§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present United Kingdom military commitment in Kosovo, in terms of numbers, units and roles; whether any future changes in this commitment have taken place over the past two years and whether they are contemplating any future changes in the commitment. [HL3103]
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§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The United Kingdom has around 200 troops committed to KFOR, including headquarters staff officers in HQ KFOR and an infantry company (currently from the 1st Battalion, the King's Regiment). The UK also provides a battalion to the Balkans-dedicated Operational Reserve Force (ORF); this deployed to Kosovo during the outbreak of violence in mid-March 2004, returning to the UK on 18 April.
British Forces are deployed in Kosovo under NATO command to provide a safe and secure environment, and to assist the international community in creating conditions which will support eventual self-sustaining security in the region.
Over the past two years the UK standing military presence in Kosovo has reduced from approximately 1,200 personnel. The UK commitment to KFOR is subject to regular review, including in the context of NATO's biannual periodic mission review process.
§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present United Kingdom military commitment in Sierra Leone, in terms of numbers, units and roles; whether any future changes in this commitment have taken place over the past two years; and whether they are contemplating any future changes in the commitment. [HL3104]
§ Lord BachThe United Kingdom has 22 military personnel committed to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, and 92 military personnel deployed to the UK-led International Military Advisory Training Team (IMATT). At IMATT's formation in 2002 the total UK military commitment was 360.
IMATT continues to provide strategic guidance to the Government of Sierra Leone on defence and security issues, and assists in the development of the Republic of Sierra Leone armed forces into a self-sustaining, accountable force.
The future UK commitment to the UN mission will be determined by the UN plan for gradual drawdown; final withdrawal is expected by the end of 2005. Our commitment to IMATT is longer term, but reviewed annually. It forms part of the UK's wider contribution to the reconstruction activities of Sierra Leone, where MoD, DfiD and the FCO work closely together to support the Government of Sierra Leone in ensuring lasting and sustainable peace for the people of the country.
§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present United Kingdom military commitment in Afghanistan, in terms of numbers, units and roles; whether any future changes in this commitment have taken place over the past two years; and whether they are contemplating any future changes in the commitment. [HL3105]
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§ Lord BachThe United Kingdom currently has around 580 military personnel from all three services serving in Afghanistan, with the largest single contingent drawn from the 1st Battalion, the Green Howards. Their numbers and roles are:
Table 1: United Kingdom Military Deployments in Afghanistan on 11 June 2004 Role and Location Number International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Kabul 400 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), Mazar-e Sharif and Meymaneh 165 Coalition Headquarters, Kabul and Bagram 15 Total 580 On 11 June 2002 the United Kingdom had around 2,770 troops deployed in Afghanistan, again from all three services, and with the largest contingents drawn from 45 Commando, Royal Marines and the 1st Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment. Their numbers and roles were:
Table 2: United Kingdom Military Deployments in Afghanistan on 11 June 2002 Role and Location Number International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Kabul 1,300 Task Force JACANA, Bagram 1,440 Airfield Security, Bagram 65 Coalition Headquarters, Bagram 5 Total 2,810 The principal changes over the past two years stem from the transfer of the United Kingdom's status as lead nation for the ISAF to Turkey on 20 June 2002, the withdrawal of Task Force JACANA following the completion of its operations on 10 July 2002 and the deployment in July 2003 of the PRT to Mazar-e Sharif.
I informed the House on 1 April 2004 (Official Report, cols. WS 70–71) of our intention to play a leading role in ISAF's expansion in northern Afghanistan. We shall lead a second multinational PRT in Meymaneh and help to provide support facilities for PRTs across the North of Afghanistan. We are currently in the process of establishing these capabilities. We keep all our commitments under regular review but I do not anticipate our current force levels changing significantly.