Editing British Armed Forces (section)

==Present organisation==
===Command===
[[File:ElizabethIItroopingcolour crop.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Elizabeth in red uniform on a black horse|Then Commander-in-Chief Queen Elizabeth II riding [[Burmese (horse)|Burmese]] at the 1986 [[Trooping the Colour]] ceremony]]
{{See also|UK parliamentary approval for military action}}
[[File:Ministry of Defence Main Building MOD 45150121.jpg|thumb|The [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] building at [[Whitehall]], [[City of Westminster|Westminster]], [[London]]]]
[[King Charles III]], [[sovereign of the United Kingdom]], is the [[Head of the British Armed Forces|Head of the Armed Forces]],<ref name="Forces Queen and Armed Forces"/><ref name="army.mod.uk"/> with officers and personnel swearing [[allegiance]] to him. Long-standing constitutional convention, however, has ''de facto'' vested military authority and associated [[Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom|royal prerogative powers]] in the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]] and the [[Secretary of State for Defence|secretary of state for defence]], with the former (acting with the support of the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]]) making the key decisions on the use of the armed forces. The sovereign retains the power to prevent the unconstitutional use of the armed forces, including that of [[Nuclear weapons of the United Kingdom|its nuclear arsenal]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7758314.stm|title=Whose hand is on the button?|access-date=14 March 2009|date=2 December 2008|publisher=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221035555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7758314.stm|archive-date=21 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]{{efn|The current structure of defence management in Britain was set in place in 1964 when the modern day Ministry of Defence (MoD) was created (an earlier form had existed since 1940). The MoD assumed the roles of the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]], the [[War Office]] and the [[Air Ministry]] }} is the government department charged with formulating and executing defence policy. It currently employs 56,860 civilian staff members as of 1 October 2015.<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-2015 MOD civilian personnel quarterly report: 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311014359/https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-2015 |date=11 March 2016 }}, gov.uk, 1 October 2015</ref> The department is administered by the secretary of state for defence who is assisted by the [[Minister of State for the Armed Forces]], [[Minister of State for Defence Procurement (UK)|Minister for Defence Procurement]], and Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Responsibility for the management of the forces is delegated to a number of committees: the [[Defence Council of the United Kingdom|Defence Council]], [[Chiefs of Staff Committee]], Defence Management Board and three single-service boards. The Defence Council, composed of senior representatives of the services and the Ministry of Defence, provides the "formal legal basis for the conduct of defence". The three constituent single-service committees ([[Admiralty Board]], [[Army Board]] and [[Air Force Board]]) are chaired by the secretary of state for defence.

The [[Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the defence staff]] (CDS) is the senior-most officer of the armed forces and is an appointment that can be held by an [[admiral]], [[air chief marshal]] or [[general]]. Before the practice was discontinued in the 1990s, those who were appointed to the position of CDS had been elevated to the [[Five-star rank|most senior rank]] in their respective service.<ref>Hansard (1998), [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980512/text/80512w06.htm House of Commons Written Answers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917213955/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980512/text/80512w06.htm |date=17 September 2017 }}, publications.parliament.uk</ref> The CDS, along with the permanent under secretary, are the principal military advisers to the secretary of state. All three services have their own respective professional chiefs; the [[First Sea Lord]] for the [[Royal Navy]], the [[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the general staff]] for the [[British Army|Army]] and the [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the air staff]] for the [[Royal Air Force]].

