Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK defence attaches are stationed in which Indo-Pacific countries.
Answered by James Heappey
The Department has a resident Defence Attaché in the following 18 Indo-Pacific countries:
Australia | Bangladesh | Brunei | China | Fiji |
India | Indonesia | Japan | Malaysia | Nepal |
New Zealand | Pakistan | Philippines | Republic of Korea | Singapore |
Sri Lanka | Thailand | Vietnam |
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Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK-based staff in his Department have been solely focused on relations with Asia Pacific nations in each year since 2010.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data on the detail of individual staff roles and responsibilities is not held centrally.
The publication of the Integrated Review in March 2021 affirmed the UK's increased focus and long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific tilt is a whole of UK Government effort with staff focused on delivering UK objectives across the region, including to strengthen defence, security and trade partnerships, and to and uphold and promote the international rules based system.
A significant and increasing number of FCDO roles in the UK and across the global network, involve an element of China policy. This shift in focus and resource has been underway for a number of years. The FCDO dedicated an additional £3 million in 2020/21 and a further £3 million in 2022/23 to increase our capability on China, including a significantly expanded China Department and new China-related roles in the overseas network.
In addition, the UK continues to increase focus on the region. We have doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Island Countries over the past three years. The UK now has six High Commissions in the Pacific including: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.
The UK also opened the UK Mission to ASEAN in 2019 to strengthen UK-ASEAN engagement. Since achieving ASEAN Dialogue Partner Status, the UK Mission to ASEAN has expanded with further roles planned by March 2023. We have also increased resourcing in a number of key Missions including Canberra, Jakarta, and Singapore. Recruitment is underway for new roles across trade, economics, cyber, media/communications, science and technology.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been stationed in Brunei in every year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been stationed in Oman in every year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops have been stationed in Qatar in each year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what UK military capabilities have been stationed in Singapore in each year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
Over the time period in question (2021 to present), our defence footprint in Singapore has consisted of: the British Defence Singapore Support Unit (BDSSU) that delivers logistic support, including refuelling and resupply capabilities, from Singapore's Sembawang Naval Installation as part of the UK's contribution to the Five Power Defence Arrangements; the Defence Section including our resident Defence Adviser (DA); and the British Defence Staff South East Asia, located in the British High Commission alongside the Defence Section. Other defence assets have visited Singapore in the course of their duties since 2021 but are not stationed there.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been stationed in the Indian Ocean Territory in every year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been stationed in Singapore in each year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been stationed in Nepal in every year since 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested by the right hon. Member for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in the following table:
Country | Year | Number of Personnel (Full time Service Personnel only) |
Singapore | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 10 | |
Brunei | 2021 | 160 |
2022 | 160 | |
Nepal | 2021 | 20 |
2022 | 20 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | 2021 | 40 |
2022 | 40 | |
Oman | 2021 | 80 |
2022 | 70 | |
Qatar | 2021 | 10 |
2022 | 30 |
The figures are provided as at 1 April of each year. Figures for 2023 are not yet available and we can provide an update to the Member when these become ready.
Notes:
UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.
Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out his Department's forecast of (a) the total FTE and (b) the change in FTE staff deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, broken down by nation for each year in the next five-year period.
Answered by James Heappey
Following the commitments made in the Defence Command Paper in support of the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt, the period since 16 March 2021 has seen an increase in both MOD personnel and MOD assets permanently deployed to the Indo-Pacific region.
This increase in personnel supports the expansion of the UK’s Defence Network, including the establishment of a British Defence Staff for Oceania, in Canberra and Defence Advisor and Attaché posts in Fiji and the Philippines respectively.
Over the same period, the number of assets in the region has also increased. Following the conclusion of the Carrier Strike Group deployment, HMS Spey and Tamar were permanently stationed in the region at the end of 2021.
As of 8 December 22, there are a total of 1,297 Defence Personnel deployed in the Indo Pacific, not including the Global Network.
Country | Number of Personnel |
Pakistan | 10 |
Indonesia | ~5 |
Nepal | 140 |
Brunei | 840 |
BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory) | 35 |
Australia | 20 |
Japan | 85 |
Singapore | 5 |
New Zealand | 10 |
South Korea | 50 |
Maritime – 2x OPVs on Defence Engagement tasks | 105 |
Total | 1,297[1] |
There is no specific figure forecast to increase the total FTE in the next five-year period. Defence will ensure that increases in personnel are commensurate with our commitments to the region as set out in the Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper.
[1] These figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, in order to reflect the adaptive nature of Defence activity, however, the total figure represents the number of UK Defence Personnel deployed on the 8 December excluding those personnel working in Defence sections or as part of the global network.