British Forces Cyprus

Dhekelia Garrison

Following the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, the UK retained two Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia and an RAF air marshal was appointed as the Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas.[2] The Treaty of Establishment also provided British access to 40 'retained sites' in the republic of Cyprus; these included numerous radar stations, several ports, a range of accommodation and support facilities and a firing range.[3] In March of the following year British Forces Near East was created, the command of which was then held concurrently with that of the post of Administrator.[4]

On 1 March 1961, the Southern Group of Middle East Air Force became Near East Air Force and was based in Cyprus. By 1962, the title British Forces in Cyprus was in official use.[5] In 1976, as part of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office brief in preparation for the visit of the CENTO Secretary-General to the UK, it was recorded that:

..two Vulcan medium bomber squadrons, one Lightning all-weather fighter squadron, one Hercules transport squadron and one Whirlwind helicopter squadron were stationed on the island. It would be very difficult to relocate these forces and their training facilities to a base in a CENTO member state since an agreement would have to be negotiated. Besides, the United Kingdom would also have to pay the host nation for facilities granted. The sites in Cyprus were guarded by one infantry battalion, defended by a Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile squadron and one armoured car squadron. In fact, the Vulcans based at Akrotiri were ‘the only declared nuclear force in CENTO’ and the island played a unique part in the capacity of the air route of CENTO for the transfer of forces east of Suez in times of war. The radar sites and the fighter squadron were considered an extension of the NATO air defence system."[6]

British Forces Cyprus retains the right to use 13 retained sites with the remaining 27 having been returned to Cyprus after the Ministry of Defence no longer required them. The most recent sites to be returned were the Berengaria Married Quarters in 2011, because they had become obsolete and the firing range on the Akamas peninsula in 1999-2001. Its training value was deemed less important than the environmental damage inflicted on an ecologically important area and the consequent political liability to British Forces Cyprus.[7][8][9][10]

UK Sovereign Base Areas (pink)

Episkopi is the current location of Headquarters British Forces Cyprus. Commander British Forces Cyprus (CBF) and Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas is a two-star appointment, alternating every three years between a British Army major-general and a Royal Air Force air vice-marshal. Consequently, the Chief of Staff British Forces Cyprus (COS) is a one-star appointment from the opposite service of the commander.

Episkopi Cantonment is home to the Sovereign Base Areas Administration, the civilian authority in the territory.[3]

July 2020 organisation of British Forces Cyprus.

Atlas pallet loader of Joint Movement Squadron at Akrotiri

Within British Forces Cyprus are a number of permanently based units; however, the large proportion of British forces in Cyprus are rotated between Cyprus and the UK:

• Permanent Units
  • HQ, British Forces Cyprus
  • Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus)[11] (Ayios Nikolaos Station)
    • Regimental Headquarters
    • 234 Signal Squadron
    • 840 Signal Squadron RAF
    • Engineering Squadron
    • Support Squadron
  • Cyprus Communications Unit (an amalgamation of 12 Signals Unit RAF at Episkopi (1 June 1969 - 1 Sept 2002[12]) & 259 Signal Squadron, Royal Signals)
  • Cyprus Operations Support Unit
    • Military Transport Squadron
    • Joint Movement Squadron
    • Joint Engineer Squadron
    • Air Operations Squadron
  • No. 84 Squadron RAF
  • No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment (Resident Force Protection Squadron, August–December 2022)
  • Resident infantry battalions — usually two light role infantry battalions, one at Dhekelia and one at Episkopi, are permanently based on the island; the battalions are usually rotated every 1-2 years.
    • 1st Battalion The Rifles
    • 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
  • Cyprus Military Working Dog Troop, Episkopi
  • Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU), HQ Episkopi, a Tri-Service Military Police Unit consisting of Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and RAF Police.
    • 1 Platoon CJPU — Dhekelia
    • 2 Platoon CJPU — Episkopi
• Civilian Components
  • Sovereign Base Areas Customs
  • Sovereign Base Areas Police
  • Security Force Police
• Public Health and Environmental Health Services
  • Joint Services Health Unit (Formed in 1958)
    • HQ Akrotiri
    • No. 1 detachment RAF Akrotiri
    • No. 2 detachment Episkopi
    • No. 4 detachment Dhekelia

