alternatehistory.com

Copy of a British Army circular on the main points to be addressed by army reform, with comments by the Duke of Cambridge. Much of the foul language has been removed.


- Reduce budget, the Army's budget is too high.
Absolute rot, army budget is price of security. Army performed reasonably in Canada, largely due to extra troops hired on over and above force size for Russian War; ability to use militia to cover home security; better weaponry.

- Abolish purchase of commissions.
Possible in isolation; value of bond for good behaviour important, but not critical. Cretinous to add to army budget reduction, purchase brings in good money and to compensate sitting officers for value of commissions recently purchased would be ruinous to attempt to reduce budget.
Purchase only permitted for qualified officers currently; gave us the Duke of Wellington.
Would consider making available fund for purchase by otherwise qualified officers, to be repaid on loss of commission if rank sold on?

- Abolish flogging.
Flogging important for discipline of the worst; controlled under other conditions; abolition unimportant. What other punishment for current flogging offences - execution?

- Reduce length of service, establish reserve force
Absolute, undifferentiated claptrap of the most odorous form; qualitative superiority of British soldier primary reason for victories of last decade; reservists not nearly as efficient as long service regulars; rapid advancement of weapons renders experience worthless; decreases average troop quality; barely an upside to be had; militia and volunteers tolerable for reserve force in time of emergency.

- Increase esprit de corps by associating militia and regular regiments, geographically assign regiments
Reasonable.

- Reduce colonial garrisons, centralize troops in Great Britain, encourage locally raised forces
Only a sensible policy if one has pretensions to predict the future; colonial garrisons greatly improve quality of local militia anyway; Canadian militia in late American war tolerably effective due to long training time with troops already in place; easier to reinforce existing garrison than invade captured colony.

- Abolish bounty money for recruitment
Removal of key recruiting tool foolish; makes army less attractive to better sort; another example of short sighted cost cutting

Almost entirely formed of policies invented in an office rather than developed from experience, the effects of the implementation of the aformentioned reforms would leave the Army smaller and less capable, with the only recourse being the idea that a long war or a lost war is cheaper than a quick, decisive victory.