===Personnel===
[[File:Soldiers Trooping the Colour, 16th June 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Welsh Guards]] [[Trooping the Colour]]]]
As of 1 July 2023 the British Armed Forces are a professional force with a total strength of 185,980 personnel, consisting of 140,300 UK Regulars and 4,140 [[Brigade of Gurkhas|Gurkhas]], 33,210 [[Volunteer Reserves (United Kingdom)|Volunteer Reserve]]s and 8,330 "Other Personnel".{{efn|Other Personnel includes personnel of the [[Military Provost Guard Service]], [[Regular Reserve (United Kingdom)|Regular Reserves]] called up for duty and the [[Sponsored Reserves]].<ref name="quarterly personnel report"/>}}<ref name="quarterly personnel report">[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2023/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-july-2023#uk-service-personnel]. UK Armed Forces: Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics. 1 July 2023. MoD. Published 17 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.</ref> As a percentage breakdown of UK Service Personnel, 77.1% are UK Regulars and Gurkhas, 18.8% are Volunteer Reserves and 4.1% are composed of Other Personnel.<ref name="quarterly personnel report"/> In addition, all ex-Regular personnel retain a "statutory liability for service" and are liable to be recalled (under Section 52 of the Reserve Forces Act (RFA) 1996) for duty during wartime, which is known as the [[Regular Reserve (United Kingdom)|Regular Reserve]]. MoD publications since April 2013 no longer report the entire strength of the Regular Reserve, instead they only give a figure for Regular Reserves who serve under a fixed-term reserve contract. These contracts are similar in nature to those of the Volunteer Reserve.<ref name="Regular Reserve">[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/314795/uk_reserve_force_cadets_2014.pdf gov.uk MoD – reserves and cadet strengths] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308182849/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/314795/uk_reserve_force_cadets_2014.pdf |date=8 March 2016 }}, table 4 page 13. See note 2. April 2014.</ref>

The distribution of personnel between the services and categories of service on 1 July 2023 was as follows:<ref name="quarterly personnel report" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Service !! Regular !! Volunteer<br />Reserve !! Other<br />personnel !! Total
|-
| Navy || align="right"| 32,360 || align="right"| 3,370 || align="right"| 2,480 || align="right"| '''38,220'''
|-
| Army and Gurkhas|| align="right"| 80,360 || align="right"| 26,760, || align="right"| 4,530 || align="right"| '''111,650'''
|-
| Air Force || align="right"| 31,710 || align="right"| 3,080 || align="right"| 1,320 || align="right"| '''36,110'''
|-
| '''Total''' || align="right"| '''144,330''' || align="right"| '''33,210''' || align="right"| '''8,330''' || align="right"| '''185,980'''
|}
On 1 April 2024, most personnel in the UK Regular Forces were stationed in the United Kingdom (around 96%).<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=13 Aug 2024 |title=UK defence personnel statistics - House of Commons Library |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7930/ |last1=Kirk-Wade |first1=Esme }}</ref>

Of the 5,700 personnel stationed overseas, around two thirds were in Europe (66%), while 14% were stationed in North America, 6% in North Africa and the Middle East, 6% in Asia and 5% in Sub-Saharan Africa.<ref name=":3" /> 1,230 personnel were distributed across several regions in Germany, primarily [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] as part of [[British Army Germany]]. However, up to 750 of these were Locally Engaged Civilians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allison |first=George |date=2024-10-26 |title=British troops in Germany draws down to 1,200 from 30,000 |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-troops-in-germany-draws-down-to-1200-from-30000/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Defence expenditure===
{{See also|List of countries in Europe by military expenditures}}[[File:Top ten military expenditures in US$ Bn. in 2014, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.PNG|thumb|Top ten military expenditures in billion US$ in 2014]]
According to the [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]], the United Kingdom is in sixth place in the world's military spending list in 2023.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date= |title=Trends in World Military expenditure 2023 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2404_fs_milex_2023.pdf#page=2 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=sipri.org}}</ref> For comparison: Great Britain spends more in absolute terms than Germany, Ukraine, France or Japan, similar to Saudi Arabia, but less than India, Russia, China or the United States.<ref name=":2" /> In September 2011, according to Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the [[Royal United Services Institute]], current "planned levels of defence spending should be enough for the United Kingdom to maintain its position as one of the world's top military powers, as well as being one of NATO-Europe's top military powers. Its edge – not least its qualitative edge – in relation to rising Asian powers seems set to erode, but will remain significant well into the 2020s, and possibly beyond."<ref>[https://rusi.org/system/files/RUSIBriefingPaperSept2011.pdf RUSI Briefing Paper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816202255/https://rusi.org/system/files/RUSIBriefingPaperSept2011.pdf |date=16 August 2016 }}, Is the UK Defence Budget Crisis Really Over?. Malcolm Chalmers. Published September 2011, p. 18</ref> The [[Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015]] committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence and announced a £178&nbsp;billion investment over ten years in new equipment and capabilities.<ref>{{cite news|title=UK announces rapid strike forces, more warships in new defence plan|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-defence-idUKKBN0TC0V120151123|access-date=23 November 2015|work=Reuters|date=23 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124125230/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/11/23/uk-britain-defence-idUKKBN0TC0V120151123|archive-date=24 November 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=PM pledges £178 billion investment in defence kit|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-pledges-178-billion-investment-in-defence-kit|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=23 November 2015|date=23 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123145305/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-pledges-178-billion-investment-in-defence-kit|archive-date=23 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On 8 March 2023 Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] announced a further £5bn in defence spending with a long-term goal of an increased spending to 2.5% of GDP.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 March 2023 |title=Rishi Sunak: China represents challenge to world order |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64943445 |access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref>

