Armed Forces: Deployment
(asked on 17th November 2014) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what operations UK forces have served alongside the forces of other European counties in the last five years; and which countries participated in each operation.
The following list includes significant operations carried out by the Ministry of Defence since 2010. Defence carries out a wide variety of operations, including many operations involving only a few personnel or which have a short duration. It is not possible within reasonable time and cost constraints to list all operations irrespective of size or duration. The list does not include the following standing commitments, which can also cover a range of operational activity:
Task |
Continuous At-sea Deterrence |
Counter-terrorist policing of UK airspace |
NATO air policing mission within Europe |
Military support to national EOD capability in the UK |
Standing maritime patrol tasks, including UK and Overseas Territories |
Military support to Search and Rescue Operations |
The list includes any EU states involved in operations under a common command and control structure. However, non-EU member states in Europe have also made important contributions alongside the UK. For example, Norway has served alongside the UK on several major recent operations, including in Afghanistan Syria and the response to the Ebola Crisis in Sierra Leone. An overview of operations each year can be found in the MOD’s Annual Report and Accounts.
Activity | EU States |
Operations in Afghanistan, including as a contributor to the International Security Assistance Force and Resolute Support Mission | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden |
Operations in Iraq, including subsequent training of Iraqi forces until 2011 under Op TELIC | Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain |
Support to UN Stabilisation mission in Sudan and South Sudan | Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden |
UK support to EU NAVFOR under counter-piracy Op ATALANTA off the coast of Somalia | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia |
Support to UN Stabilisation mission MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo | Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Sweden |
NATO counter-piracy operation OCEAN SHIELD | Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain |
Humanitarian aid mission response to floods in Pakistan | NA |
Military support in severe cold weather in the UK | NA |
Transport of UK nationals following disruption of air travel by ash cloud from volcanic eruption in Iceland | NA |
Haiti natural disaster relief | NA |
Military operations in Libya including support to NATO Op UNIFIED PROTECTOR | Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden |
Military support to evacuation of British Eligible Personnel from Libya, 2011 | NA |
Military support to security for the 2012 London Olympics | NA |
Support to removal and destruction of Syrian chemical weapons |
Denmark, Germany |
Humanitarian aid response to natural disaster in the Philippines | NA |
Support to French military operations and subsequent support to EU Training Mission (EUTM) and UN stabilisation mission (MINUSMA) in Mali | EUTM: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain |
Military support to security for G8 Summit | NA |
Military support in response to East Coast flooding | NA |
Military support to Dept of Communities and Local Government resilience plans to cover fire fighter industrial action | NA |
Air campaign against ISIL and associated training missions in Iraq and Syria | Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain |
Search for missing airliner MH370 in the Indian Ocean | NA |
Military operation to support Nigeria in response to Boko Haram abductions of female students | France |
Military support to evacuation of British Eligible Personnel from Libya, 2014 | Malta (for basing) |
UK response to Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone | Denmark, Ireland, The Netherlands |
Military support in response to winter flooding in the UK | NA |
Military support to security for Commonwealth Games in Glasgow | NA |
Military support to security for NATO summit in Wales | NA |
Support to EU Op ALTHEA mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden |
Baltic Air Policing | Denmark, Poland, France |
Military support to Department of Health resilience plans to cover ambulance driver industrial action | NA |
Support to French and subsequently EUFORCAR in the Central African Republic | Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden |
Defence presence in the Gulf, including maritime security operations in the Gulf and counter-piracy operations | The UK operates within the Combined Maritime Force, whose EU members are: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain |
Stabilisation support in East Africa, including counter-piracy, counter-narcotics, counter terrorism; and capacity building for counter-terrorism, border security, aviation security | EUTM Somalia: Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden |
Support to UNFICYP mission in Cyprus | Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia |
NATO maritime policing of Mediterranean under Op ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR | Although this task is supported by NATO members, the UK has primarily operated with France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain |