UK land force to be culled under Army 2020

A major restructuring of the British Army is to result in 17 battalion-sized units being disbanded or converted into reserve units.

UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced on 5 July that units drawn from across the army's combat and support branches would be drawn down over the next three years as part of the efforts to reduce the Regular Army headcount to "around 82,000" from its current strength of 102,000. In total, the British Army is set to lose 23 major and minor units from across its ranks.

The most high-profile elements of the plans will be the effective disbandment of the five frontline infantry battalions. The 2nd Battalion (Light Role Infantry) of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (2 Yorks, the Green Howards), the 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment (3 Mercian, formerly The Staffordshire Regiment) and the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh (2 Royal Welsh) are all to be disbanded. Meanwhile, the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 Scots, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) is to lose its combat role and be reduced to a public duties company for ceremonial parades in Scotland.