===Nuclear weapons===
{{Main|Nuclear weapons of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Trident II missile image.jpg|thumb|A [[UGM-133 Trident II|Trident II SLBM]] being launched from a {{sclass|Vanguard|submarine|2}}]]
The United Kingdom is one of five recognised nuclear weapon states under the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|Non-Proliferation Treaty]] and maintains an independent [[Deterrence theory|nuclear deterrent]], currently consisting of four {{sclass|Vanguard|submarine|0}} [[ballistic missile submarine]]s, [[UGM-133 Trident II]] [[submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s, and 160 operational [[Thermonuclear weapon|thermonuclear warheads]]. This is known as [[Trident nuclear programme|Trident]] in both public and political discourse (with nomenclature taken after the UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missile). Trident is operated by the [[Royal Navy Submarine Service]], charged with delivering a 'Continuous At-Sea Deterrent' (CASD) capability, whereby one of the ''Vanguard''-class strategic submarines is always on patrol.<ref name="CASD">[http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/operations/global/continuous-at-sea-deterrent Royal Navy – Continuous at sea deterrent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209103234/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/operations/global/continuous-at-sea-deterrent |date=9 December 2014 }}, royalnavy.mod.uk, Accessed 6 December 2014</ref> According to the British Government, since the introduction of [[UK Polaris programme|Polaris]] (Trident's predecessor) in the 1960s, from April 1969 "the Royal Navy's ballistic missile boats have not missed a single day on patrol",<ref name="CASD"/> giving what the [[Defence Council of the United Kingdom|Defence Council]] described in 1980 as a deterrent "effectively invulnerable to pre-emptive attack".<ref name="Future Deterrent">{{cite web | url=http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/6AC6FE79AE5E485DB3A2B579B6AE0654.pdf | title=The Future United Kingdom Strategic Deterrent Force | publisher=The Defence Council | date=July 1980 | access-date=17 May 2012}}</ref> As of 2015, it has been British Government policy for the ''Vanguard''-class strategic submarines to carry no more than 40 nuclear warheads, delivered by eight UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missiles.<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150120/wmstext/150120m0001.htm#15012039000004 House of Commons Hansard - Written Statements - Nuclear Deterrent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917213853/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150120/wmstext/150120m0001.htm#15012039000004 |date=17 September 2017 }}, publications.parliament.uk, 20 January 2015</ref> In contrast with the other recognised nuclear weapon states, the United Kingdom operates only a submarine-based delivery system, having decommissioned its tactical [[WE.177]] free-fall bombs in 1998.

The [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] voted on 18 July 2016 in favour of replacing the ''Vanguard''-class submarines with a new generation of {{sclass|Dreadnought|submarine|1}}s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36830923 |date=19 July 2016 |newspaper=[[BBC News Online]] |title=MPS vote to renew Trident weapons system - BBC News |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718213716/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36830923 |archive-date=18 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The programme will also contribute to extending the life of the UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missiles and modernise the infrastructure associated with the CASD.<ref name="WhitePaper">{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/AC00DD79-76D6-4FE3-91A1-6A56B03C092F/0/DefenceWhitePaper2006_Cm6994.pdf|title=The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent|date=4 December 2006|publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]|access-date=5 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206004317/http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/AC00DD79-76D6-4FE3-91A1-6A56B03C092F/0/DefenceWhitePaper2006_Cm6994.pdf|archive-date=6 December 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>

Former [[United Kingdom and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction possessed by the United Kingdom]] include both biological and [[Chemical weapons and the United Kingdom|chemical weapons]]. These were renounced in 1956 and subsequently destroyed.

