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Armed Forces: Special Forces Support Group

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Dr John Reid) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. On 16 December 2004 (Official Report, Commons; col. 1798), as part of the wider programme to modernise the UK's defence capabilities, the then Secretary of State for Defence, the right honourable Geoff Hoon MP, announced to the House the Government's intention to create two new units that would significantly improve the specialist support to the Special Forces and enhance our global capacity to fight terrorism. The first of these new units, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, became operational in April 2005 and is already delivering a globally deployable special reconnaissance capability to the UK Special Forces. The second new unit is the ““Special Forces Support Group””. SFSG is an enhanced capability that will directly support UK Special Forces intervention operations around the world and provide the UK with an additional counter-terrorist capability. I am pleased to be able to inform the House today that the SFSG has now stood up in St Athan, near Cardiff, and achieved initial operating capability as planned on 3 April. Personnel for the new unit have been drawn from the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Marines, and the Royal Air Force Regiment. The unit will be part of the UK Special Forces Group. The principal role of the SFSG is to provide direct support to UKSF intervention operations, as well as reinforcing UKSF in other key capability areas such as   provision of specialist training and support to domestic CT operations. It will have a specific specialist infantry role and personnel will be equipped and trained accordingly.