Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are stationed at Muharraq air base in Bahrain; which units those personnel belong to; what the cost of those personnel was in financial year 2019-20; and what roles those personnel are fulfilling.

The UK has eight Armed Forces personnel based between Muharraq Air Base and Headquarters Maritime Component Commander in Bahrain. These personnel form the UK Joint Support Detachment and belong to the UK Maritime Component Commander and the UK Air Component Commander. They fulfil a variety of roles to facilitate the entry and departure of UK personnel and stores from Bahrain under Operation KIPION, including postal services and logistics movements. The cost of supporting these personnel in Bahrain was approximately £270,000 during financial year 2019-20