===Overseas military installations===
{{Main|Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:United Kingdom overseas military installations and operations.png|thumb|British overseas military installations]]
{{Legend|#0000FF|Overseas military installations of the United Kingdom, and locally raised units of [[British Overseas Territories]].}}
{{Legend|#F0002B|Military interventions since 2000: [[British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War|Palliser]] (Sierra Leone); [[Operation Herrick|Herrick]] (Afghanistan); [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|Enduring Freedom]] (Horn of Africa); [[Operation Telic|Telic]] (Iraq); [[Operation Ellamy|Ellamy]] (Libya); and [[Operation Shader|Shader]] (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).}}

The British Armed Forces historically relied on four [[Imperial fortress]] colonies (Bermuda,<ref>{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Edward C. |author-link=Edward C. Harris |title=Bermuda Forts 1612–1957 |year=1997 |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |isbn=9780921560111}}</ref> Gibraltar, Halifax and its environs in Nova Scotia, and Malta),<ref>{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |title=SUPPLY—ARMY ESTIMATES |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1839/mar/22/supply-army-estimates |house=House of Commons |date=22 March 1839 |volume=46 |column_start=1141 |column_end=1142 |speaker=Sir Henry Hardinge |position=MP for Launceston}}</ref> where dockyards were established, naval squadrons based, soldiers garrisoned,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kennedy, R.N. |first=Captain W. R. |date=1 July 1885 |title=An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies |url= |magazine=Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine |location= |publisher=William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 37 Paternoster Row, London, England |access-date= |page=111}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=VERAX |first=(anonymous) |date=1 May 1889 |title=The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn's United Service Magazine) |url= |magazine=The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs |location= |publisher=LR Hamersly & Co., 1510 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; subsequently LR Hamersly, 49 Wall Street, New York City, New York, USA; BF Stevens & Brown, 4 Trafalgar Square, London, England |access-date= |page=552}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=George M. |last2=Sutherland |first2=Alexander |author-link= |date=1898 |title=MacMillan's Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies |url= |location=London |publisher=MacMillan and Co., Limited, London, England, UK; The MacMillan Company, New York City, New York, USA |page=184 |isbn= }}</ref> and naval and military stores stockpiled.<ref>{{cite book |last=Willock [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] |first=Lieutenant-Colonel Roger |title=Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda's Fortified Naval Base 1860–1920 |year=1988 |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |isbn=9780921560005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Donald Craigie |author-link= |date=1965 |title=The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870-1914 |url= |location=Baltimore, Maryland, USA |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |page=14 |isbn= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=MacFarlane |first=Thomas |author-link= |date=1891 |title=Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation |url= |location=Ottawa |publisher=James Hope & Co., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |page=29 |isbn= }}</ref> These acted as lynchpins in maintaining British naval supremacy on the Atlantic and its connected seas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Attack on Baltimore launched from Bermuda in 'War of 1812'|publisher=Atlas Communications|url=http://www.atlascom.us/defender.htm|year=2005|access-date=4 May 2023|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003233516/http://www.atlascom.us/defender.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>''The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975'', by Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D. Stranack. Bermuda Maritime Museum Press</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bermuda-online.org/britarmy.htm |title=Bermuda Online: British Army in Bermuda from 1701 to 1977; 1881 to 1883 |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821111911/http://www.bermuda-online.org/britarmy.htm |archive-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Dr. Edward Cecil |date=21 January 2012 |title=Bermuda's role in the Sack of Washington |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/archive/lifestyle/article/20120121/bermudas-role-in-the-sack-of-washington/ |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grove |first=Tim |date=22 January 2021 |title=Fighting The Power |url=https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/fighting-the-power/ |magazine=Chesapeake Bay Magazine |location=Annapolis |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Media, LLC |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref> As, until the end of the First World War, it was presumed the only navies that might prove a threat were all of countries on, or off, the Atlantic, no Imperial fortress was established in the Pacific or Indian Oceans, to which power would be extended from Bermuda and Malta following the completion of the Panama and Suez canals. Local-service military reserve units were raised in some of the Imperial fortresses (notably Bermuda and Malta), which could be embodied for full time service in war time to reinforce the regular garrisons, and these were funded by the War Office as part of the British Army. After the First World War, the growing belligerence and naval power of the Japanese Empire led to the construction of the Singapore Naval Base. The regular British Armed Forces otherwise were distributed around the world where required to guard against invasion or rebellion, reinforced in some colonies by locally raised reserve forces. In colonies where there was no strategic requirement, regular forces were rarely stationed, with local governments encouraged to maintain and fund military reserve units as contributions to their own defence (although these units were ultimately under the control of the national, i.e. British, Government via the colonial Governors as defence is not a competency that has been delegated to local governments). Under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance, and with the steady reduction of both the British Empire and the British Armed Forces over the decades that followed the Second World War, the significance of the three remaining Imperial fortresses (military control of Halifax having passed to the new Dominion government following the 1867 [[Confederation of Canada]], and naval control transferred in 1905 to what was to become the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]) rapidly faded. The Bermuda-based [[North America and West Indies Station]] was abolished in 1956, and the last regular army units removed from the Bermuda Command in 1957 (leaving only two part-time reserve units), with the naval dockyard in Bermuda reduced to a base,<ref>{{cite book |last=Stranack, Royal Navy |first=Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D |date=1977 |title=The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975 |url= |location=Bermuda |publisher=Island Press Ltd <!--., Bermuda, 1977 (1st Edition); Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, Royal Naval Dockyard Bermuda, Ireland Island, Sandys, Bermuda, 1990 (2nd Edition)--> |page= |isbn=9780921560036}}</ref> without repair or refit capabilities, in 1951 and finally closed in 1995, following the Cold War (United States and Canadian bases in Bermuda closed in the same period), leaving only the [[Royal Bermuda Regiment]] and the [[Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps]] there today.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/983/multiple=1&unique_number=1147 |title=World Heritage List: Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated-->  |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=28 July 2021 }}</ref> Malta became independent in 1964, and the last British armed forces personnel were removed from the former colony in 1979. Gibraltar continues to be used by the regular British Armed Forces, though the naval and military establishment in the colony (now termed a ''British Overseas Territory'') has been reduced to several Royal Naval patrol craft, the locally raised [[Royal Gibraltar Regiment]], and a Royal Air Force Station without aircraft based on it.

