The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment is the home defence unit of the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

of the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...

. It is a

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

reserve unit of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

that was formed in 2020. The Regiment has an authorized strength level objective of 46 personnel, akin to that of a platoon-sized unit.

Background

The Turks and Caicos Islands, as a

, are defended by the United Kingdom.

Structure

The TCI Regiment state that they are a Contingent Military Force and have three main functions: #Defence of the Islands #Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance #Border Protection.

History

Governor Nigel Dakin announced in early December 2019 that the Turks and Caicos was going to build its own defence regiment, the Turks and Caicos Regiment, with the assistance of the United Kingdom

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, similar to the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Cayman Islands Regiment, the

Royal Montserrat Defence Force The Royal Montserrat Defence Force is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. The force has an authorized strength level objective of 50 reserve personnel as of 2021-22, akin in size ...

, the Falkland Islands Defence Force, and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. The Turks and Caicos Regiment, like the Royal Bermuda Regiment and the Cayman Islands Regiment, would focus on increasing the nation's security, and, in times of natural disasters, the regiment would be trained in engineering and communications. In mid-December 2019, a team from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence was on Turks and Caicos to start building the regiment. It is projected that the Turk and Caicos Regiment will become operational sometime in the third quarter of 2020. In spring 2020, a Security and Assistance Team from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence arrived in Turks and Caicos to assist with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and to help build the new Turks and Caicos Regiment. In early June 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Grant was appointed as commanding officer of the new Turks and Caicos Regiment. An additional five permanent staff and forty reserve posts consisting of non-commissioned officers and marines will be recruited later in 2020. Major John Galleymore was appointed as Second-in-Command of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment. The first passing out parade occurred in summer 2021. In late March 2023,

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Patrick Sanders, the British Army's Chief of the General Staff, visited the Caribbean on a number of meetings on British-Caribbean Defence. One of these stops was to the Turks & Caicos Islands, during his stop he met with the Governor, Premier, and the Turks & Caicos Islands Regiment. General Sir Patrick Sanders was made Honorary Colonel of the Turk & Caicos Islands Regiment. His visit was also joined by

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

The Rt. Hon. the Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton, the Honorary Colonel of the Cayman Islands Regiment.

Commanding officers

As of January 2020, the commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Grant.

Uniform

Cap Badge

The national challenges are represented in the Regiment's cap badge. Two symbols laid on top of one another. The Phoenix - a mythical bird that rises renewed and strengthened from the ashes of disaster, in Turks and Caicos Island’s case of natural disaster like

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

, and the crossed Tridents representing the support the regiment will provide to the protection of maritime borders both on land and sea.

Clothing

Personnel wear standard British Army uniforms. #No. 1 Dress - similar in cut & style to

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

#No. 8 Combat Uniform - standard MTP uniform.

Ranks

Ranks of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment are exactly the same as the rest of the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

and

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 ...

: Commissioned officers Non-commissioned officers

Equipment

Rifles

Pistols

Vehicles

Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment used the following vehicles as of 2025:

References

{{The British Army Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2020