British Forces Cyprus

British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United Kingdom retains a military presence on the island in order to keep a strategic location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, for use as a staging point for forces sent to locations in the Middle East and Asia. BFC is a tri-service command, with all three services based on the island reporting to it. At present, there are approximately 3,500 personnel serving in Cyprus.

British Forces Cyprus
British Forces Tri-Service badge
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army Royal Air Force Royal Navy
Part of	UK Ministry of Defence
Garrison/HQ	Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus
Commanders
CBF (Commander British Forces Cyprus)	Major-General Robert J. Thomson CBE DSO

History

Dhekelia Garrison

Following the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, the UK retained two Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia and an RAF air marshal was appointed as the Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas.[1] The Treaty of Establishment also provided British access to 40 'retained sites' in the republic of Cyprus; these included numerous radar stations, several ports, a range of accommodation and support facilities and a firing range.[2] The following year the British Forces Near East organization was created, the command of which was then held concurrently with that of the post of Administrator.[3] On 1 March 1961 the Southern Group of Middle East Air Force became Near East Air Force and was based in Cyprus. By 1962 the title British Forces in Cyprus was in official use.[4] British Forces Cyprus retains the right to use 13 retained sites with the remaining 27 having been returned to Cyprus after the Ministry of Defence no longer required them. The most recent sites to be returned were the Berengaria Married Quarters in 2011 because they had become obsolete and the firing range on the Akamas peninsula in 1999-2001 because the area's training value was deemed less important than the environmental damage inflicted on an ecologically important area and the consequent political liability to British Forces Cyprus.[5][6][7][8]

Command

UK Sovereign Base Areas (pink)

Episkopi is the current command centre of British Forces Cyprus. The commander of the Sovereign Base Areas/British Forces Cyprus (CBF) is a two-star appointment, alternating every three years between the Army and the RAF. Consequently, the Chief of Staff British Forces Cyprus (COS) is a one-star appointment from the opposite service of the commander. Episkopi Cantonment is home to the Sovereign Base Areas Administration, the civilian authority in the territory.[2]

Force structure

July 2020 organisation of British Forces Cyprus.

Within British Forces Cyprus are a number of permanently based units; however, the large proportion of British forces in Cyprus are rotated between Cyprus and the UK:

• Permanent Units
  • HQ, British Forces Cyprus
  • Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus)[9] (Ayios Nikolaos Station)
    • Regimental Headquarters
    • 234 Signal Squadron
    • 840 Signal Squadron RAF
    • Engineering Squadron
    • Support Squadron
  • Cyprus Communications Unit, (an amalgamation of 12 Signals Unit RAF & 259 Signal Squadron, Royal Signals)
  • Cyprus Operations Support Unit
    • Military Transport Squadron
    • Joint Movement Squadron
    • Joint Engineer Squadron
    • Air Operations Squadron
  • No 84 Squadron, RAF
  • Resident infantry battalions — two light role infantry battalions, one at Dhekelia and one at Episkopi, are permanently based on the island; the battalions are usually rotated every two years.
    • 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
    • 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters & Foresters, and Staffords)
  • Cyprus Military Working Dog Troop, Episkopi
  • Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU), a Tri-Service Military Police Unit consisting of Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and RAF Police.
    • HQ CJPU — Episkopi
    • 1 Platoon CJPU — Dhekelia
    • 2 Platoon CJPU — Episkopi
    • 3 Platoon CJPU — Akrotiri (closed 2003)
    • SIB Cyprus
    • ESBA Section SIB
• Civilian Components
  • Sovereign Base Areas Customs
  • Sovereign Base Areas Police
  • Security Force Police
• Public Health and Environmental Health Services
  • Joint Services Health Unit
    • HQ Akrotiri
    • No. 1 detachment RAF Akrotiri
    • No. 2 detachment Episkopi
    • No. 4 detachment Dhekelia

The Queen's and King's Divisions continue to rotate battalions through Cyprus every three years.[10]

Commanders

The following officers have been in command of British Forces Cyprus:[11]

General Officer Commanding Cyprus District

• 18 March 1955 — Major-General Abdy Ricketts[12]
• 19 October 1956 — Major-General Douglas Kendrew[13]
• 11 October 1958 — Major-General Kenneth Darling[14]

