By Walter Bohm
During the late 1980s, the threat level for NATO in Europe changed significantly due to dramatic political and military developments in Eastern Europe. The Cold War ended soon after. These fundamental changes also had an impact on the British Army of the Rhine - BAOR.
A new aim was to create a much smaller force, but one that still allowed the UK to engage globally if required. The new structure was called Options for Change. In August 1990, however, the discussion was interrupted by events in the Middle East that led to the Gulf War which the UK joined by deploying troops.