Reimagining the utility of the UK’s light forces
11 December 2025
Published by CHACR
UK Light Forces
Major Laurence Thomson, the Chief of the General Staff’s Visiting Fellow at RUSI, argues that the 1st (United Kingdom) Division – the British Army’s light and airborne division – offers strategic choice, operational flexibility and capabilities essential for credible deterrence on NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Line that must be prioritised, resourced and trained ready for war.

