Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps - Definition and Overview

The Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, (HQ ARRC or ARRC) was created in 1992 based on the former British I Corps. The unit is commanded directly by NATO's SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe), and as implied by its title, is able to deploy anywhere within Allied Command Europe (ACE) at short notice.

Although the corps is commanded by a British Lieutenant General, the corps is no longer a purely British formation, although the UK is the 'framework nation' and provides most of the staff for the headquarters in Rheindahlen, Germany. A purely national corps headquarters could be quickly reconstituted if necessary.

ARRC was last deployed as the headquarters commanding land forces during the Kosovo War in 1999 and also saw service in Bosnia, commanding the initial stages of the IFOR deployment prior to that in 1996. In mid-2004, rumours surfaced that contingency plans were being prepared for the ARRC to deploy to Iraq to command the foreign forces in the south of the country. It is planned to deploy the corps to Afghanistan in 2006 in order for it to command the International Security Assistance Force

See also

• British Army
• British military history
• UK topics