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Afghanistan: Roulement

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Des Browne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. The next roulement of UK forces in Afghanistan will take place in October 2007. The force package that we currently plan to deploy will see the lead formation, 12 Mechanised Brigade, replaced by 52 Infantry Brigade, which will provide the majority of the units serving in Afghanistan. The forces deploying include elements of:

The bulk of these units represent direct replacements for the Afghanistan deployments I announced to the House on 1 February 2007 (Official Report, cols. 19-20WS) and 26 February 2007 (Official Report, cols. 619-635). The House will be aware, however, that all military operations are subject to regular review. As a result, I have therefore agreed to deploy an additional troop of the highly regarded Viking protected mobility vehicles, manned by Royal Marines and the Queen's Royal Lancers, to enhance further the Task Force Helmand's ability to manoeuvre. In addition, from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008 the UK will act as principal co-ordinating nation for NATO's management of Kandahar airfield. I am also considering options to enhance our support for the Afghan national security forces. In consequence the total UK commitment in Afghanistan is likely to be around 7,800 by the end of this year. Volunteer and regular members of the Reserve Forces will continue to deploy to Afghanistan as part of this integrated force package, and we expect eventually to have issued in the order of 750 call-out notices to fill more than 600 posts. On completion of their mobilisation procedures, the reservists will undertake a period of training and, where applicable, integration with their respective receiving units. The majority will serve on operations for six or seven months, although some may have shorter tours. As part of this commitment, we expect up to 20 members of the sponsored reserves to be in theatre at any one time. The House will recall too, the importance I attach to burden-sharing within the International Security Assistance Force. In this context, I should like to welcome the recent decision by the Danish Parliament to increase its deployment in Helmand. Operating under 52 Infantry Brigade's command will be a Danish battlegroup which, building on our close co-operation with Danish forces in Iraq, will exercise tactical command over two British infantry companies. This important increase in the Danish contribution to Task Force Helmand is a significant boost to its operational capability and its capacity to help stabilise and secure Helmand province.