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Ministry of Defence
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Major expansion for RAF Regiment as recruitment takes off
Armed Forces’ Minister Bill Rammell MP announced the move to Parliament today, by laying a Written Ministerial Statement in the House of Commons.
The new Field Squadron will be based at either RAF Leuchars in Fife or RAF Shawbury in Shropshire and a study is currently under way to determine which of the two stations is most suitable to host the new squadron when it is formed in October 2009. The location of the Force Protection Wing Headquarters will also be decided shortly.
The new unit is expected to be deployed to Afghanistan, as part of Operation HERRICK, in April 2011.
Recruitment and training for the additional 184 personnel needed has already begun. The move will bring the total number of Field Squadrons and Headquarters to 10, increasing the time that Regiment Gunners are able to spend at home in between overseas tours.
The expansion has been made possible by the RAF Regiment’s improved recruitment and retention performance. Commanders believe the excellent job carried out by RAF Regiment personnel in Iraq during Operation TELIC helped Showcase its unique and crucial role, and raised its profile in the public eye.
The RAF Regiment’s role is to protect deployed air bases, keeping personnel, equipment and infrastructure, and particularly aircraft approaching and leaving bases, safe from ground based threats. In Afghanistan, the Regiment protects airfields at Kandahar and Bastion, while in Iraq it has recently completed six years safeguarding the airfield at Basra International Airport.
Armed Forces Minister, Bill Rammell MP, said:
“The RAF Regiment provides essential protection to our air assets and armed forces serving on operations in Afghanistan. They are specialists in their role, and their work is vital in enabling air operations to continue despite hostile action.
“It is fantastic news that we are now in a position to be able to expand the RAF Regiment, ensuring the force structure is sufficient to sustain the expected high operational tempo without placing excessive demands on existing personnel.”
Group Captain Nick Bray, RAF Regiment Force Commander and Station Commander of RAF Honington, added:
“These measures are a welcome enhancement to our capability, and are a recognition of the crucial role played by the RAF Regiment on operations. I fully expect today’s news to have a positive effect on morale and retention, and I hope it persuades more young men to consider the benefits of a career with us.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The core elements of the RAF Regiment are RAF Force Protection (FP) Wing HQs and RAF Regiment Field Squadrons whose purpose is to protect deployed air bases. RAF FP Wing HQs provide FP planning, reconnaissance, mission analysis and subsequent Command and Control of FP for national and multinational forces at deployed air operating bases. RAF Regiment Field Squadrons are ground close-combat units which address ground threats to air assets and allow air operations to continue despite adversary action.
2. This enhancement will bring the RAF’s total capability to 10 FP Wg HQs and 10 RAF Regiment Field Squadrons two of which will be manned by the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
3. Increasing the number of FP Wg HQs and Field Squadrons will improve the RAF Regiment’s Unit (Operational) Harmony situation. These guidelines are to ensure sufficient resources to sustain the expected operational tempo without placing excessive demands on force elements or individual service personnel. The RAF aims to ensure that all units keep within their Harmony guidelines wherever possible but the scale and nature of our current commitments can mean that some units, such as the RAF Regiment, breach these guidelines at times.
4. An ongoing basing study has determined that the optimum basing solution for the new RAF Regiment Field
Squadron will be either RAF Shawbury or RAF Leuchars. The basing work for the RAF FP Wg Headquarters is at an earlier stage and the options have yet to be refined.
The studies are expected to be complete by Autumn 2009.
Full text of today’s Written Ministerial Statement
The RAF Regiment provides essential protection to our air assets and Armed Forces serving on operations in Afghanistan. They are structured, equipped and trained for this specialist role. Their RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and RAF Regiment Field Squadrons allow Air operations to continue despite hostile action, by protecting the base assets, personnel, and particularly aircraft on flight paths approaching and departing the base. They are currently delivering in this role on operations at a number of Air, joint-Service and international operating bases in Afghanistan and, until recently, in Iraq.
I should like to inform the House that in order to increase the RAF Regiment’s capability I have decided to establish an additional RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and RAF Regiment Field Squadron.
The new RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and Regiment Field Squadron will increase the time that their personnel spend between operational deployments, will bring harmony levels more into line with guidelines and will have a positive effect on retention of skilled personnel.
Recruitment and training are underway to meet the additional 12 personnel required for the RAF Force Protection Wing Headquarters and 172 personnel for the RAF Regiment Field Squadron. Both units will be formed in October 2009, and are scheduled to deploy on Op HERRICK in April 2011.
An ongoing basing study has determined that the optimum basing solution for the new RAF Regiment Field Squadron will be either RAF Shawbury or RAF Leuchars. The basing work for the Headquarters is at an earlier stage and the options have yet to be refined.
The final outcome of the studies are expected by Autumn 2009.
Images (to open please click on attached files):
RAF RAGT 1
A member of the Royal Air Force Regiment out on patrol around Kandahar air base, southern Afghanistan Picture:
Senior Aircraftman Andrew Morris, Crown Copyright/MOD 2007
RAF REGT 2a and 2b
Members of the Royal Air Force Regiment carry out a patrol around Kandahar air base, southern Afghanistan Picture:
Senior Aircraftman Andrew Morris, Crown Copyright/MOD 2007
RAF REGT 3 Members of the Royal Air Force Regiment fire mortors while protecting the perimeter fence around Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan Picture: Senior Aircraftman Andrew Morris, Crown Copyright/MOD 2007
For further information contact:
Squadron Leader Al Green
MOD Press Office
020 721 87950 / 07919 305864 / al.green633@mod.uk
Mr Ben Wilkinson
MOD Press Office
0207 218 9006 / 07768 316281 / ben.wilkinson668@mod.uk
