Skip to main content

Written question asked by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Wednesday, 12 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 November 2008. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Armed Forces: Deployment

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK personnel are deployed on operations, broken down by location.
Answer

The endorsed force levels for current UK military operations are set out. The precise number of personnel in theatre at any one time fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and other factors. Having given detailed consideration to how we answer questions on operational force levels, Ministers have decided that, for reasons of operational security, future answers will be based upon the endorsed force level for each operation.

Location Endorsed Number (at 20 October 2008)¹
Afghanistan 8,050
Southern Iraq 4,100
Baghdad² 250
At sea l,050
Falklands/South Atlantic 1,500
Qatar 700
Cyprus 300
Kuwait 550
Kosovo 150
Bahrain 50
Bosnia <50
Other³ 150
¹ Rounded to 50
² Providing support to the Senior British Military Representative Iraq
³ Small scale deployments in support of EU and UN missions, and headquarters liaison officers.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
483 c1520W; 236448
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Armed forces Deployment
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk