British Forces Cyprus

British Forces Cyprus
British Forces Tri-Service badge
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch British Army Flag British Army
Royal Air Force Ensign Royal Air Force
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom Royal Navy
Size 3,500 military personnel
7,000 civilians
Part of UK Ministry of Defence
Garrison/HQ Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus
Commanders
CBF (Commander British Forces Cyprus) Air Vice-Marshal Peter Squires OBE
Notable
commanders		 Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston KCB CBE ADC

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.

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. 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. In March of the following year British Forces Near East was created, the command of which was then held concurrently with that of the post of Administrator.

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. In 1976, as part of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office brief in preparation for the visit of the CENTO Secretary-General to the UK, it was recorded that:

..two Vulcan medium bomber squadrons, one Lightning all-weather fighter squadron, one Hercules transport squadron and one Whirlwind helicopter squadron were stationed on the island. It would be very difficult to relocate these forces and their training facilities to a base in a CENTO member state since an agreement would have to be negotiated. Besides, the United Kingdom would also have to pay the host nation for facilities granted. The sites in Cyprus were guarded by one infantry battalion, defended by a Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile squadron and one armoured car squadron. In fact, the Vulcans based at Akrotiri were ‘the only declared nuclear force in CENTO’ and the island played a unique part in the capacity of the air route of CENTO for the transfer of forces east of Suez in times of war. The radar sites and the fighter squadron were considered an extension of the NATO air defence system."

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. Its 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.

Force structure

UK Sovereign Base Areas (pink)

Episkopi is the current location of Headquarters British Forces Cyprus. Commander British Forces Cyprus (CBF) and Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas is a two-star appointment, alternating every three years between a British Army major-general and a Royal Air Force air vice-marshal. 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.

July 2020 organisation of British Forces Cyprus.
Atlas pallet loader of Joint Movement Squadron at Akrotiri

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) (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 at Episkopi (1 June 1969 - 1 Sept 2002) & 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
    • No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment (Resident Force Protection Squadron, August–December 2022)
    • Resident infantry battalions — usually two light role infantry battalions, one at Dhekelia and one at Episkopi, are permanently based on the island; the battalions are usually rotated every 1-2 years.
    • Cyprus Military Working Dog Troop, Episkopi
    • Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU), HQ Episkopi, a Tri-Service Military Police Unit consisting of Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and RAF Police.
      • 1 Platoon CJPU — Dhekelia
      • 2 Platoon CJPU — Episkopi
  • Civilian Components
  • Public Health and Environmental Health Services
    • Joint Services Health Unit (Formed in 1958)
      • 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.

Commanders

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

General Officer Commanding Cyprus District

Commander, British Forces in Cyprus

  • 16 August 1960 — Air Marshal Sir William MacDonald (Administrator of the SBAs from 1960)
  • 16 July 1962 — Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Barnett, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East and Commander British Forces in Cyprus.
  • 25 September 1964 — Air Marshal T O Prickett; Air Vice-Marshal T O Prickett CB, DSO, DFC, was "appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force and Commander, British Forces in Cyprus, with the acting rank of Air Marshal in succession to" Air Chief Marshal Barnett, 25 Sept 1964.
  • 21 November 1966 — Air Marshal E G Jones "appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force and Commander, British Forces in Cyprus, with the acting rank of Air Marshal in succession to Air Marshal Sir Thomas Prickett"
  • 6 May 1969 — Air Marshal D G Smallwood
  • 2 July 1970 — Air Marshal W D Hodgkinson, Commander, British Forces Near East; AOC in C, Near East Air Force; Administrator, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
  • 25 June 1973 — Air Marshal Sir John Aiken as Commander, British Forces Near East and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force Still Commander British Forces Near East in 1974.

Commander, British Forces Cyprus

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 between 200 and 300, 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.

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.

Units

Listed is the unit that provided the Regimental Headquarters and the bulk of the troops. Often soldiers from a number of Territorial Army units would also deploy as part of the force.

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.

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.
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.
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. 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

Occupied 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.

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. The enclaves serve as centres for regional communications monitoring from the eastern Mediterranean through the Middle East to Iran. Facilities within the retained areas also support British military activities on retained sites in the Republic of Cyprus and provide unique training opportunities.

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
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 Air Force 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. The station is a significant centre for GCHQ collection of signals data and intelligence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Middle East.
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.

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.

Nightingale Barracks British Forces Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Eastern Sovereign Base Area

See also