Information Warfare Battalion
Type of British Army unit in the Land Special Operations Force; the two Information Warfare Battalions were formerly the Information Operations Task Forces of 77th Brigade
| Information Warfare Battalions (IWB)
| |
|---|---|
| Type | British Army information warfare units |
| Location | Denison Barracks, Hermitage, Berkshire (as listed for 77th Brigade in 2025) |
| Remarks | Two units, 5 Information Warfare Battalion and 101 Information Warfare Battalion, in the Land Special Operations Force |
Information Warfare Battalions (IWB) are two units of the British Army within the Land Special Operations Force (LSOF): 5 Information Warfare Battalion (5 IWB) and 101 Information Warfare Battalion (101 IWB). Until 2026 they were called 5 Information Operations Task Force and 101 Information Operations Task Force, and they formed part of the 77th Brigade.[1][2]
In September 2026, asked whether "Cognitive Warfare Group" was the formal title of an LSOF formation, the Army replied that this was "not a recognised or endorsed naming convention for any formation" and that "the units that would comprise this specialism are recognised as the Information Warfare Battalions (IWB), this refers to 101 IWB and 5 IWB that sit within the Land Special Operations Force (LSOF) structure".[2]
The two battalions
| Unit | Former name | Role as described by the Army | Personnel as described by the Army |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Information Warfare Battalion | 5 Information Operations Task Force | "The highly deployable force elements of 77th Brigade, trained in the delivery of tactical information activities", using "Planning and Liaison Elements and Tactical PsyOps teams" | "regular soldiers and officers, tri-service and all-arms" |
| 101 Information Warfare Battalion | 101 Information Operations Task Force | "A hybrid specialist unit providing stand-off capabilities", with 201 Company (open-source intelligence collection, data innovation and digital information activities) and 202 Company (video, audio and graphic products) | Regulars, Reservists, Specialist Reserves and contract personnel |
The descriptions above are from the Army's 77th Brigade website, as archived in February 2026.[3]
History
The British Army's Future Soldier Guide of November 2021 listed "Deployed Information Activities" and "Stand-off Information Activities" units in the 77th Brigade, each with the "Future Station: Hermitage until 2026, then Pirbright".[4] The Army's later descriptions of 5 IOTF as "highly deployable" and of 101 IOTF as "stand-off" match those roles.[3]
The resubordination of the 77th Brigade to the Land Special Operations Force took effect on 14 April 2026 under "Army Implementation Order B-26-032 – Reorganisation of Land Special Operations". The Army listed both units among LSOF's units, under their task force names, "As of 1 May 2026", and said that the change "did not result in any changes to the location, responsibility or recruitment of the former 77 Brigade subordinate units".[1] By 16 September 2026 the Army called them 5 IWB and 101 IWB.[2] No official order or date for the renaming has been found.
Insignia
The Army said in September 2026 that personnel of the two battalions "who have completed the mandated initial trade training will be authorised to wear an 'Information Warfare' badge", whose design "has not yet been formally endorsed".[2]
In Parliament
In the House of Commons on 24 March 2025, Al Pinkerton said he had visited the 77th Brigade under the armed forces parliamentary scheme and asked about its work against Russian disinformation. The Armed Forces Minister, Luke Pollard, replied that "the 77th Brigade does a superb job of tackling disinformation" and that he could not "talk about ongoing operations".[5]
On 23 October 2026 Bell Ribeiro-Addy tabled a written question to the Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence) asking "whether 77th Brigade has collected information on (a) sitting MPs, (b) former MPs, (c) political activists and (d) political organisations since 2022". As of 2 November 2026 no answer had been published.[6]
See also
- 5 Information Warfare Battalion
- 101 Information Warfare Battalion
- Land Special Operations Force
- 77th Brigade
- Information Warfare
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Army Policy and Secretariat, LSOF and former 77 Brigade Freedom of Information response ArmySec/FOI2026/10971, 23 June 2026, via WhatDoTheyKnow, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Army Policy and Secretariat, Land Special Operations Force organisation, nomenclature and formation insignia Freedom of Information response Army/PolSec/FOI2026/17115, 16 September 2026, via WhatDoTheyKnow, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 British Army, 77th Brigade Groups army.mod.uk, archived 22 February 2026 by the Wayback Machine, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ British Army, Future Soldier Guide 25 November 2021, pp. 74–75, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ House of Commons, Oral Answers to Questions: Defence Hansard, 24 March 2025, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Question for Ministry of Defence, UIN 37729, tabled on 23 October 2026 Written questions and answers, UK Parliament, accessed 2 November 2026.