The British Armed Forces today maintain a number of overseas garrisons and military facilities which enable the country to conduct operations worldwide. The majority of Britain's permanent military installations are located on [[British Overseas Territories]] (BOTs) or [[British Empire|former colonies]] which retain close diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom, and located in areas of strategic importance.<ref name=europarl/> The most significant of these are the "Permanent Joint Operating Bases" (PJOBs), located on the four overseas territories of Cyprus ([[British Forces Cyprus]]), Gibraltar ([[British Forces Gibraltar]]), the Falkland Islands ([[Military of the Falkland Islands|British Forces South Atlantic Islands]]) and Diego Garcia ([[British Forces British Indian Ocean Territories]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-joint-operating-bases-pjobs/permanent-joint-operating-bases-pjobs |title=Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322052411/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-joint-operating-bases-pjobs/permanent-joint-operating-bases-pjobs |archive-date=22 March 2016 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |date=12 December 2012}}</ref> While not a PJOB, Ascension Island (another BOT) is home to the airbase [[RAF Ascension Island]], notable for use as a staging post during the 1982 [[Falklands War]], the territory is also the site of a joint UK-US [[signals intelligence]] facility.<ref name=europarl>{{cite journal|title=The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union|journal=Policy Department External Policies|date=February 2009|pages=13–14|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/sede300309studype407004_/SEDE300309StudyPE407004_en.pdf|access-date=21 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924052522/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/sede300309studype407004_/SEDE300309StudyPE407004_en.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Qatar is home to [[RAF Al Udeid]], a Royal Air Force outpost at [[Al Udeid Air Base]] which serves as the operational headquarters for [[No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group (United Kingdom)|No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group]] and its operations across the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news |title=UK and Qatar sign pact to combat jihadis and cyber warfare |url=https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4d16d268-629b-11e4-9838-00144feabdc0.html |access-date=3 November 2015 |agency=Financial Times |date=2 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108184343/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4d16d268-629b-11e4-9838-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=8 January 2015}}</ref> A large Royal Navy [[HMS Jufair|Naval Support Facility]] (NSF) is located in Bahrain, established in 2016 it marks the British return East of Suez.<ref>{{cite news|title=Royal Navy's new Bahrain base seriously enhances Britain's ability to defend the Gulf|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/10/todays-opening-of-the-royal-navys-new-bahrain-base-seriously-enh/|access-date=17 November 2016|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117211730/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/10/todays-opening-of-the-royal-navys-new-bahrain-base-seriously-enh/|archive-date=17 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In support of the [[Five Power Defence Arrangements]] (FPDA), the United Kingdom retains a naval repair and logistics support facility at [[Sembawang|Sembawang wharf]], Singapore.<ref name=europarl/><ref name="NP1022">{{cite book|title=Navy News (Magazine)|date=June 2011|publisher=Royal Navy|location=United Kingdom|page=11 Eastern Outpost|url=https://issuu.com/magarchive/docs/201106|access-date=22 June 2016|archive-date=25 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325173731/https://issuu.com/magarchive/docs/201106|url-status=dead}} ("''The White Ensign is still flying above the operations of Naval Party 1022 (NP1022), based at Sembawang Wharves in Singapore.''")</ref> Other overseas military installations include; [[British Forces Brunei]],<ref name="Brunei">{{cite web|title=The British Army in Brunei|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22792.aspx|website=www.army.mod.uk/|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609090139/http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22792.aspx|archive-date=9 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[British Forces Germany]],<ref name="Germany">{{cite web|title=The British Army in Germany|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22729.aspx|website=www.army.mod.uk/|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605063435/http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22729.aspx|archive-date=5 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[British Army Training Unit Kenya]],<ref name="Africa">{{cite web|title=The British Army in Africa|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22724.aspx|website=www.army.mod.uk/|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630055845/http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22724.