You’ve probably never heard of us before: Inside Strategic Command
Within the Ministry of Defence there are some organisations you likely haven’t heard of, or if you have, you probably don’t know a great deal about.
One of those organisations is Strategic Command, or UK Strat Com as it’s known in the MOD. Often taking a low profile and sometimes secretive, it’s one of the most important parts of Defence.
Strat Com brings together elements from the three armed forces, as well as Civil Servants and contractors to deliver ‘joint’ operations on land, at sea, in the air, in space and across the digital world.
Here are 9 things you probably didn’t know about UK Strat Com: 👇
1. All joint military operations are controlled from our HQ, just outside of London
We have more than 20,000 people who work 24/7 helping to defend the UK and our allies, wherever and whenever we are needed. Currently there are around 11,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen deployed overseas on 35 operations in 30 countries.
2. Our work means that we take care of everything, from IT to medicine, for tens of thousands of service personnel
Strat Com’s remit is vast. There are 11 top-level organisations that sit under the Strat Com umbrella and many of those also have sub-organisations that sit under them. As such, UK Strat Com has an impact in every area of what’s going on in wider Defence.
3. We direct the UK’s elite Special Forces, some of the world’s best, all around the globe.
As the home of the Directorate of Special Forces, UK Strat Com coordinate and facilitate short notice and high-risk operations to defend the UK and her allies.
4. We transport essential supplies to tens of thousands of people, ensuring they have everything they need to keep us safe.
An Army marches on its stomach. Ships, aircraft and vehicles need fuel. These are the basics, but there are tens of thousands of components and individual pieces of kit that are required to ensure that we remain fighting fit. To achieve this, the Armed Forces relies on the logistic expertise which is coordinated by UK Strat Com.
5. We help design state of the art weapon systems like the ones on our new Aircraft Carriers.
Some of the best scientific and engineering minds have worked with UK Strat Com personnel in designing cutting-edge technology that ensures we remain at the forefront of development and innovation. From state-of-the-art weaponry to life saving medical technology, UK Strat Com helps to ensure the UK remains future ready.
6. We take care of our Overseas Bases, everywhere from Cyprus to the Falklands, where thousands of military personnel are ready to defend the UK and our allies.
Each year tens of thousands of people, both military and civilian, are deployed to our overseas bases. UK Strat Com ensures those bases, and the people working hard within them, are looked after so that they can focus on their all-important job of keeping us all safe.
7. We support global relief efforts, helping to make the world a safer place, ranging from hurricane recovery in the Caribbean to supporting developing nations in their fight against terrorism.
Personnel within UK Strat Com remain on high readiness to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere in the world they are needed. When other nation’s face a crisis and ask the UK for help, we need to respond quickly and effectively and it’s UK Strat Com that ensures this can happen.
8. We employ some of the best cyber specialists in the country to help protect the UK from online attacks.
The internet and computer technology have changed all our lives for the better. But unfortunately, there are people out there that would exploit this incredible technology to try and do us harm. UK Strat Com cyber specialists work tirelessly to help protect us from this new and growing threat.
9. We are helping in the fight against Covid-19 by providing the NHS with military doctors and nurses to work in hospitals across the country.
UK Strat Com’s medical specialists are on the frontline assisting the NHS in the fight against Covid-19, our logistics specialists are helping to ensure that PPE is getting to those that need it most, and our personnel are helping with mobile testing centres across the UK.
