§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the speech of Lord Burlison on 13 February 2001 (HL Deb, col. 234) that "there is no intention further to restructure the Reserve Forces", whether any parts of the study known as Strategy for the Army (SFTA) cover the Territorial Army; if so, when the project was initiated; and what is its purpose. [HL3186]
§ Lord BachThe Strategy for the Army was made available to defence spokespersons and placed in the Libraries of both Houses in March last year. The aim was to develop a strategy for the Army which would consider the likely strategic environment in which it might be required to operate during the next 12 years independently, as part of joint operations, or as part of an alliance or coalition. A programme of work is currently under way, taking forward the themes of the Strategy for the Army. This includes looking at ways of increasing the contribution the TA makes to our defence plans within its existing establishment.
In parallel, work on a new chapter of the Strategic Defence Review, following the 11 September attacks, is exploring the role that the Armed Forces, including the reserves, have in defending and protecting the United Kingdom.