Written questions, answers and statements

British Overseas Territories: Armed Forces

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Question for Ministry of Defence

UIN 15476, tabled on 21 November 2024

Question

Alicia Kearns
Conservative
Rutland and Stamford
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military personnel are deployed in each Overseas Territory.

Answer

Luke Pollard
Labour
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Commons

Answered on

28 November 2024

The Ministry of Defence has UK military personnel across various UK Overseas Territories. The approximate* breakdown of military personnel permanently based in UK Overseas Territories is as follows:

Ascension Island

Falkland Islands

Gibraltar

British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)

The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Turks and Caicos Islands

20

830

140**

40

2,370

1

In addition to this, across all UK Overseas Territories, there are also personnel deployed on operations.

While there may be other categories of personnel in other UK Overseas Territories, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

* Personnel change over and transition on a regular basis. With leave and other commitments (such as training), specific numbers may fluctuate.

** This figure excludes the Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG), around 270 personnel whose home base is Gibraltar.

Answered by

Ministry of Defence
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