Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to join our community
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site, connect with other members through your own private inbox and will receive smaller adverts!

Homeland Defence Force moves a step closer

But what exactly is a "TA Signals Brigade"?



31/10/02
Rapid-response reserve force will fight terrorists
Details of a new network of reserve forces to provide a quick response to
any major terrorist attack against Britain were given to MPs by the
Government yesterday.  The 500-strong Civil Contingency Reaction Forces
(CCRF) will be made up of reservists from all three services, Adam Ingram,
the Armed Forces minister said.  New teams would also be added to military
headquarters to provide planning and liaison - becoming part of a
round-the-clock command structure in the event of an attack or any other
major incident.  An existing Territorial Army signal brigade would also be
provided with new radio equipment compatible with the emergency services to
aid communication.  The new home defence measures - part of the Government's
response to the September 11 attacks on the United States - will mean an
extra 700 volunteer reserve posts.  Volunteers joining the CCRFs will get an
extra five days of training a year, with another two added to all
reservists' schedules to deal with the new role.
Bruce George (Lab, Walsall South), who chairs the defence select committee,
warned of the consequences if Britain were attacked when firefighters were
on strike.
"The whole system will be called into question if that attack succeeds," he
said. "I hope to God an attack doesn't take place in a day when one of the
three emergency services is not fully operational because the consequences
will be truly horrendous and fingers would be pointed in many directions."
Keith Simpson, a Tory defence spokesman, spoke of the shortfall in manpower
in all three forces and said the Army was its own worst enemy when it came
to overstretch.
He said: "They often say that they have shortages of manpower, that they
haven't got the right equipment and then they go on and carry out Government
policy, they deliver on it and I suspect that the Treasury then says, 'there
you are, the armed forces were crying wolf because they delivered'."
Julia Drown (Lab, S Swindon) urged the Government to think again about its
ethical foreign policy and arms exports. She said: "The truth is that the UK
is a massive exporter of arms. That means our threshold for friends has to
be very low.
"We are friends of India and Pakistan but there are serious questions over
selling weapons to them, given the dispute over Kashmir."
Ian Liddel-Grainger (C, Bridgwater), a former Territorial Army officer,
urged the Government to use the TA as a defence force. He said: "The
Territorial Army has a unique ability to be a local defence force. It knows
its area."
* Later Mr Ingram urged the media to adopt a "measure of responsibility" in
reporting of the investigation into a series of deaths at Deepcut barracks
in Surrey.
 

New posts

Top