The Secretary of State set out his vision for the Armed Forces when he launched the Defence Command Paper "Defence in a Competitive Age" on 22 March 2021. As he made clear, a transformation such as this requires significant reorganisation of force structures.

The Army will therefore in the next several months refine and test the designs, capabilities and structure of Army units before more detailed announcements can be made. Future announcements will include the Reserve Forces 2030 review, which builds on the work already done on utilising our reserves to make sure the whole force is better integrated and more productive.

I can however in the interim confirm that, as the Defence Secretary said, 4th Battalion The Rifles, currently a Specialised Infantry Battalion, will be one of the four battalions which seeds the new Ranger Regiment, carrying through its historic character and ethos to the benefit of the new unit.

UK Armed Forces, led by the Light Dragoons, joined the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, in December 2020. UK troops are fulfilling tasks mandated by the UN Security Council as a unit under UN command. In response to the Mission’s capability requirements, the UK task group is delivering a specialist reconnaissance capability for MINUSMA, improving the mission’s situational awareness and overall performance, particularly its ability to protect civilians. The UK contingent is enabling intelligence-led operations in support of the mission’s mandate, offering crucial support to the mission to better understand threats and to shape the mission’s response. The UK deployment to MINUSMA reflects our continued commitment to, and leadership in, multilateralism, and international peace and security. It also forms part of HMG’s wider efforts in Mali and the Sahel, alongside diplomatic and development activity in support of regional stability.