UK Assessments Of Military Threat To Territories

November 28, 2014

The UK Ministry of Defence “undertakes regular assessments of potential military threats to all overseas territories to ensure that we retain an appropriate level of defensive capability to address any such threats,” the British Minister of State told the UK Parliament on Tuesday [Nov 25].

Bermuda is one of 14 British Overseas Territories along with Anguilla, the British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Falklands, St Helena, Turks and Caicos, Pitcairn Island, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.

According to the Hansard, Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames asked the Secretary of State for Defence, “which military assets are tasked with the defence of British Overseas Territories.”

Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Mark Francois replied, “All of the UK’s military assets are available for the defence of the British Overseas Territories, subject to availability and operational requirements.

“The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of potential military threats to all overseas territories to ensure that we retain an appropriate level of defensive capability to address any such threats.

“As at 5 November 2014, in the attached the following military assets were present in the Overseas Territories and tasked with the defence of the Territory in question.”

The Minister then provided a list saying in the British Forces South Atlantic Islands [Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and Ascension Island] there are 982 military personnel: 4 x Typhoon FGR-4, 2 x S61 Helicopters, Resident Rapier Battery, Air Defence Radar, Falkland Islands Patrol Vessel, and an Atlantic Patrol Task [South] Vessel.

In the British Indian Ocean Territory there are 42 military personnel, 4 x Rigid Raiding Craft, 4 x Rubber-hulled Inflatable Boat, in the Caribbean Territories there is the Atlantic Patrol Task [North] Vessel, and on the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus there are 656 military personnel and 2 x Griffin HAR 2 Helicopter

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