Army head releases farewell video

So this is it, 40 years as a soldier, five years as a chief, and two years as your CGS comes to a close. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, regulars, reserves and civil servants for all that you have done for our army. But let me start with a look back at what we said and what you've done. I assume this role in the Lee of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. I talked about the need to mobilize to deter Russia and the need to start laying the foundations for modernisation. What have we done? Well, first and foremost, we have a crystal clear sense of purpose that has been routinely and rightly played back to me. We fight and win wars on land. Secondly, we've mobilised today's army with the field armies, How We Fight 2026 and the land operating concept. We have world class peer reviewed conceptual foundations that are more right than wrong and are profoundly influencing how all armies think about warfare. These are strong conceptual foundations from which you can develop. Moreover, you are the most productive army in Europe, deployed in more places globally than any other and delivering the same operational outputs as when we were 25,000 stronger. You will need to rebalance, creating space for modernisation, but in the leave of Russia's invasion and with the imperative to mobilise, our ability to generate this level of activity was both necessary and should be seen as a badge of honour. Most recently on Exercise Steadfast Offender we deployed 16,000 troops across the Euro Atlantic, the biggest deployment in a generation. Rediscovering past lessons on scale, readiness and sustainment and not mobilise has also touched the Indo Pacific where it's the British Army that provide the most persistent UK presence. British Forces, Brunei, our SFA brigade and the wider field Army have contributed to a persistent and asymmetric presence that is widely heralded across the region. Third, we've made a unique contribution to the war in Ukraine. OP Interflex led the way in supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine to generate and train mass. We've donated equipment to the Ukrainians in their hour of need and some of you have provided specialist support and advice forward for which you should be enormously proud. 4th We're seeing the first rays of sunshine that signal the modernisation of our hardware and our software. Ajax is in the hands of the Household Cavalry. Boxer is imminent. RCH 155 is coming in as the replacement for the AS90 artillery system. Archer is fielded is the interim artillery capability and the Apache E model is flying. You've moved out on the so-called 4 + 1 and it's delivery 5th. We've laid genuinely strategic foundations for a vibrant land industrial base, onshoring manufacturing capacity that we allowed to atrophy. We are partnered with industry in a way that was unrecognisable just three years ago. I am thrilled to hand over an army that met its 10 year export targets in year one alone and 6th. We continue to improve our culture ruthlessly and unapologetically focusing on fighting power as the only important measurement of an army. But as I hand over the urgency and imperative for modernisation is even more accused. The trends and drivers for conflict are converging. Global crises are at risk of escalating and are increasingly interdependent. We cannot fight alone. We will always support a joint force, allies and partners. But we know that people live on the land, and land is where human affairs are settled. Moreover, we know that for the UK homeland defence has never started at the White Cliffs of Dover. The Uks defence plan is the NATO plan and so as an army we'll always need to operate and fight away from home, leveraging a continental commitment to secure allies and partners. When I reflect on close to 40 years in uniform, I am most proud of the British Army's contribution to social mobility. I once read that in Denmark it takes just two generations to move from the bottom of the income curve to the media. In the UK apparently it takes 5 generations, but in the British Army you can do it in a single career. We remain the country's top apprenticeship provider and there are countless examples of AFC Harrogate triumphing as an alternative to mainstream education. I retire from an army that is internationally recognised, a benchmark of professionalism and fighting power. An army that develops the finest pound for pound soldiers in the world and one whose contribution to the nation is second to none. Winston Churchill once said that you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give. I couldn't agree more. And what I've found is that the army you have given so much back, more than I've deserved or asked for. So let me finish where I started by offering my heartfelt thanks. Thank you for your selfless commitment, your trust, your forbearance with my inevitable mistakes for the adventure of a lifetime. Edith Hamilton said that the richness of life is found in its hazards. If could start again and hunt down the hazards of the next 40 years, I'd do so in a heartbeat in this brilliant army to which I owe so much. Thank you and Godspeed.