British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), the successor of the former British Forces Belize, is the name given to the current
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
Garrison in
Belize
Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
. The garrison is used primarily for jungle warfare training, with access to over of jungle terrain, provided by the government of Belize.
BATSUB is located near
Belize International Airport, at
Price Barracks,
Ladyville.
History
British Forces Belize
Belize – formerly 'British Honduras' – gained its independence from Britain in September 1981. However, Britain retained a deterrent force – British Forces Belize – to protect Belize from the threat of invasion from
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
to the south, which did and still does, claim Belize to be its own.
The British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), formed in 1994, is a successor to British Forces Belize, which was structured as such in 1989:
British Army Forces in Belize
*1st Battalion,
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...
, on six month
roulement.
*1 x Armoured Reconnaissance Troop, six month roulement.
*1 x Field Battery,
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, six month roulement.
*1 x Field Squadron,
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
, six month roulement.
*Detachment 2 Postal & Courier Regiment
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
, FPO Belize, BFPO 12
*24th Squadron,
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider defence forces. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and tr ...
.
*78th Ordnance Company,
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...
.
*
No. 25 Flight,
Army Air Corps.
Royal Navy Forces – Belize:
*
West Indies Guard Ship, as needed.
Royal Air Force – Belize:
*
No. 1417 Flight RAF
*
No. 1563 Flight RAF
*1 Air Defence Flight,
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by Royal Warrant in 1942, the Corps carries-out security tasks relating to the protection of assets and personnel dedicated ...
, six month roulement.
Recent
In 2010, the UK government announced it would mothball the facility as part of the
2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. However, in 2015, reports indicated that BATSUB was seeing "increased usage".
In November 2015, the UK government announced it was re-establishing the facility as part of its
2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. According to some Belizean media reports, the British decision to re-establish BATSUB could have been linked to rising
tensions between Belize and Guatemala.
Under the
Integrated Review paper announced by the UK Government in March 2021, Belize is to become a 'land hub', and could have personnel deployed more regularly and for longer durations. The unit is currently commanded by a
lieutenant colonel.
See also
*
Belize–United Kingdom relations
*
Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom
Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom enable the British Armed Forces to conduct expeditionary warfare and maintain a forward presence. Bases tend to be located in or near areas of strategic or diplomatic importance, often used for the b ...
References
Further reading
*Isby and Kamps, Armies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's Publishing Company, 1985
External links
*
British Army deployments
Military of Belize
Royal Air Force education and training
Belize–United Kingdom military relations
Military installations of the United Kingdom in other countries
Belize and the Commonwealth of Nations
United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations
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