The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of British Armed Forces. As of 2018, the British Army comprises just over 81,500 trained regular (full-time) personnel and just over 27,000 trained reserve (part-time) personnel.[6]
The modern British Army traces back to 1707, with an antecedent in the English Army that was created during the Restoration in 1660. The term British Army was adopted in 1707 after the Acts of Union between England and Scotland.[7][8] Although all members of the British Army are expected to swear (or affirm) allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief,[9] the Bill of Rights of 1689 requires parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army.[10] Therefore, Parliament approves the army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff.[11]
The British Army has seen action in major wars between the world’s great powers, including the Seven Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars. Britain’s victories in these decisive wars allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of the world’s leading military and economic powers.[12][13] Since the end of the Cold War, the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force, a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.
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