§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to bring the 12 Mechanised Infantry Brigade at Aldershot up to full manpower strength. [72937]
§ Mr. Ingram12 Mechanised Brigade is a grouping of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery regiments and supporting units, together with many supporting cap badges that are based throughout the country. The major units are stationed at Aldershot, Pirbright and Tidworth.
The Brigade is an integral part of the Formation Readiness Cycle (FRC). As such, it spends one year providing troops for standing operations, one year in intensive training for war fighting, and on year as the Army's High Readiness Mechanised Brigade. During the High Readiness Year, the Brigade is liable for short-notice deployments in response to emerging crisis throughout the world. Under the FRC, elements of 12 Mechanised Brigade are already deployed: the Welsh Guards are in the Balkans, and Brigade Headquarters and 228 Signal Squadron, as well as 1 Battalion the Staffordshire Regiment (Armoured Infantry Battalion) will deploy to Kosovo (Operation AGRICOLA) between November 2002 and May 2003. The Brigade routinely requires augmentation from individuals or formed sub-units to meet the particular requirements of the roles it performs.
314WCurrently, 12 Mechanised Brigade's strength is 2,773 personnel; 98 per cent of its required liability of 2,824 personnel. There are no specific recruitment drives aimed at manning 12 Mechanised Brigade, however, action is being taken in a wide range of areas with the aim of increasing Army recruiting, both for officers and soldiers, co-ordinated by the Army Training and Recruiting Agency's Recruiting Group. Indeed, from 1 April 2002, 93 Regimental Recruiting Teams (RRTs), encompassing existing RRTs and the former Mobile Display Teams, staffed by Field Army personnel have been in operation.