The Queen's and King's Divisions continue to rotate battalions through Cyprus every three years.[13]

The following officers have been in command of British Forces Cyprus:[14]

General Officer Commanding Cyprus District

• 18 March 1955 — Major-General Abdy Ricketts[15]
• 19 October 1956 — Major-General Douglas Kendrew[16]
• 11 October 1958 — Major-General Kenneth Darling[17]

Commander, British Forces in Cyprus

• 16 August 1960 — Air Marshal Sir William MacDonald[18] (Administrator of the SBAs from 1960)
• 16 July 1962 — Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Barnett, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East and Commander British Forces in Cyprus.[19]
• 25 September 1964 — Air Marshal T O Prickett; Air Vice-Marshal T O Prickett CB, DSO, DFC, was "appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force and Commander, British Forces in Cyprus, with the acting rank of Air Marshal in succession to" Air Chief Marshal Barnett, 25 Sept 1964.[20]
• 21 November 1966 — Air Marshal E G Jones "appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force and Commander, British Forces in Cyprus, with the acting rank of Air Marshal in succession to Air Marshal Sir Thomas Prickett"[21]
• 6 May 1969 — Air Marshal D G Smallwood[22]
• 2 July 1970 — Air Marshal W D Hodgkinson, Commander, British Forces Near East; AOC in C, Near East Air Force; Administrator, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia[23]
• 25 June 1973 — Air Marshal Sir John Aiken as Commander, British Forces Near East and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Near East Air Force[24] Still Commander British Forces Near East in 1974.[25]

Commander, British Forces Cyprus

• 1 April 1976 — Air Vice-Marshal R D Austen-Smith as Commander, British Forces Cyprus/Air Commander, Cyprus and, Administrator, British Sovereign Base Areas - Cyprus on 1 April 1976;[26]
• 28 April 1978 — Major-General W R Taylor[27]
• 3 October 1980 — Air Vice-Marshal R L Davis
• 31 March 1983 — Major-General Sir Desmond Langley[28]
• 29 October 1985 — Air Vice-Marshal K W Hayr[29]
• 21 April 1988 — Major-General J P W Friedberger[30]
• 1990 — Air Vice-Marshal A F C Hunter
• 25 March 1993 — Major-General A G H Harley
• 17 February 1995 — Air Vice-Marshal P Millar
• 16 January 1998 — Major-General A I Ramsay[31]
• 5 September 2000 — Air Vice-Marshal T W Rimmer
• 5 September 2003 — Major-General P T C Pearson
• 26 April 2006 — Air Vice-Marshal R H Lacey
• 16 October 2008 — Major-General J H Gordon[32]
• 4 November 2010 — Air Vice-Marshal G E Stacey[33]
• 3 January 2012 — Major-General R Cripwell[34]
• 20 January 2015 — Air Vice-Marshal M Wigston[35]
• February 2017 — Major-General J T E Illingworth[36]
• 25 September 2019 – Major-General R J Thomson[37]
• August 2022 – Air Vice-Marshal P J M Squires[38]

Operation TOSCA is the name given to the British contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The British Contingent (BRITCON) numbers between 200 and 300, and consists of three distinct parts:

• HQ BRITCON — responsible for the administration and support of the British Contingent.
• Force Military Police Unit — the FMPU is commanded by a major of the Royal Military Police, with seven other members of the RMP as part of the multi-national unit.
• UN Roulement Regiment — the URR has responsibility for patrolling Sector 2 of the Green Line in Nicosia.

The URR is drawn from across the Field Army, and will not necessarily be a specialist combat unit (infantry or cavalry), or even part of the Regular Army, as, since 2008, units of the Territorial Army / Army Reserve have undertaken deployments to the Green Line.[39][40][41]

One of the roles of the support units of BFC is to assist as needed the British units deployed with UNFICYP, which are not part of BFC, but are instead under the direct command of the United Nations.

• Cyprus Seven Trial
• Episkopi Cantonment
• Sovereign Base Areas

• British Army deployment Cyprus
• Permanent Joint HQ Overseas Bases Cyprus