British Forces Gibraltar constitute those elements of the
British Armed Forces stationed in the
British overseas territory of
Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships en route to and from deployments
East of Suez or in Africa.
British Forces Gibraltar as a formation was established in mid-1992 after the last Royal Navy-lead commander, Rear Admiral
Geoffrey Biggs, Flag Officer Gibraltar, hauled down his flag. Thereafter the new command took on a more tri-service character.
History
Entrance to HMS Rooke at Queensway, Gibraltar – headquarters of Gibraltar Defence Police.
British Armed Forces in Gibraltar had been predominantly naval-led since the 1890s. In the 1950s discussions about the creation of NATO's
Allied Forces Mediterranean led to the Flag Officer Gibraltar being placed in command of NATO forces in the area.[2]
However, many years later, the British Royal Navy captain serving as Head of Sea Section in Operations Division, SHAPE, was to have to deal with the re-absorption of Spain into NATO in the early 1990s. Arranging the NATO-Spain-Gibraltar-UK linkages involved "delicate negotiations," but British plans, to Captain Peter Melson's knowledge "committed no forces to defence of the Strait, while Spain was willing to commit substantial elements of their ORBAT [order of battle, their armed forces]."[3]
The last UK based army battalion, 3rd Battalion
Royal Green Jackets, left Gibraltar in 1991 and the
Royal Gibraltar Regiment took charge of local defence under the new headquarters British Forces Gibraltar.[4]
Command
The commander of British Forces Gibraltar is
Commodore Tom Guy of the Royal Navy, who was appointed in June 2022.[5]
British Forces Gibraltar reports to the Director of Overseas Bases within
Strategic Command, who is responsible for the command, direction and support of UK’s overseas bases.[6]
All MOD establishments in Gibraltar are operated by Strategic Command, with each of the separate armed forces using the facilities.[7]
In 1984 the dockyard passed into the hands of the UK ship repair and conversion company,
A&P Group.[11] The takeover of the former naval dockyard at
Gibraltar as "Gibrepair" in 1985 was short-lived, a victim of local social politics.[12]
The current dockyard is still used by the Royal Navy and is referred to as 'His Majesty's Naval Base Gibraltar (HMNB Gibraltar)'.[1]
The
Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) has it headquarters at North Gate House, located within HMNB Gibraltar. GDP is a civilian police force which is part of the MOD. As of 2023 it had 100 officers.[15] The GDP operates two patrol boats and rigid inflatable boats.[7]
RAF Gibraltar is a
Royal Air Force station located at the northern end of the territory. Although no aircraft are based at the station, it is used to support operations in the region and for major
NATO exercises. The airfield also serves as
Gibraltar International Airport which operates a civilian passenger terminal on the northern side of the airfield.[16]Winston Churchill Avenue, the four-lane road linking Gibraltar and Spain, crosses the airfield's runway and is closed to traffic each time an aircraft takes off or lands.[17]
As of 2023, sixteen personnel are based at the station.[18]
King’s Lines Oil Fuel Depot
The Kings Lines Oil Fuel Depot was built 1954 for the Royal Navy. The depot is located underground within the
Rock of Gibraltar and had a capacity to store 250,000 tonnes of fuel.[19] It has been unused for many years and in 2023 the MOD indicated that it intended on reopening the facility.[20]
Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill located on at the southern end of the peninsula is home to the Buffadero Training Centre which is used by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and other British Army units. It features a purposes built village for
urban combat training.[21][22] Buffadero is also used by the Gibraltar Defence Police and the Royal Gibraltar Police for
public order training.[23]
The hill is also the location of Windmill Hill Signal Station, used by the Royal Navy for monitoring maritime activity in the
Strait of Gibraltar.[24]
Permanent units
Though Gibraltar's current garrison is much smaller than it had been before the end of the Cold War, a sizable force still exists, including:[1]
Ministry of Defence (MoD)/HQ British Forces Gibraltar (145 military personnel as of 2023 plus 528 civilians under contract)[25]
^Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony.
"Gibraltar – The Dreadnought Project". dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 26 November 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
British Forces Gibraltar constitute those elements of the
British Armed Forces stationed in the
British overseas territory of
Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships en route to and from deployments
East of Suez or in Africa.
British Forces Gibraltar as a formation was established in mid-1992 after the last Royal Navy-lead commander, Rear Admiral
Geoffrey Biggs, Flag Officer Gibraltar, hauled down his flag. Thereafter the new command took on a more tri-service character.
History
Entrance to HMS Rooke at Queensway, Gibraltar – headquarters of Gibraltar Defence Police.
British Armed Forces in Gibraltar had been predominantly naval-led since the 1890s. In the 1950s discussions about the creation of NATO's
Allied Forces Mediterranean led to the Flag Officer Gibraltar being placed in command of NATO forces in the area.[2]
However, many years later, the British Royal Navy captain serving as Head of Sea Section in Operations Division, SHAPE, was to have to deal with the re-absorption of Spain into NATO in the early 1990s. Arranging the NATO-Spain-Gibraltar-UK linkages involved "delicate negotiations," but British plans, to Captain Peter Melson's knowledge "committed no forces to defence of the Strait, while Spain was willing to commit substantial elements of their ORBAT [order of battle, their armed forces]."[3]
The last UK based army battalion, 3rd Battalion
Royal Green Jackets, left Gibraltar in 1991 and the
Royal Gibraltar Regiment took charge of local defence under the new headquarters British Forces Gibraltar.[4]
Command
The commander of British Forces Gibraltar is
Commodore Tom Guy of the Royal Navy, who was appointed in June 2022.[5]
British Forces Gibraltar reports to the Director of Overseas Bases within
Strategic Command, who is responsible for the command, direction and support of UK’s overseas bases.[6]
All MOD establishments in Gibraltar are operated by Strategic Command, with each of the separate armed forces using the facilities.[7]
In 1984 the dockyard passed into the hands of the UK ship repair and conversion company,
A&P Group.[11] The takeover of the former naval dockyard at
Gibraltar as "Gibrepair" in 1985 was short-lived, a victim of local social politics.[12]
The current dockyard is still used by the Royal Navy and is referred to as 'His Majesty's Naval Base Gibraltar (HMNB Gibraltar)'.[1]
The
Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) has it headquarters at North Gate House, located within HMNB Gibraltar. GDP is a civilian police force which is part of the MOD. As of 2023 it had 100 officers.[15] The GDP operates two patrol boats and rigid inflatable boats.[7]
RAF Gibraltar is a
Royal Air Force station located at the northern end of the territory. Although no aircraft are based at the station, it is used to support operations in the region and for major
NATO exercises. The airfield also serves as
Gibraltar International Airport which operates a civilian passenger terminal on the northern side of the airfield.[16]Winston Churchill Avenue, the four-lane road linking Gibraltar and Spain, crosses the airfield's runway and is closed to traffic each time an aircraft takes off or lands.[17]
As of 2023, sixteen personnel are based at the station.[18]
King’s Lines Oil Fuel Depot
The Kings Lines Oil Fuel Depot was built 1954 for the Royal Navy. The depot is located underground within the
Rock of Gibraltar and had a capacity to store 250,000 tonnes of fuel.[19] It has been unused for many years and in 2023 the MOD indicated that it intended on reopening the facility.[20]
Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill located on at the southern end of the peninsula is home to the Buffadero Training Centre which is used by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and other British Army units. It features a purposes built village for
urban combat training.[21][22] Buffadero is also used by the Gibraltar Defence Police and the Royal Gibraltar Police for
public order training.[23]
The hill is also the location of Windmill Hill Signal Station, used by the Royal Navy for monitoring maritime activity in the
Strait of Gibraltar.[24]
Permanent units
Though Gibraltar's current garrison is much smaller than it had been before the end of the Cold War, a sizable force still exists, including:[1]
Ministry of Defence (MoD)/HQ British Forces Gibraltar (145 military personnel as of 2023 plus 528 civilians under contract)[25]
^Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony.
"Gibraltar – The Dreadnought Project". dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 26 November 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.