The British Army in the Cold War

Join Ben Barry as he examines British Army doctrine and policy during the Cold War and their relevance to the challenges of the present day.

Between 1975 and 1990, the British Army’s priority was defending the UK and Europe against the numerically superior forces of the Soviet Union. Compared to today's Army, this was a much larger force, with higher levels of readiness, more regular formation training and better-integrated reserves.

Military technology has evolved rapidly in the intervening years, not least during the current war in Ukraine. Yet the conventional military threat posed by Russia presents many of the same challenges that the Army faced during the Cold War.

Ben Barry will examine key aspects of the British Army’s Cold War doctrine and policy and consider what lessons they offer for its current and future responsibilities within Nato and in the defence of the UK.

About the speaker

Ben Barry is Senior Fellow for Land Warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He served in the Army from 1975 to 2010, holding several key staff appointments, and has continued to work closely with the Army since.

The newly revised edition of his book 'The Rise and Fall of the British Army, 1975–2025' draws on declassified Cold War reports and detailed analysis of the Army's current and future roles and challenges.