LONDON - Britain announced yesterday the formation of a new rapid deployment force intended to respond quickly to crises worldwide in the post Cold War era.
The Joint Rapid Deployment Force, to be drawn from the army, navy, marines and air force, will have its headquarters in a bunker near London. With the lessons of Bosnia and the Gulf War in the minds of military planners, the force is designed to be flexible and to carry out tasks ranging from combat to peacekeeping or the evacuation of civilians from a danger zone.