Commander, British Forces Cyprus

• 16 August 1960 — Air Marshal Sir William MacDonald[15] (Administrator from 1960, also Commander British Forces Near East from 1961)
• 16 July 1962 — Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Barnett[16]
• 25 September 1964 — Air Marshal T O Prickett[17]
• 21 November 1966 — Air Marshal E G Jones[18]
• 6 May 1969 — Air Marshal D G Smallwood[19]
• 2 July 1970 — Air Marshal W D Hodgkinson[20]
• 25 June 1973 — Air Marshal Sir John Aiken[21]
• 1 April 1976 — Air Vice-Marshal R D Austen-Smith[22]
• 28 April 1978 — Major-General W R Taylor[23]
• 3 October 1980 — Air Vice-Marshal R L Davis
• 31 March 1983 — Major-General Sir Desmond Langley[24]
• 29 October 1985 — Air Vice-Marshal K W Hayr[25]
• 21 April 1988 — Major-General J P W Friedberger[26]
• 1990 — Air Vice-Marshal A F C Hunter
• 25 March 1993 — Major-General A G H Harley
• 17 February 1995 — Air Vice-Marshal P Millar
• 16 January 1998 — Major-General A I Ramsay[27]
• 5 September 2000 — Air Vice-Marshal T W Rimmer
• 5 September 2003 — Major-General P T C Pearson
• 26 April 2006 — Air Vice-Marshal R H Lacey
• 16 October 2008 — Major-General J H Gordon[28]
• 4 November 2010 — Air Vice-Marshal G E Stacey[29]
• 3 January 2012 — Major-General R Cripwell[30]
• 20 January 2015 — Air Vice-Marshal M Wigston[31]
• February 2017 — Major-General James Illingworth[32]
• 25 September 2019 - Major-General Robert Thomson[33]

Operation TOSCA

Operation TOSCA is the name given to the British contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The British Contingent (BRITCON) numbers 278, and consists of three distinct parts:

• HQ BRITCON — responsible for the administration and support of the British Contingent.
• Force Military Police Unit — the FMPU is commanded by a major of the Royal Military Police, with seven other members of the RMP as part of the multi-national unit.
• UN Roulement Regiment — the URR has responsibility for patrolling Sector 2 of the Green Line in Nicosia.

The URR is drawn from across the Field Army, and will not necessarily be a specialist combat unit (infantry or cavalry), or even part of the Regular Army, as, since 2008, units of the Territorial Army / Army Reserve have undertaken deployments to the Green Line.[34][35][36]

One of the roles of the support units of BFC is to assist as needed the British units deployed with UNFICYP, which are not part of BFC, but are instead under the direct command of the United Nations.

British Forces Cyprus Installations

The Republic of Cyprus

In addition to the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, 1960 Treaty of Establishment between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus granted the UK the right to permanently make use of 40 further sites on the island for military purposes.[37][38]

Name	Part of	Country	County	Opened	Units
Berengaria Village Married Quarters	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Limassol		The Harakis Borehole and the Berengaria village pipeline are also retained to supply water.[37]
British East Mediterranean Relay Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Zygi		Used the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to broadcast BBC World Service programming to Israel and the Arab world.[39]
Troodos Leave Camp	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Troodos	1878	The accommodation is used by BFC, visiting troops and youth services in support of adventurous training. Site also contains married-quarters, NAAFI and Works Unit.[37] Contiguous with RAF Troodos.
RAF Nicosia and Camps	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Nicosia		Not currently in use because it lies in the UN Buffer Zone between Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus.
RAF Mt Olympus Radar Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Troodos		A British Longrange Radar Station operating on Mt Olympus' Peak.
RAF Troodos	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Nicosia	1878	A remote Signals Station.
Kissousa Headwaters, Reservoir and Pumping Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Limassol		A secure water supply for the Akrioti Sovereign Base Area[40][41]

Northern Cyprus

Three retained Military facilities are located within the territory of Northern Cyprus. They are not currently in use by British Forces Cyprus because the UK does not acknowledge the Government of Northern Cyprus.[37]

Name	Part of	Country	County	Opened	Units
Famagusta Joint Services Port Utility	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta		Lies in Northern Cyprus and therefore not currently in use.
Famagusta Family Shop and NAAFI HQ	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta		Lies in Northern Cyprus and therefore not currently in use.
Famagusta NAAFI Transport Yard	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta		Lies in Northern Cyprus and therefore not currently in use.

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

The two British enclaves in the Republic of Cyprus, act as platforms for the projection of British military assets in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.[42] The enclaves serve as centres for regional communications monitoring from the eastern Mediterranean through the Middle East to Iran.[43][44] Facilities within the retained areas also support British military activities on retained sites in the Republic of Cyprus and provide unique training opportunities.[45]

Western Sovereign Base Area

Name	Part of	Country	Region	Opened	Units
Episkopi Cantonment	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Western Sovereign Base Area	1960	Home to HQ British Forces Cyprus[46]
Paramali North and South Quarters	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Western Sovereign Base Area	1960
RAF Akrotiri	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Western Sovereign Base Area	1960	The Largest Royal Airforce Station outside the UK.

