British Forces Cyprus facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids British Forces Cyprus
British Forces Tri-Service badge
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army Royal Air Force 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 for the British military groups based on the island of Cyprus. They are located in special areas called Sovereign Base Areas, which belong to the UK. They also use other agreed-upon sites in the Republic of Cyprus. The UK keeps its forces there because Cyprus is a very important spot in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It's a useful place for troops to stop before going to places in the Middle East and Asia. BFC includes all three main parts of the British military: the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy.

History of British Forces in Cyprus
How British Forces Cyprus is Organized
Commanders of British Forces Cyprus
Operation TOSCA: Peacekeeping in Cyprus
- Units in Operation TOSCA
British Military Locations in Cyprus
See also

History of British Forces in Cyprus

Dhekelia Garrison

When Cyprus became independent in 1960, the UK kept two special areas, Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The UK also got to use 40 other military sites across Cyprus. These sites included radar stations, ports, and places for soldiers to live and train.

Soon after, a group called 'British Forces Near East' was formed. Its leader also managed the special UK areas in Cyprus. In 1961, a part of the Royal Air Force in the Middle East moved to Cyprus. It was renamed the 'Near East Air Force'. By 1962, the name 'British Forces in Cyprus' was officially used.

In 1976, it was noted that Cyprus was very important for the UK's military. It helped with air travel for forces moving to areas east of the Suez Canal. Radar sites and fighter planes in Cyprus were also seen as part of a wider air defense system.

Today, British Forces Cyprus still uses 13 of the original 40 sites. The other 27 sites were given back to Cyprus when the UK military no longer needed them. For example, the Berengaria Married Quarters were returned in 2011. A firing range on the Akamas peninsula was returned between 1999 and 2001. This was because its training value was less important than protecting the environment.

How British Forces Cyprus is Organized

UK Sovereign Base Areas (pink)

The main office for British Forces Cyprus is at Episkopi Cantonment. The Commander British Forces Cyprus (CBF) is a high-ranking officer. This role switches every three years between a major-general from the British Army and an air vice-marshal from the Royal Air Force. The Chief of Staff British Forces Cyprus (COS) is also a high-ranking officer from the other service.

Episkopi Cantonment is also home to the Sovereign Base Areas Administration. This is the civilian group that manages the UK territory.

July 2020 organization of British Forces Cyprus.

Atlas pallet loader of Joint Movement Squadron at Akrotiri

Many British forces in Cyprus are rotated, meaning they come from the UK for a period. However, some units are based there permanently:

Permanent Units
- Headquarters (HQ), British Forces Cyprus
- Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus) at Ayios Nikolaos Station. This unit handles military communications.
- Cyprus Communications Unit.
- Cyprus Operations Support Unit. This unit helps with transport, engineering, and air operations.
- No. 84 Squadron RAF. This is a Royal Air Force squadron.
- No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment. This unit protects the forces.
- Resident infantry battalions. Two infantry battalions are always based on the island. One is at Dhekelia Cantonment and one at Episkopi Cantonment. These battalions usually change every two years.
  - 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
  - 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
- Cyprus Military Working Dog Troop, Episkopi. This unit uses trained dogs for military tasks.
- Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU), HQ Episkopi. This is a military police unit with members from the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police, and RAF Police.
Civilian Components
- Sovereign Base Areas Customs
- Sovereign Base Areas Police
- Security Force Police
Health Services
- Joint Services Health Unit. This unit provides health care.

Infantry battalions from the Queen's and King's Divisions continue to rotate through Cyprus every three years.

Commanders of British Forces Cyprus

Here are some of the officers who have led British Forces Cyprus:

General Officer Commanding Cyprus District

1955 — Major-General Abdy Ricketts
1956 — Major-General Douglas Kendrew
1958 — Major-General Kenneth Darling

Commander, British Forces in Cyprus

1960 — Air Marshal Sir William MacDonald
1962 — Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Barnett
1964 — Air Marshal T O Prickett
1966 — Air Marshal E G Jones
1969 — Air Marshal D G Smallwood
1970 — Air Marshal W D Hodgkinson
1973 — Air Marshal Sir John Aiken

Commander, British Forces Cyprus

1976 — Air Vice-Marshal R D Austen-Smith
1978 — Major-General W R Taylor
1980 — Air Vice-Marshal R L Davis
1983 — Major-General Sir Desmond Langley
1985 — Air Vice-Marshal K W Hayr
1988 — Major-General J P W Friedberger
1990 — Air Vice-Marshal A F C Hunter
1993 — Major-General A G H Harley
1995 — Air Vice-Marshal P Millar
1998 — Major-General A I Ramsay
2000 — Air Vice-Marshal T W Rimmer
2003 — Major-General P T C Pearson
2006 — Air Vice-Marshal R H Lacey
2008 — Major-General J H Gordon
2010 — Air Vice-Marshal G E Stacey
2012 — Major-General R Cripwell
2015 — Air Vice-Marshal M Wigston
2017 — Major-General J T E Illingworth
2019 – Major-General R J Thomson
2022 – Air Vice-Marshal P J M Squires

Operation TOSCA: Peacekeeping in Cyprus

Operation TOSCA is the name for the British military's part in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). This force helps keep peace between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. The British group, called BRITCON, has between 200 and 300 members. It has three main parts:

HQ BRITCON: This group manages and supports the British soldiers.
Force Military Police Unit: This unit is led by a major from the Royal Military Police. It works with other countries' military police.
UN Roulement Regiment (URR): This group patrols Sector 2 of the Green Line in Nicosia. The Green Line is a buffer zone that separates the two parts of Cyprus.

