§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current United Kingdom military deployment in Germany, in terms of numbers, units and of bases; what changes in this commitment and in these bases have taken place over the past two years; and whether they are contemplating any future changes in the commitment and bases. [HL3106]
§ Lord Bach:The establishment levels for major British Army units in Germany, as at 31 May 2004, are shown in the tables below. Details of the changes in commitments since 2002 are also shown below:
17WA
Unit Location Establishment HQ 1(UK) Armoured Division and Div Tps HQ 1 (UK) Armd Div &1 Herford 819 Armd Div Sig Regt 12 Regt RA Sennelager 627 28 Engr Regt Hameln 857 1CS Med Regt Munster 517 1 Regt RMP Herford 380 1GS Regt RLC Gutersloh 812 2 CS Regt RLC Gutersloh 886 1 Regt AAC Gutersloh 372 I MI Bn All Garrison in BFG 142 RLC Mil Trg Wing Bielefeld 8 4 Armoured Brigade 4 Bde HQ &Sig Sqn Osnabruck 177 RDG Munster 590 QDG Osnabruck 400 4 Regt RA Osnabruck 555 21 Engr Regt Osnabruck 650 I SG Munster 740 1 DWR Osnabruck 741 1 Bn REME Osnabruck 403 115 Pro Coy RMP Osnabruck 70 RL Band Osnabruck 35 7 Armoured Brigade 7 Bde HQ &Sig Sqn Hohne 173 SCOTS DG Fallingbostel 591 9/12 L Hohne 454 2 RTR Fallingbostel 600 3 RHA Hohne 555 32 Engr Regt Hohne 657 1 RRF Celle 742 1 HLDRS Fallingbostel 741 111 Pro Coy RMP Hohne 70 Cambrai Band Fallingbostel 35 2 Bn REME Fallingbostel 403 20 Armoured Brigade 20 Bde HQ &Sig Sqn Sennelager 173 QRH Sennelager 591 26 Regt RA GuterslohM 555 35 Engr Regt Paderborn 657 110 Pro Coy RMP 70 1 RR W Paderborn 741 1 LI Paderborn 741 3 Bn REME Paderborn 403
Unit Location Establishment HQ UK Support Command (Germany) HQ UKSC(G) Rheindahlen 102 HQ RESG Rheindahlen 179 12 Flt AAC Elmpt 7 Det 921 EOD Sqn Elmpt 10 Rhine Area Wksp Elmpt 9 1 Signal Brigade and Rhine Rheindahlen & 1,797 Garrison Elmpt 102 Logistic Brigade HQ 102 Log Bde &Sig Sqn Gutersloh 300 6 Sup Regt RLC Gutersloh 709 7 Tpt Regt RLC Bielefeld 597 921 EOD Sqn Bielefeld 40 101 Pro Coy, 5 Regt RMP Rheindahlen 109 24 Regt RLC Bielefeld 256 Changes during the past two years:
1 Light Infantry replaced 1 Royal Green Jackets in Paderborn
Queens Dragoon Guards replaced Queens Royal Lancers in Osnabruck
1 Scots Guards replaced 1 Irish Guards in Munster
1 Highlanders replaced 1 Black Watch in Fallingbostel.
A reduction in the number of troops in Germany was announced as part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in 1998. Of these, 1,500 troops have already returned to the UK and the future drawdown of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and 64 Fuel Squadron is subject to the build of new barracks in the UK. It remains the Government's intention to complete this drawdown, although the exact timing has yet to be finalised.
There are currently no plans to alter our force levels or bases in Germany. As outlined in the defence White Paper (DWP), Delivering Security in a Changing World, published on 11 December 2003, plans for future Army structures continue to evolve. As part of this work, the Army intends to adjust its structure to develop a more balanced force structure of light, medium and heavy forces; in doing so it will reduce the number of armoured brigades from three to two and create a new light brigade. The full implications of this work have yet to be finalised.