THE BRITISH ARMY ’ S EXPANSIVE ESTATE
“ The army estate is absolutely enormous , really complicated , so it ' s a really big challenge to wire up with the Army statewide internet access project . It ' s tens of thousands of buildings ; it ' s hundreds of camps . And there ' s huge variety within those , as well ,” explains Crossfield .
So , exactly how is the BA ’ s estate segmented , and how does that affect Project THEIA ?
• Regular camps - These camps are owned by the Army – in addition to the infrastructure within – with a Head of Establishment , “ which is a dock into that environment ”.
• PFI estate - This estate is more complicated , in that various contracts are delivered for the BA by a strategic partner , not the Army estate . This means that , while the BA owns the use of it , it doesn ’ t own the actual estate , thus isn ’ t responsible for maintaining it .
• Reserve estate - Again , not owned by the Army but by the Reserve Force Cadets Association ( RCAs ) since WW2 . A separate organisation , the RCAs function more like a private company .
• Training environment - Although not owned by the Army itself , the BA funds the maintenance because it is the primary user .
The sheer volume of the different sites means digitalisation is a lengthy process . Add to that volume the different levels of ownership across the BA ’ s estate , and the difficulty that Crossfield alludes to becomes clear .
To ensure that Project THEIA is successful across the entire estate , the British Army has to collaborate and strategise with multiple agencies , while also negotiating and accessing funding .
DID YOU KNOW ?
40 January 2023