Hanoverian Army
| Hanoverian Army | |
|---|---|
| Königlich Hannoversche Armee | |
 | |
| Founded | 19 December 1692 |
| Countries | Electorate of Hanover (1692-1814) Kingdom of Hanover (1814-1923) United Kingdom (1923-present) |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 34,341 active personnel (2022) 9,769 reserve personnel (2022) |
| Part of | British Armed Forces |
| Patron | Queen Alexandra |
| Motto(s) | Schnell und fähig (English: "Swift and Capable") |
| March | List of marches of the British Armed Forces |
| Mascot(s) | Saxon Steed |
| Equipment | List of equipment of the Royal Hanoverian Army |
| Website | www.rha.mod.uk |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Queen Alexandra |
| Chief of the General Staff | General Volker Wieker |
| Deputy Chief of the General Staff | Lieutenant General Kristin Rudel |
| Insignia | |
| War flag |  |
The Hanoverian Army (German: Hannoversche Armee) is an autonomous land warfare force of the United Kingdom, officially maintained and operated by Hanover, one of the five constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
Formed in 1692 by Prince Ernest Augustus, the first ruler of the Electorate of Hanover, the Hanoverian Army, up until Hanover's formal incorporation into the United Kingdom in 1923, primarily served as the kingdom's principal land force. However, since Hanover's formal incorporation into the United Kingdom in 1923, as one of the provisions of the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1924, the Hanoverian Army has continued to serve as a largely autonomous land force under the banner of the British Armed Forces while being fully operated and maintained by the Hanoverian Ministry of Defence, the department of the Hanoverian Government responsible for the constituent country's defence, a unique privilege granted as compensation for Hanover joining the United Kingdom, thereby relinquishing its sovereignty. Like the British Army, which it predates by about a decade, the Hanoverian Army is led by a Chief of the General Staff with the officeholder being a member of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom and thus reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff. Consequently, while officially under the jurisdiction of the Hanoverian Ministry of Defence, the Hanoverian Army is occasionally considered and referred to as the "fourth branch" of the British Armed Forces.
Since its establishment, the Hanoverian Army has been involved in a large number of military conflicts throughout the following centuries, namely the War of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, and the two World Wars. As of current, the Royal Hanoverian Army is composed of 34,341 active personnel and 9,769 reserve personnel.