§ 6. Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South)If he will make a statement on the role of the Royal Marines in combating international terrorism. [15079]
§ The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)A detachment of Royal Marines is on the ground at Bagram airport in Afghanistan, and was augmented over the weekend. Operating under US tactical command, they are there as part of a coalition reconnaissance mission to help to secure the airport and make it safe 663 for UN and other diplomatic and humanitarian missions. Although the notice to move of 45 Commando has now been relaxed, 40 Commando Royal Marines remains at very high readiness against possible deployment to meet a range of contingencies.
In addition, British forces have been active on the ground inside Afghanistan for some time. Working closely with US forces, they have been engaged on a range of operational tasks in different parts of Afghanistan. The House would not expect me to go into great detail, but I am confident that it will join me in paying tribute to the professionalism and gallantry of those involved, including the very small number who have been wounded in the conduct of those duties.
§ Mr. ChapmanWould my right hon. Friend care to comment on the press reports of a rift between us and the Americans regarding the deployment of the Marines at Bagram, as well as on the military objectives of the campaign in general? Does he envisage a long-term role for the Marines in building the peace, as they have done so splendidly in Kosovo?
§ Mr. HoonThere is simply no truth in the reports to which my hon. Friend refers. The deployment at Bagram was carried out in close consultation with US forces and, as I have indicated to the House, our troops there are under the tactical command of a US officer. We have worked closely with the United States at every stage of the military operation and indeed, of the humanitarian and diplomatic operation that is now under way.
§ Michael Fabricant (Lichfield)My hon. Friend—if I may call him that—the Member for Portsmouth, North (Syd Rapson) and I have the honour of chairing the all-party group on the Royal Marines, which will be receiving a detailed briefing from the Commandant-General of the Royal Marines in January. The whole House is of course invited, but in the meantime, would the Secretary of State care to say whether he feels that there are now sufficient numbers of Royal Marines at Bagram to maintain their safety? What were the original plans for the number of Royal Marines who were to be posted to Bagram? We are told that that number was curtailed because of lobbying by the Northern Alliance.
§ Mr. HoonI have already told the House that my overriding concern is for the safety of British forces deployed in any theatre, particularly in Afghanistan at the present time. I assure the hon. Gentleman that there are sufficient numbers for their safety. That is constantly reviewed and I assure him that we will continue that process. On his further question, there have been no plans to post Royal Marines, as he so elegantly put it, to Bagram airstrip. There was a range of contingencies 10 days ago, when a range of British forces were moved to a higher state of readiness. Those contingencies have changed in that 10-day period. That is why I judge it appropriate to relax, for some of those forces, their present state of readiness.