Written question asked by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Wednesday, 6 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 (named day). It was answered by James Heappey (Conservative) on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Caribbean and South America: Armed Forces

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces personnel are deployed to (a) Guyana, (b) South America and (c) the Caribbean.

Answer: For force protection reasons we cannot provide precise numbers of deployed personnel in this case, including the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), and on the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island through British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI). Defence’s permanent presence across these areas is also provided by our resident Defence Attaché sections based in: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Jamaica. These teams also have non-residential responsibility for a range of other countries in the region with Guyana falling under our Caribbean team. Additionally, the Royal Navy have a persistent maritime presence in the South Atlantic and the Caribbean through two Offshore Patrol Vessels.

Secondary information