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Army Basing (Germany)

My predecessor announced to the House on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1795, that under the future Army structures, we intend to re-role an Armoured Brigade to a Mechanised Brigade and a Mechanised Brigade to a Light Brigade. I am now in a position to confirm that 4th Armoured Brigade will re-role to a mechanised brigade in 2006 and will move from its current base in Osnabruck garrison in Germany to Catterick in 2008–09. A number of other minor adjustments will also be made. I have notified the German Government of our plans. 19 Brigade will re-role to a Light Brigade and will subsequently relocate away from Catterick to Scotland and Northern Ireland, although decisions on the final location of individual units have yet to be taken. We hope to be in a position to announce this later in the year. The net effect will be a reduction of our forces in Germany by roughly 2,200 personnel. While there may be further modest adjustments to our force levels in Germany in the coming years where this makes sense, I would envisage sizeable forces remaining there for the long-term, where they will continue to enjoy excellent relations with the local population and contribute to our strong bilateral relationship with the German Government.