British Forces Gibraltar constitute those elements of the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships en route to and from deployments East of Suez or in Africa.
British Forces Gibraltar as a formation was established in mid-1992 after the last Royal Navy-lead commander, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Biggs, Flag Officer Gibraltar, hauled down his flag. Thereafter the new command took on a more tri-service character.
History
Entrance to HMS Rooke at Queensway, Gibraltar – headquarters of Gibraltar Defence Police.
British Armed Forces in Gibraltar had been predominantly naval-led since the 1890s. In the 1950s discussions about the creation of NATO's Allied Forces Mediterranean led to the Flag Officer Gibraltar being placed in command of NATO forces in the area.[2]
However, many years later, the British Royal Navy captain serving as Head of Sea Section in Operations Division, SHAPE, was to have to deal with the re-absorption of Spain into NATO in the early 1990s. Arranging the NATO-Spain-Gibraltar-UK linkages involved "delicate negotiations," but British plans, to Captain Peter Melson's knowledge "committed no forces to defence of the Strait, while Spain was willing to commit substantial elements of their ORBAT [order of battle, their armed forces]."[3]
The last UK based army battalion, 3rd Battalion Royal Green Jackets, left Gibraltar in 1991 and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment took charge of local defence under the new headquarters British Forces Gibraltar.[4]
Command
The commander of British Forces Gibraltar is Commodore Tom Guy of the Royal Navy, who was appointed in June 2022.[5]
British Forces Gibraltar reports to the Director of Overseas Bases within Strategic Command, who is responsible for the command, direction and support of UK's overseas bases.[6]
All MOD establishments in Gibraltar are operated by Strategic Command, with each of the separate armed forces using the facilities.[7]
In 1984 the dockyard passed into the hands of the UK ship repair and conversion company, A&P Group.[11] The takeover of the former naval dockyard at Gibraltar as "Gibrepair" in 1985 was short-lived, a victim of local social politics.[12]
The current dockyard is still used by the Royal Navy and is referred to as 'His Majesty's Naval Base Gibraltar (HMNB Gibraltar)'.[1]
The Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) has its headquarters at North Gate House, located within HMNB Gibraltar. GDP is a civilian police force which is part of the MOD. As of 2023 it had 100 officers.[15] The GDP operates two patrol boats and rigid inflatable boats.[7]
RAF Gibraltar is a Royal Air Force station located at the northern end of the territory. Although no aircraft are based at the station, it is used to support operations in the region and for major NATO exercises. The airfield also serves as Gibraltar International Airport which operates a civilian passenger terminal on the northern side of the airfield.[16]Winston Churchill Avenue, the four-lane road linking Gibraltar and Spain, crosses the airfield's runway and is closed to traffic each time an aircraft takes off or lands.[17]
As of 2023, sixteen personnel are based at the station.[18]
King’s Lines Oil Fuel Depot
The Kings Lines Oil Fuel Depot was built 1954 for the Royal Navy. The depot is located underground within the Rock of Gibraltar and had a capacity to store 250,000 tonnes of fuel.[19] It has been unused for many years and in 2023 the MOD indicated that it intended on reopening the facility.[20]
Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill located on at the southern end of the peninsula is home to the Buffadero Training Centre which is used by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and other British Army units. It features a purposes built village for urban combat training.[21][22] Buffadero is also used by the Gibraltar Defence Police and the Royal Gibraltar Police for public order training.[23]
The hill is also the location of Windmill Hill Signal Station, used by the Royal Navy for monitoring maritime activity in the Strait of Gibraltar.[24]
Permanent units
Though Gibraltar's current garrison is much smaller than it had been before the end of the Cold War, a sizable force still exists, including:[1]
Ministry of Defence (MoD)/HQ British Forces Gibraltar (145 military personnel as of 2023 plus 528 civilians under contract)[9]
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Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which formerly undertook refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels and submarines. Before its privatisation in the 1990s it was formerly the Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth. Its primary role now is the dismantling of decommissioned nuclear submarines. It is also the integration site for the Royal Navy's newest aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth class as well as the Type 31 Frigate.
His Majesty's Naval Service is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Naval Careers Service. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Ben Key. The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.
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