Black Watch Comrades Print A Dying Soldier of the Black Watch is supported by his comrade, while another stands to protect them, as the ranks of the Highlanders march on, after the battles at Sebastopol during the Crimean war.

CAPT H, keeping an eye on the Anglosphere for me. He's a one man intel section, reading the Brit papers and providing intel summaries for me. More of you should do that - especially an Aussie and someone in India. As I've noted before... still taking applications for a spy in the Naval establishment to further expand our Jointness, though I do have my eye on someone.

Anyway - it's tough to transform an Army with the history of the British Army, as Defence Secretary Hoon is finding. Especially when that reorganization touches the Regimental System.

Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, has announced a major reorganisation of the Army, cutting the number of battalions by four to 36. Geoff Hoon: review will create 'agile, flexible' Army He told MPs that the review will see the Black Watch, which has recently returned from a controversial tour of duty near Baghdad, become part of a new "super" Royal Regiment of Scotland with four other Scottish battalions.

Mr Hoon said the changes were needed to create "larger, multi-battalion" regiments which would see a reduction in heavy armour and artillery as the infantry becomes more specialised.

The Army would become more "agile and flexible", he said.

The whole story is here.

While it looks like much of what they are trying to accomplish is similar to what we are doing (which, in simplistic terms - very simplistic - is create Brigades which have the range of capabilities of current Divisions (though not the mass) and in so doing need to restructure their battalions. What's the big deal? When you have an Army with the age and heritage of the British Army, that has already been pared over the recent decades as theirs has - there's nothing left but famous regiments (which in the Brit structure are really analgous to US battalions). And in this go-round, the Black Watch is on the amalgamation block. And that has raised some hackles and brought out the veterans!

The US Army has similar pains when we reorganize, but with the active force, it's mainly a tension within the Army and the retiree/veteran population... because the United States Army (the Regulars) are recruited nationally. It's the Army of the United States and the National Guard of the United States, the Reserve Components that recruit regionally, and have strong local affiliations and political clout (though the Reserve doesn't have near the clout the Guard does).

How did that manifest itself in Britain? Annabelle Ewing, of the Scottish National Party expressed her displeasure like this:

She told Mr Hoon: "I am amazed at the gall of the Defence Secretary as the Black Watch have just returned home from the front line in Iraq where they were sent because they were indispensable to the Army.

"Why then are the Black Watch not indispensable to this Government?

"Surely it's a massive betrayal of our brave soldiers whose bravery can be contrasted with the Defence Secretary who is nothing but a backstabbing coward."

Whew! I don't think the most anti-war Dem in Congress has gotten quite that explicit about Rumsfeld! (Lemme know if I'm wrong). Sure, bloggers like Kos have, but not seated politicos... Backstabbing coward, strong words Annabelle!

The whole article is available here.