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[British Army Training Unit Suffield]] in Canada,<ref name="Canada">{{cite web|title=The British Army in Canada|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22727.aspx|website=www.army.mod.uk/|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605063606/http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22727.aspx|archive-date=5 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[British Army Training and Support Unit Belize]], and [[British Gurkhas Nepal]].<ref name="Nepal">{{cite web|title=British Gurkhas Nepal|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/gurkhas/27825.aspx|website=www.army.mod.uk/|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=23 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704143134/http://www.army.mod.uk/gurkhas/27825.aspx|archive-date=4 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some British Overseas Territories also maintain locally raised units and regiments; [[The Royal Bermuda Regiment]], the [[Falkland Islands Defence Force]], the [[Royal Gibraltar Regiment]], the [[Royal Montserrat Defence Force]], the [[Cayman Islands Regiment]], and the [[Turks and Caicos Regiment]]. Though their primary mission is "home defence", individuals have volunteered for operational duties. The Royal Bermuda Regiment  is an amalgam of the [[Bermuda Militia Artillery]] (which had been part of the [[Royal Regiment of Artillery]]) and the [[Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Ingham-Hind |first=Jennifer M. |title=Defence, Not Defiance: A History Of The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps |year=1992 |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Island Press |isbn=0969651716}}</ref> raised in the 1890s as Imperial forces funded by the War Office as part of the British Army,<ref>{{cite book |last=Maurice-Jones|first=Colonel |author-link= |date=1959 |title=History of The Coast Artillery in the British Army |url= |location=UK |publisher=Royal Artillery Institution |page= |isbn=1781491151}}</ref> and both antecedent units sent contingents to the Western Front during the First World War. They also sent contingents that served in North-Western Europe, and Italy and North Africa during the Second World War. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment mobilised section-sized units for attachment to British regiments deployed during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1rg.gi/theregiment/regular/operations.qxp |title=The Royal Gibraltar Regiment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004525/http://www.1rg.gi/theregiment/regular/operations.qxp |archive-date=28 September 2007 |website=1rg.gi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.panorama.gi/archive/050110/updates.htm#More%20soldiers |url-status=dead |title=More soldiers from Royal Gibraltar Regiment in overseas duties in regiment's history |work=Gibraltar Panorama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004314/http://www.panorama.gi/archive/050110/updates.htm#More%20soldiers |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> The [[Isle of Man]], a [[Crown dependency]] hosts a multi-capability recruiting and training unit of the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|British Army Reserve]].<ref name="Isle of Man Army Reserve">{{Cite news|title=British Army opens first reserve unit opens on Isle of Man since 1968|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-34401508|journal=BBC News|access-date=24 October 2016|date=October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025115619/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-34401508|archive-date=25 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 1969 Britain has had a military satellite communications system, [[Skynet (satellite)|Skynet]], initially in large part to support [[East of Suez]] bases and deployments. Since 2015 Skynet has offered near global coverage.<ref name=defenceconnect-20160516>{{cite news |url=https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/intel-cyber/4-skynet-in-australia |title=Skynet in Australia |website=Defence Connect |date=16 May 2016 |access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>

