the name given to the restructuring of the

, in light of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. On 1 April 2018, the Army Recruiting and Training Division was disbanded. Before this date, the division (a major-general's command) was tasked with everything from recruiting to initial training to second-level training. The division at this time also controlled the Land Warfare Centre. However, following the Army 2020 Refine, the division was disestablished with the recruiting and initial training given to the new 'Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command', while the second-level and further training given to the Land Warfare Centre. The latter of which is now under direct control of

Commander Field Army The Field Army is a command of the British Army responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations. Commander Field Army reports to the Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the General Staff. ...

. Since its formation, the command has been under control of

Home Command A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

Structure

Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command was established on 1 April 2018. The Commander of this formation is a 2-star Major General.British Army, ''Information regarding the new Army Recruit and Training Command''. Ministry of Defence Email. Retrieved 13 November 2021 * Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, at Trenchard Lines, Upavon ** Director General, Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, a Major General *** Commandant, School of Infantry *** Commandant, Initial Training Group *** Commandant, Royal School of Military Engineering *** Director Recruit Training (Operations) *** Director Recruit Training (Support) *** Director Training (Army) ** Defence College of Logistics and Personnel Administration'''' ** Army Adventurous Training Group (Army) ** Initial Training Group, at Trenchard Lines, Upavon – commanded by a brigadier ***

Army Foundation College The Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, England, is the sole initial military training unit for British Army recruits who enlist aged between 16 and 17.5 years. AFC delivers two 'Phase 1' initial training courses: the 'long course' ...

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

*** Army School of Physical Training *** Army Recruiting and Initial Training Centre Staff Leadership School *** Army Training Centre,

Pirbright Pirbright () is a village in Surrey, England. Pirbright is in the Guildford (borough), borough of Guildford and has a civil parish council covering the traditional boundaries of the area. Pirbright contains one buffered sub-locality, Stanford ...

***

Army Training Regiment An army training regiment (ATR) provides Basic Phase 1 Training for all elements of the British Army, except the infantry. There are currently four army training regiments. Regiments and sub-units *1st Army Training Regiment (1 ATR) located at ...

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

*** Army Training Regiment,

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

*** Army Training Unit North, at Queen Elizabeth Barracks,

Strensall Strensall is a village in the Strensall with Towthorpe civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss north of York and north-east of Haxby. In 2001 the parish had a population of 3,81 ...

*** Army Training Unit Northern Ireland, at

Abercorn Barracks Abercorn Barracks, sometimes referred to as Ballykinlar Barracks or Ballykinler Barracks, is a former military base in Ballykinler in County Down, Northern Ireland. The surrounding training area is retained by the Ministry of Defence. Early hist ...

Ballykinler Ballykinler (), often transcribed as Ballykinlar, is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the United King ...

*** Army Training Unit Scotland, at

Redford Barracks Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks is a military installation located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. The barracks are set to close in 2029. History Redford Barrac ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

*** Army Training Unit West, at

Maindy Barracks Maindy Barracks is a military installation in the Cathays district of Cardiff in Wales. History Maindy Barracks opened in 1877. Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisation of British military force ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

**** Detachment, at

Wyvern Barracks Wyvern Barracks is a military installation on Topsham Road in Exeter. History The site was established as an artillery barracks for the Board of Ordnance under the name of Topsham Barracks around 1800. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

** Army Recruiting Group'''' *** Outreach Team South West, at

School of Infantry A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. Franc ...

, at Vimy Barracks,

Catterick Garrison Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and List of modern military towns, military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 14 ...

'''' *** Infantry Training Centre, at Helles Barracks, Catterick Garrison **** 1st Infantry Training Battalion **** 2nd Infantry Training Battalion **** Infantry Training Centre Support Battalion ***** Army School of Ceremonial *****

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, at

***** 400 Troop,

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

**** Parachute Training Support Unit (PTSU), at

RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...

**** Pegasus Company ***

Infantry Battle School The Infantry Battle School, Brecon is a British Army training establishment at Dering Lines in Brecon, Wales. History The Infantry Battle School was established at Brecon in 1939, at the start of the Second World War. The Parachute Regiment form ...

, at Dering Lines, Brecon **** Gurkha Company (Mandalay) *** Specialist Weapons School, at Waterloo Lines, Warminster Garrison **

Royal School of Military Engineering The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) Group provides a wide range of training for the British Army and Defence. This includes; Combat Engineers, Carpenters, Chartered Engineers, Musicians, Band Masters, Sniffer Dogs, Veterinary Techni ...

, at Brompton Barracks, Chatham Station'''' *** 1st Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Royal Engineers *** 3rd Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Royal Engineers, at Gibraltar Barracks,

Minley Minley is a slightly depopulated rural, well-wooded village in the Hart District of Hampshire, England. It has the only church of the C of E ecclesiastical parish of Minley and is in the civil parish of Blackwater and Hawley. It straddles on the ...

*** Professional Engineer Wing *** Royal Engineer Warfare Wing, at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley *** Defence Animal Training Regiment,

Royal Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and c ...

, at the Defence Animal Training Centre,

Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a market town in the Borough of Melton, Melton district in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, Leicestershire, River Eye, known below Melton as the Rive ...

*** Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search Training Regiment, at MoD Bicester,

Bicester Bicester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, north-west of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre � ...

***

Royal Military School of Music The Royal Military School of Music (RMSM) trains musicians for the British Army's fourteen regular bands, as part of the Royal Corps of Army Music. For more than a century and a half, from 1857 until August 2021, the school was based at Knell ...

, at

Kneller Hall Kneller Hall is a Grade II listed mansion in Whitton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It housed the Royal Military School of Music, training musicians for the British Army, which acquired the building in the mid-19th century. ...

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

***

Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre The Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre (the Defence CBRN Centre or DCBRNC for short) is a United Kingdom military facility at Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire, south of Porton Down and about north-east of Salisbury ...

, in

Winterbourne Gunner Winterbourne Gunner is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Winterbourne, in Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Salisbury. The village is near the River Bourne and the A338 road, and is close to Winterbourne Dauntsey. ...

Commanders

Commanders have been: * Major-General Paul Nanson (2018–2020) * Major-General

Sharon Nesmith General Dame Sharon Patricia Moffat Nesmith, ( Moffat; born June 1970) is a senior British Army officer. She has been Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since June 2024, having served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff from August 2022 to May ...

(2021–2022){{cite web, url=https://www.forces.net/news/female-british-army-officer-command-two-star-level-first-time, title=First Female Army Officer To Command At Two-Star Level Appointed, date=6 January 2021, publisher=Forces.net, access-date=7 January 2021 * Major-General Thomas Bewick (2022–present)

Footnotes

Military units and formations established in 2018 Commands of the British Army Training establishments of the British Army Army training units and formations