ABSTRACT
This chapter examines development of thinking about conventional forces under the Thatcher government. British Army of the Rhine origins lie in the stationing of two divisions in Germany as part of the postwar Allied occupation force. British army doctrine had acquired something of a reputation for being conservative and infantry-orientated, lacking the flexibility and innovative qualities seen in the American and German armies. The early years of the Thatcher government were not the best of years for the senior service. Perhaps the most commented-upon feature of air power is its flexibility. A final feature of the Thatcher years was the growing interest in, and debate over activities outside the NATO area. One final feature worth commenting upon is that the conventional forces of the 1980s were geared almost exclusively to meeting the Soviet threat. In addition the long-term implications of diminishing natural resources, global warming, and other environmental problems have begun to vex military planners.