Eastern Sovereign Base Area

Name	Part of	Country	Region	Opened	Units
Alexander Barracks	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area	1960
Ayios Nikolaos Station	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area	1960	The Joint Service Signal Unit (JSSU). JSSU is a static communications organisation maintaining secure links from Cyprus to the rest of the world.[47] The station is a significant centre for GCHQ collection of signals data and intelligence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Middle East.[48][49]
Dhekelia Airfield	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area		A small airfield whose primary employment is as a British Army Helicopter Base.[50]
Dhekelia Cantonment	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area	1960	Headquarters of the Eastern Sovereign Base Area, a resident infantry battalion, an engineer squadron, and various logistic units, as well as UK-based civilians and dependents.[51]
Nightingale Barracks	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area

See also

• Cyprus
• Cyprus Seven Trial
• Episkopi Cantonment
• Sovereign Base Areas
• List of British Army installations

References

1. Efthymiou, Stratis Andreas (2016). "The development of the ideology of Defence: militarism in Post-war Cyprus" (PDF). Defence Studies. 16 (4): 408–426. doi:10.1080/14702436.2016.1229126. S2CID 157301069.
2. "Treaty No. 5476. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus" (PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2016.
3. "W M L Macdonald_P". Retrieved 27 March 2016.
4. "Service Aviation". Flight Global. 10 May 1962. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
5. Dubin, Marc; Morris, Damien (2002). Cyprus. ISBN 9781858288635. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
6. "Akamas Control Measures" (PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2016.
7. "Cyprus". Retrieved 27 March 2016.
8. Berengaria Village 2011. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2016 – via YouTube.
9. This unit is a British Armed Forces run Government Communications Headquarters electronic intelligence gathering station. Jeffrey T. Richelson & Desmond Ball, The Ties the Bind: Intelligence Cooperation between the UKUSA Countries, Unwin Hyman, Boston/London and others, 1990, p.194 note 145.
10. Army basing plan
11. V: Ministry of Defence and Tri-service senior appointments: Cyprus, Commander, British Forces Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine. page 31. gulabin.com. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
12. "Abdy Ricketts". Unit Histories. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
13. "No. 40935". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 November 1956. p. 6716.
14. "No. 41561". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 November 1958. p. 7349.
15. "No. 42117". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 August 1960. p. 5605.
16. "No. 42732". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1962. p. 5727.
17. "No. 43447". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1964. p. 8212.
18. "No. 44177". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 November 1966. p. 12577.
19. "No. 44841". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 May 1969. p. 4723.
20. "No. 45143". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 1970. p. 7479.
21. "No. 46029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 July 1973. p. 8291.
22. "No. 46868". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 September 1976. p. 5059.
23. "No. 47533". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 1978. p. 5895.
24. "No. 49314". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 April 1983. p. 4951.
25. "No. 50301". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 October 1985. p. 15019.
26. "No. 51316". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 1988. p. 4947.
27. {07} New commander for British Bases. Cyprus Mail. 15 January 1998. Hellenic Resources Network. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
28. "No. 58857". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 October 2008. p. 16154.
29. Commands - Med/Mid East_P Archived September 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
30. "Forces TV Meets Outgoing Head of BFC". Forces TV. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
31. "Senior appointments". RAF. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
32. "Ministry of Defence and Senior Tri-Service Appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
33. "No. 62784". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 October 2019. p. 17508.
34. "It's 'Gunner' rain on their parade". British Army. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
35. "Service Medals for Peacekeeping in Cyprus". Royal Logistic Corps Association. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
36. Cyprus operation is TA's first ever UN mission - MOD News, 23/01/09 Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
37. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". Hansard. 19 January 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
38. "Cyprus". Retrieved 13 March 2016.
39. "BBC Cyprus Cuts - The SWLing Post". Retrieved 13 March 2016.
40. "The headwaters in Kissousa". IX-ANDROMEDA / Explore Cyprus through photography. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
41. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 19 Jan 2005 (pt 6)". Retrieved 13 March 2016.
42. "Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
43. John Pike. "Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area". Retrieved 13 March 2016.
44. O'Malley, Brendan (2001-06-25). The Cyprus Conspiracy: America, Espionage and the Turkish Invasion. p. 82. ISBN 9780857730169. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
45. "SBA". Retrieved 13 March 2016.
46. "British forces overseas posting: Episkopi, Cyprus". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
47. "JSSU (Cyprus)". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
48. Squires, Nick (5 November 2013). "British military base in Cyprus 'used to spy on Middle East'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
49. Richard Norton-Taylor (2013-11-29). "Secret memos show efforts of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to maintain Cyprus base". the Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
50. "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Cyprus, District Dhekelia". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
51. "British forces overseas posting: Dhekelia, Cyprus". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

External links

• British Army deployment Cyprus
• Permanent Joint HQ Overseas Bases Cyprus