British Forces Gibraltar | |
---|---|
Active | April 1992–current Flag Officer, Gibraltar, 1946-1992 |
Country | Gibraltar |
Branch | Strategic Command [1] |
Part of | Strategic Command. Subordinate to Director of Overseas Bases. |
Headquarters | Devil's Tower Camp |
Anniversaries | Battle of Trafalgar |
Commanders | |
Commander of British Forces Gibraltar | Commodore Tom Guy |
Commanding Officer, Royal Gibraltar Regiment | Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Moore |
Commanding Officer, Gibraltar Squadron | Lieutenant Commander Simon Holden |
Commanding RAF Gibraltar | Wing Commander Jackson Brown MBE RAF |
British Forces Gibraltar is 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.
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]
HM Dockyard, Gibraltar was active from 1895 to 1984. The dockyard was used extensively by the Royal Navy, docking many of the Navy's most prestigious ships. In the early 1980s a decision by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence to cut back the Royal Navy surface fleet meant that the dockyard was no longer financially viable. [5]
In 1984 the dockyard passed into the hands of the UK ship repair and conversion company, A&P Group. A government grant and a prospect of lucrative Royal Fleet Auxiliary refit contracts did not help A&P Group however and they passed the yard into the hands of the Government of Gibraltar.
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 base is the permanent home to the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron, equipped with two Cutlass-class patrol vessels and three Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boats. [6] They are supported by two patrol boats and rigid inflatable boats of the Gibraltar Defence Police, as well as diving platforms and harbour work boats. The base is also home to the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent. [7] Gibraltar regularly hosts other British or allied warships and support vessels. [8]
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]
Army
Navy (28 personnel as of 2023, plus additional personnel assigned to HMS Trent) [11]
Air Force (16 personnel as of 2023) [23]
Gibraltar Defence Police (Civilian force under the MoD; 100 officers as of 2023) [25]
Post holders included: [28] [29]
Post holders included: [28]
Post holders included:
Post holders included: [28]
Post holders included: [35]
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