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Armed Forces: Joint Forces Command

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Lord Levene published his independent recommendations on the structure and management of the Ministry of Defence in his report on defence reform on 27 June 2011. Since then, substantial progress has been made in implementing these recommendations. One of the most significant is the creation of a new Joint Forces Command. The Joint Forces Command will be established on Monday 2 April 2012. It will be led by Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, whose appointment was announced on 15 September 2011 (Official Report, col. 52WS), and who took up post as the first Commander Joint Forces Command on 1 December 2011. The establishment of the new command at its initial operating capability follows just nine months after the publication of Lord Levene's report. The Joint Forces Command will manage, deliver and champion joint capabilities to support the success of current and future military operations, and will reach full operating capability by April 2013.