===Expeditionary forces===
The British Armed Forces place significant importance in the ability to conduct [[expeditionary warfare]].<ref name="Adrian">{{cite book|last1=Hyde-Price|first1=Adrian (Professor)|title=European Security in the Twenty-First Century: The Challenge of Multipolarity|date=9 January 2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1134164400|page=Chapter - Britain, France and the multipolar challenge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqE4ssDSrOAC&q=European+Security+in+the+Twenty-First+Century:+The+Challenge+of+Multipolarity|access-date=26 June 2016}} Professor of International Politics, Adrian Hyde-Price, highlights that in the post-[[Cold War]] era both Britain and France have re-focused their attention ''"towards [[expeditionary warfare]] and [[power projection]]. Power projection has always been an element of British and French military thinking given their residual overseas interests, but it has now moved centre stage."''</ref> While the armed forces are expeditionary in nature, it maintains a core of "high readiness" forces trained and equipped to deploy at very short notice, these include; the [[Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime)]] (Royal Navy), [[United Kingdom Commando Force|UK Commando Force]] (Royal Marines), and [[16 Air Assault Brigade]] (British Army). Frequently, these forces will act as part of a larger tri-service effort, under the direction of [[Permanent Joint Headquarters]], or along with like-minded allies under the [[Joint Expeditionary Force]]. Similarly, under the auspices of [[NATO]], such expeditionary forces are designed to meet Britain's obligations to the [[Allied Rapid Reaction Corps]] and other NATO operations.

In 2010, the governments of the United Kingdom and [[France]] signed the [[The Lancaster House Treaties (2010)|Lancaster House Treaties]] which committed both governments to the creation of a Franco-British [[Combined Joint Expeditionary Force]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/nov/02/britain-france-landmark-50-year-defence-deal|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Patrick|last=Wintour|title=Britain and France sign landmark 50-year defence deal|date=2 November 2010|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202112114/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/nov/02/britain-france-landmark-50-year-defence-deal|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It is envisaged as a deployable joint force, for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, up to and including high intensity combat operations. As a joint force it involves all three armed Services: a land component composed of formations at national brigade level, maritime and air components with their associated Headquarters, together with logistics and support functions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/statements-and-articles/2010/11/uk%E2%80%93france-summit-2010-declaration-on-defence-and-security-co-operation-56519 |title=Tuesday 2 November 2010 UK–France Summit 2010 Declaration on Defence and Security Co-operation |publisher=Number10.gov.uk |access-date=26 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705102530/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/statements-and-articles/2010/11/uk%e2%80%93france-summit-2010-declaration-on-defence-and-security-co-operation-56519 |archive-date=5 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>