Britain: An official handbook > 1966
(133)
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Service
Management
Service
Organisation
DEFENCE I!3
for the co-ordination of politico-strategic policy other than day to day opera¬
tions; the Minister for the Royal Navy co-ordinates personnel matters and
logistics and deals with problems of administrative rationalisation; and the
Minister for the Royal Air Force co-ordinates research, development and
production, and the defence budget as a whole.
Command and administration of the armed forces is vested in the Defence
Council, under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State. The members of
the Defence Council are the three Ministers of Defence, the Chief of the
Defence Staff and the Chiefs of Staff, the Chief Scientific Adviser and the
Permanent Under-Secretary of State. The Defence Council deals mainly with
major defence policy.
The principal military advisers to the Government are the members of the
Chiefs of Staff Committee, which comprises the Chief of the Defence Staff
as chairman and the Chiefs of Staff of the three Services. The Committee is
responsible to the Government for professional advice on strategy and military
operations and on the military implications of defence policy.
The Minister of Defence and the Chiefs of Staff are advised by the Defence
Research Policy Committee on all scientific and technical matters which may
affect the formulation and direction of defence policy. The Committee also
keeps under review the defence research and development programme. Its
members are government officials responsible for the operational and scien¬
tific aspects of research and their development for defence purposes.
The management of the three Services is delegated to Admiralty, Army and
Air Force Boards of the Defence Council, of each of which the Secretary of
State is chairman, although the appropriate Minister of Defence normally acts
for him. The Boards each have three additional civilian members from their
respective Departments (the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Defence, a junior minister, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State,
a civil servant who is secretary of the Board, and the Chief Scientist) and
six (Admiralty and Army Boards) or five (Air Force Board) Service members,
each in charge of a separate branch of administration.
Unified control of policy and management has made possible further
rationalisation of Service administration and operation. Rationalisation of
air power is under consideration and the whole structure of defence organisa¬
tion, both in the Commands and in the Ministry of Defence, is being
re-examined.
The Royal Navy has nine specialist branches: Seaman, Communications,
Engineering, Fleet Air Arm, Electrical, Supply and Secretariat, Medical,
Artificers and the Regulating Branch.
The Corps of the Royal Marines, which is part of the Royal Navy, is a body
of men trained for service on sea or land. Its official existence dates from
1664. The present-day functions of the corps are: to provide personnel for
Commandos; to provide crews for minor landing craft and certain other
parties required for amphibious assault; and to supply for H.M. ships
detachments which take part in the routine duties, including guard duty, and
provide emergency landing parties.
The Army is organised into some 30 arms and services1 which include the
Household Cavalry, the Royal Armoured Corps (the historic Cavalry Regi¬
ments and the Royal Tank Regiment), the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the
1 These arms and services include the women’s corps.
Management
Service
Organisation
DEFENCE I!3
for the co-ordination of politico-strategic policy other than day to day opera¬
tions; the Minister for the Royal Navy co-ordinates personnel matters and
logistics and deals with problems of administrative rationalisation; and the
Minister for the Royal Air Force co-ordinates research, development and
production, and the defence budget as a whole.
Command and administration of the armed forces is vested in the Defence
Council, under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State. The members of
the Defence Council are the three Ministers of Defence, the Chief of the
Defence Staff and the Chiefs of Staff, the Chief Scientific Adviser and the
Permanent Under-Secretary of State. The Defence Council deals mainly with
major defence policy.
The principal military advisers to the Government are the members of the
Chiefs of Staff Committee, which comprises the Chief of the Defence Staff
as chairman and the Chiefs of Staff of the three Services. The Committee is
responsible to the Government for professional advice on strategy and military
operations and on the military implications of defence policy.
The Minister of Defence and the Chiefs of Staff are advised by the Defence
Research Policy Committee on all scientific and technical matters which may
affect the formulation and direction of defence policy. The Committee also
keeps under review the defence research and development programme. Its
members are government officials responsible for the operational and scien¬
tific aspects of research and their development for defence purposes.
The management of the three Services is delegated to Admiralty, Army and
Air Force Boards of the Defence Council, of each of which the Secretary of
State is chairman, although the appropriate Minister of Defence normally acts
for him. The Boards each have three additional civilian members from their
respective Departments (the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Defence, a junior minister, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State,
a civil servant who is secretary of the Board, and the Chief Scientist) and
six (Admiralty and Army Boards) or five (Air Force Board) Service members,
each in charge of a separate branch of administration.
Unified control of policy and management has made possible further
rationalisation of Service administration and operation. Rationalisation of
air power is under consideration and the whole structure of defence organisa¬
tion, both in the Commands and in the Ministry of Defence, is being
re-examined.
The Royal Navy has nine specialist branches: Seaman, Communications,
Engineering, Fleet Air Arm, Electrical, Supply and Secretariat, Medical,
Artificers and the Regulating Branch.
The Corps of the Royal Marines, which is part of the Royal Navy, is a body
of men trained for service on sea or land. Its official existence dates from
1664. The present-day functions of the corps are: to provide personnel for
Commandos; to provide crews for minor landing craft and certain other
parties required for amphibious assault; and to supply for H.M. ships
detachments which take part in the routine duties, including guard duty, and
provide emergency landing parties.
The Army is organised into some 30 arms and services1 which include the
Household Cavalry, the Royal Armoured Corps (the historic Cavalry Regi¬
ments and the Royal Tank Regiment), the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the
1 These arms and services include the women’s corps.
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| Britain and UK handbooks > Britain: An official handbook > 1966 > (133) |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/204629128 |
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| Description | 'Britain: An official handbook' was produced annually by the Central Office of Information from 1954-1998. There are 44 volumes available here to view. |
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| Shelfmark | GII.11 |
| Description | Three titles produced by the British Government from 1954-2005 describing 'how Britain worked'. They are: 'Britain: An official handbook' (1954-1998), 'Britain: The official yearbook of the United Kingdom' (1999-2001), and 'UK: The official yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' (2002-2005). These 50 reports provide an overview of Britain's economic, social and cultural affairs, its environment, international relations, and the systems of government. They give an impartial summary of government policies and initiatives, and explain how public services are organised. |
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