British Army Bases In Germany To Shut By 2019

Wooden Pegg
Wooden Pegg
54,270
0
2013-03-05に共有
Seven UK army sites will be axed as part of a major shake-up as soldiers return from Germany, it has been announced.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the changes would save £240m a year in running costs as soldiers move into "clusters" in key locations.

Repatriating all troops from Germany will end Britain's long military history in the country, which dates back to the end of World War Two.

Most of the 15,000 still serving there and their dependents will come home by 2016, ahead of schedule. The remainder, around 4,500, will return by 2019.

The moves will primarily affect the RAF and Army.

Returning forces will mainly be stationed around Salisbury Plain, Edinburgh and Leuchars, Catterick, Aldershot, Colchester, Stafford and the East Midlands.

But several other sites will lose their military presence as the army shrinks.

These include Claro Barracks in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Howe Barracks in Canterbury, Craigiehall Barracks in Edinburgh and Cawdor Brracks in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire.

Parts of Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, Forthside Brracks in Stirling and Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury will also be available for disposal.

Under the plans, almost £2bn will be invested in army housing and bases. Around £1bn of that will go on new houses for service families and accommodation for single soldiers.

Another £800m will be spent on infrastructure and refurbishment of bases.

Some 1,900 new homes will be built for military families and accommodation to house 7,800 single soldiers.

Mr Hammond said the plans would give troops and their families greater stability.

He also defended the decision to drop plans to double the size of the army in Scotland and said the changes would ensure Britain retains an adaptable, capable force.

General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, said: "The plan provides an excellent springboard for operations overseas and it affords welcome certainty over where people will live."

But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy told MPs: "There will be real disappointment at the closures across the UK today - from Canterbury, Ripon, Shrewsbury and Brawdy, where historic bonds are now being broken."

The decision not to send thousands more troops to Scotland was a "real blow" and "will not be forgotten", Mr Murphy added.
The intention to carry out the changes was first announced in 2010 after the Strategic Defence Review.

Further details were expected before Christmas but were delayed in light of the Autumn Statement because the Ministry of Defence had to re-examine the figures.
コメント (18)
  • @brrymcgolly
    It was a sorry day when they shut all the Camp's down and Bielefeld and all the parts of Germany I want to know what's happened to all the squaddies?
  • @jardon8636
    the second world war was nearly 70years ago,,, return the UK forces to the UK, germany has moved on, its now "united" with its own quite large forces... there are new threats too like "islamic state & jihadi terrorists", not just russia's ambitions in eastern ukraine or their manouvers near the baltic states... nato still exists, there are still many members, but times are changing and circumstances, and priorities, including since UKexit and being cost effective too.. the forces maybe needed in gibraltar,cyprus or the falkland islands at any given time, germany was always the "best option now gone"...
  • @bbenjoe
    When will German bases open in the UK?
  • @waltt5134
    In year 2018 I`m saying, the Brits will stay in Germany. Around 8000 British troops may relocate to Poland, at Poland`s request.
  • @1ruffhewnman
    Why stay when the Americans will stay and pay the bill. The Brits have bigger fish to fry. After my stay there it looked like a middle eastern country - they had better leave Germany - The UK is running out of Brits.
  • @terrytt5067
    I personally think scaling down our Armed Forces is a BIG mistake. We could at the very least had a role in Germany, along side the German Armed Forces. Just because the Cold War is over doesn't mean our Soviet neighbours no longer pose a threat! I think our Government/s are very narrow minded and the only thing they look at is £££££££s that will be saved. When I joined the RAF in 70s, we had 7 RAF hospitals on the Planet, we now have NONE! We took in NHS patients as well as mi!itary and it was appreciated. Even in Germany we treated some of the German population. In Cyprus the RAF Hospital had about 200 beds when it was built in the early 60s. This eventually became just a couple of wards due to the Decimation of our Armed Forces! A couple of Million squids were spent on it in I think, 2013. It now no longer exsists as some lame brains saw fit to knock it down! If the troops get ill they're treated by Cypriot medics! Its the same with the Army and Navy! We had a perfectly good Psychiatric centre for both Inpatient & Outpatient care, so what happened to it! The Unit, also with a Hospital was closed, the grounds sold, the medical facilities razed to the ground and some sort of Hotel, Restaurant and business centre built! And since its closure we've had the war in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, to name a few! Our troops came home suffering from Psychiatric illnesses and had to be treated in the overstretched NHS Mental Health Units! The troops are Not amused, but will say nothing, for fear of retribution! We virtually haven't an Armed Forces anymore! Britain as a Superpower is now no longer applicable! But the Govt don't hear the words "we told you so"! They would rather shut their eyes! So people, if you think the UK is protected, think again and thank our politicians for leaving us so exposed!! And when there's another war and your enlistment papers land thru' your letterbox, remember what I've written! The politicians will say we'll be right behind you son! (About 4000 miles behind)! Have a nice day!
  • @DefCon1Shooter
    Interesting news, I guess the UK could find more appropriate use for the taxpayers money, than to waste it on these military bases.
  • @notrelevant2256
    Huge mistake showing typical myopia of politicians. We need to keep at least an Armd Div in Germany to match the Bdes the US is redeploying into Europe. Putin is a threat to Eastern Europe and the Baltic states and our draw down sends the wrong message. The idea that reserves will make up the numbers has failed. Incredible to think that when I was in Germany (81-83) we had a BR Corps made up of 3 Armoured Divisions; the cold war may be over and new technologies may make some kit obsolete but the threat is very real.
  • @Cce339
    Good news that another aspect of WWII is coming to an end.