The URR is made up of different units from the British Army. Sometimes, soldiers from the Army Reserve (part-time soldiers) also help with these peacekeeping missions.

The support units of British Forces Cyprus also help the British units in UNFICYP when needed. These units are not directly part of BFC. Instead, they report to the United Nations.

Units in Operation TOSCA

Here are some of the units that have served in Operation TOSCA:

1973: 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment
1974: 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
1974: Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
1975: 1st Royal Tank Regiment
1976: 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment
1977: 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers
1978: 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1978: 3rd Battalion, The Light Infantry
1980: 1st Battalion, The Light Infantry
1980: 3rd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
1980: 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
1981: 1st Battalion, Green Howards
1981: 2nd Battalion, Queen's Regiment
1982: 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
1982: 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
1983: 1st Battalion, Queen's Lancashire Regiment
1983: 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
1984: 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
1985: 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers
1985: 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1986: 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
1986: 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
1987: 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
1987: 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Border Regiment
1988: 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards
1988: 12 Air Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery
1990: 2 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
1990: 22 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1990: Queen's Own Hussars
1991: 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars
1992: 5 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1992: Queen's Royal Irish Hussars
1993: 39 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1993: 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
1994: 7th Field Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
1994: 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery and Queen's Royal Lancers
1995: 12 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1996: 39 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1996: 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1997: 5 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1997: 1st Royal Tank Regiment
1998: 19 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1998: 47 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1999: 22 Regiment, Royal Artillery
1999: 1st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment
2000: 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2000: Queen's Royal Lancers
2001: 12 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2001: 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2003: 22 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2003: 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
2004: 40 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2004: 26 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2005: 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
2007: 10 Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2008: 32 Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals (first time a part-time Army Reserve unit was deployed)
2009: 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2009: 27 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2010: 40 Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals
2011: 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
2011: 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2012: 29 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2012: 101 Force Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
2013: 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2013: 28 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
2014: 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
2014: 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment
2015: Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
2015: Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
2016: 36 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
2016: 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
2017: 7 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2017: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
2018: Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own)
2018: 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
2019: 4 Regiment, Royal Artillery
2019: 27 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2020: 7th Battalion, The Rifles and 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
2020: 6th Battalion, The Rifles
2021: 6 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
2021: 1st Battalion, The Rifles
2022 – present: 21 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers

British Military Locations in Cyprus

The UK has military locations in two main types of areas in Cyprus: the Republic of Cyprus and the Sovereign Base Areas.

Locations in the Republic of Cyprus

Besides the special Sovereign Base Areas, the UK was allowed to use 40 other sites in the Republic of Cyprus for military purposes.

Name	Part of	Country	County	Opened	Units
Berengaria Village Married Quarters	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Limassol		This area used to provide homes for military families. It also had water supply facilities.
British East Mediterranean Relay Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Zygi		This station was used by the UK government to broadcast BBC World Service radio programs to Israel and the Arab world.
Troodos Leave Camp	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Troodos	1878	This camp provides accommodation for BFC members, visiting troops, and youth groups. It supports outdoor training activities. It also has homes for families, a shop, and support buildings. It is next to RAF Troodos.
RAF Nicosia and Camps	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Nicosia		This location is not currently used. It is inside the UN Buffer Zone, which separates the two parts of Cyprus.
RAF Mt Olympus Radar Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Troodos		This is a British long-range radar station located on the peak of Mount Olympus.
RAF Troodos	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Nicosia	1878	This is a remote station used for signals intelligence.
Kissousa Headwaters, Reservoir and Pumping Station	British Forces Cyprus	Cyprus	Limassol		This site provides a secure water supply for the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area.

Locations in Northern Cyprus

Three military facilities are located in the area known as Northern Cyprus. These are not currently used by British Forces Cyprus. This is because the UK does not officially recognize the government of Northern Cyprus.

Name	Part of	Country	County	Units
Famagusta Joint Services Port Utility	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta	This port facility is in Northern Cyprus and is not currently used.
Famagusta Family Shop and NAAFI HQ	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta	This shop and office are in Northern Cyprus and are not currently used.
Famagusta NAAFI Transport Yard	British Forces Cyprus	Northern Cyprus	Famagusta	This transport yard is in Northern Cyprus and is not currently used.

Locations in the Sovereign Base Areas

The two British areas in Cyprus, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, are important for the UK military. They help the UK project its military power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. These areas are also used for monitoring communications and gathering intelligence from these regions. They support other British military activities and offer 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	This is the main headquarters for 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	This is 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	This is the Joint Service Signal Unit (JSSU). It keeps secure communication links from Cyprus to the rest of the world. The station is also important for collecting signals data and intelligence from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.
Dhekelia Airfield	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area		This is a small airfield mainly used as a base for British Army helicopters.
Dhekelia Cantonment	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area	1960	This is the headquarters for the Eastern Sovereign Base Area. It has an infantry battalion, an engineer squadron, and other support units.
Nightingale Barracks	British Forces Cyprus	Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Eastern Sovereign Base Area