British Forces Cyprus
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British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British armed forces stationed in the UK sovereign base areas of Dhekelia and Akrotiri on the island 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.
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[edit] Force structure
Within British Forces Cyprus are a number of permanently based units; however, the large proportion of British forces in Cyprus are on operational tours:
- Permanent Units
- HQ, British Forces Cyprus
- 62 (Cyprus) Support Squadron, Royal Engineers
- Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus)
- Cyprus Communications Unit, (an amalgamation of 12 Signals Unit RAF & 259 Signal Squadron, Royal Signals)
- 16 Flight, Army Air Corps
- Cyprus Service Support Unit
- 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 Royal Welsh (Royal Welch Fusiliers) (Episkopi)
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Dhekelia)
- The Royal Navy Cyprus Squadron - two P2000 class patrol ships HMS Pursuer (P273) and HMS Dasher (P280).
- Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU), a Tri-Service Military Police Unit comprising 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
- SIB Cyprus
- ESBA Section SIB
[edit] Commanders
The following officers have been in command of British Forces Cyprus[1]:
- 16 July 1962 Air Vice-Marshal Sir Denis Barnett
- List incomplete
- 1 April 1976 Air Vice-Marshal R D Austen-Smith
- 28 April 1978 Major-General W R Taylor
- 3 October 1980 Air Vice-Marshal R L Davis
- 29 March 1983 Major-General Sir Desmond Langley
- 24 October 1985 Air Vice-Marshal K W Hayr
- 21 April 1988 Major-General J P W Friedberger
- 1990 Air Vice-Marshal A F C Hunter
- 25 March 1993 Major-General A G H Harley
- List incomplete
- 6 January 1998 Major-General A I Ramsay
- 5 September 2000 Air Vice-Marshal T W Rimmer
- 5 September 2003 Major-General P T C Pearson
[edit] 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 is usually provided by the Royal Artillery or the Royal Logistic Corps and has responsibility for patrolling Sector 2 of the Green Line in Nicosia.
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.
[edit] Trivia
In the ITV series Soldier Soldier, the 1st Battalion, King's Own Fusiliers served for a period in Cyprus.
