7th Armoured Brigade to deploy to Afghanistan
The Defence Secretary has announced that 7th Armoured Brigade will lead the next group of UK Armed Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan.
The next roulement, or transition, of UK forces in Afghanistan is due to take place in October 2013.
As the Prime Minister announced in December 2012, the UK’s conventional force levels in Afghanistan will draw down to around 5,200 by the end of 2013, from the current level of around 7,900.
As part of this drawdown, there will be around 6,000 personnel in Afghanistan from Autumn 2013. However, this figure may fluctuate and occasionally exceed this total due to ‘relief-in-place’ (where all or part of a unit is replaced in an area by an incoming unit) and additional surges into theatre.
Around half of these units will form Task Force Helmand under the command of 7th Armoured Brigade. The remainder will deploy within Helmand province and also to other locations in Afghanistan, particularly Kandahar and Kabul, as part of the UK’s overall contribution.
In addition to the list of formed units, individual augmentees from each of the Services will continue to deploy as part of this integrated force package. In total MOD expects around 1,119 individual augmentees to deploy on operations.
These will be comprised of 246 Royal Navy personnel, 370 Army personnel and 503 Royal Air Force personnel. The Royal Air Force currently provides the command element of Headquarters Joint Force Support (Afghanistan), with the wider headquarters manned by individual augmentees from all 3 Services. 101 Logistic Brigade will deploy in November to take on this role.
Volunteer and ex-regular members of the Reserve Forces will continue to deploy to Afghanistan as part of this integrated force package, and we expect to issue around 400 call-out notices.
On completion of their mobilisation procedures, the reservists will undertake a period of training and, where applicable, integration with their respective receiving units.
The majority will serve on operations for around 6 months although a small proportion of any force which is stood down due to force level reductions is likely to be reservist.
As announced by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond on 14 May 2013, some elements of 7th Armoured Brigade will deploy on Op Herrick 19 for up to 8 months. This will remove the requirement to train and deploy an extra brigade, at greatly reduced scale, to cover the final months of 2014.
It will also align tours to key milestones in the transition process, such as the Afghan presidential elections in Spring 2014. A small number of reservists may therefore voluntarily serve for 8 months.
20th Armoured Brigade is currently training to relieve 7th Armoured Brigade in 2014.
The forces deploying include:
- 7th Armoured Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (207)
- Headquarters 101 Logistic Brigade
- 857 Naval Air Squadron
- 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
- 9th/12th Royal Lancers
- Elements of the Queen’s Own Yeomanry
- Elements of 5th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 14th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 16th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 39th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 47th Regiment Royal Artillery
- 32 Engineer Regiment
- 63 Works Group Royal Engineers
- Elements of 36 Engineer Regiment (Search)
- Elements of 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic)
- Elements of 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
- Elements of 10th Signal Regiment
- Elements of 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare)
- Elements of 15th Signal Regiment (Information Support)
- Elements of 21st Signal Regiment (Air Support)
- Elements of 30th Signal Regiment
- Elements of 39th (Skinners) Signal Regiment
- 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards
- 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
- 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
- 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment
- Elements of 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
- Elements of 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh
- Elements of 4 Regiment Army Air Corps
- Elements of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps
- 2 Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- 27 Theatre Logistic Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 7 Theatre Logistic Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 29 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 151 (London) Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 162 Movement Control Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 159 Supply Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 148 Expeditionary Force Institute Squadron Royal Logistic Corps
- 2 Medical Regiment
- 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital
- 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital
- 2 Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Elements of 7 Air Assault Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Elements of 101 Force Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Elements of 103 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- 111 Provost Company Royal Military Police
- Elements of 114 Provost Company Royal Military Police
- Elements of the Special Investigation Branch Royal Military Police
- Elements of the Military Provost Staff Corps
- Elements of 1st Military Working Dog Regiment
- Elements of 1 Military Intelligence Battalion
- Elements of 2 Military Intelligence (Exploitation) Battalion
- 2 (Army Cooperation) Squadron Royal Air Force
- 617 Squadron Royal Air Force
- 51 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment
- 58 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment
- Number 5 Royal Air Force Force Protection Wing Headquarters
- Number 2 (Tactical) Police Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 24 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 30 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 32 (The Royal) Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 216 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 39 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 13 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 27 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 51 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 99 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 33 (Engineering) Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 90 Signals Unit Royal Air Force
- Elements of Number 1 Air Control Centre Royal Air Force
- Elements of Tactical Supply Wing Royal Air Force
- Elements of Number 1 Air Mobility Wing Royal Air Force
- Elements of Tactical Medical Wing Royal Air Force
- Elements of Number 1 Royal Air Force Police Wing
- Elements of Number 2 Royal Air Force Police Wing
- Elements of Number 2 (Mechanical Transport) Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 93 (Expeditionary Armament) Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of Engineering Logistics Wing, Royal Air Force Odiham