The UK Joint Logistics Support Base (UKJLSB) is a military base located within the Al Duqm Port & Drydock of Duqm,

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

. As a British overseas military base, it is used to facilitate the deployment of the British Armed Forces in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

History

In March 2016, the British government secured a joint venture between the British-based

Babcock International Babcock International Group plc is a British aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company based in London, England. It specialises in managing complex assets and infrastructure. Although the company has civil contracts, its main b ...

and the Omani-based Oman Drydock Company to develop the Al Duqm Port & Drydock into a strategic port capable of supporting naval operations. An agreement was subsequently announced to construct logistical support infrastructure especially for the British Armed Forces, named the UK Joint Logistics Support Base (UKJLSB), in August 2017. The location was chosen by the UK due to its strategic position, which is east of the Suez Canal but outside the Persian Gulf. It is part of the UK's wider foreign policy strategy to re-engage globally after

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...

, in particular within the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and Asia-Pacific. Other British military bases within the region include HMS ''Jufair'' and RAF Al Udeid, which are located in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

and

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, respectively. Prior to construction, the Royal Navy helped survey the approaches to the harbour. Following construction by Babcock International, the UKJLSB was officially opened in October 2018 and was used during Exercise Saif Sareea 3, the largest British military exercise in the region for over 15 years. The base is large enough to accommodate the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's nuclear submarines and

Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier The ''Queen Elizabeth'' class is a class of two aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy which are the central components of the UK Carrier Strike Group. The lead ship, , was named on 4 July 2014, in honour of Elizabeth I. She wa ...

s, which will utilize the facilities operationally from 2021. Dry dock facilities large enough to accommodate the aircraft carriers are also available for use. As a joint base, it is controlled by Strategic Command (previously Joint Forces Command) and is currently leased for 37 years. HMS Queen Elizabeth Duqm Port Oman

During a trip to the Middle East in September 2020, British

Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...

Ben Wallace announced that the UKJLSB would be tripled in size following a £23.8 million investment to better facilitate

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

training. Another facility, a joint training area, was also established in the nearby Ras Madrakah training area, named the Omani-British Joint Training Area, in 2019. In January 2021, the

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...

became the first Royal Navy ship to be overhauled at the facility. In November 2021, the base hosted HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' and her strike group for the first time prior to their participation in joint military training with Omani forces.

References

{{Coord, 19.6685, 57.7061, region:OM, format=dms, display=title Military installations of the United Kingdom Military installations of the United Kingdom in other countries

History

See also

References