Joint Ground-Based Air Defence Command

Joint Ground Based Air Defence Headquarters
Joint Ground Based Air Defence Headquarters
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force  British Army
Role	Ground Based Air Defence
Size	3 Regiments (2 Regular, 1 Reserve), 1 Support Battery
Part of	OPCOM RAF Air Command, Coord Force Troops Command
Motto(s)	Uniti in Defensione
Colors	Navy Blue, Army Red, RAF Blue
Equipment	Rapier FSC, HVM (Starstreak) SP & LML, LEAPP

The UK's Joint Ground Based Air Defence HQ or Jt GBAD is a Joint (non deployable), force generating, formation under the operational command of Air Command, sitting under 2 Group RAF. All of the HQs subordinate units are drawn from the Royal Regiment of Artillery and 90% of its HQ staff, including its commander (a full colonel), are tied Royal Artillery posts. As most of the formations outputs and its personnel and equipment are Army the formation comes under the British Armies Force Troops Command for Budgetary and Coordination purposes, although there is no command relationship with this organisation. Jt GBAD Commands all the Ground Based Air Defence (surface-to-air) units in the United Kingdom's Armed Forces, with the exception of the Air Defence Troop Royal Marines who are part of No 30 Commando Royal Marines under the Operational Command of the Royal Navy, sitting under 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.

Ground based air defence was first used by the British Armed Forces during WW1 and was a capability that sat under the Royal Regiment of Artillery, assigned to manouvre brigades. During WW2 the requirement for, and sophistication of, such systems was drastically increased and it was also understood that there was a requirement to cooperate closely with the RAF. This necessitated the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command, an organization that was roughly 90% Artillery and commanded by a Royal Artillery Officer but which was placed under the Operational Command of RAF Fighter Command. Its first commander was General Alan Brooke (later chief of the Imperial General Staff and Churchills senior military officer throughout the Second World War). At its peak this formation consisted of 3 AA Corps commanding 12 AA Divisions.