World Military and Police Forces: United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Capital: London

Includes Northern Ireland which England has occupied by force for hundreds of years.

NATO member nation

Oil platforms in the North Sea.

10 Downing Street

Whitehall- Location of the Ministry of Defense (MOD)

Space Program
UK Space Agency

Military

Skynet military satellites.

Ballistic Missiles and Cruise Missiles

Trident II (D5) submarine launched ballistic missiles. Nuclear armed.

Tomahawk cruise missiles

Storm Shadow cruise missiles

Polaris submarine launched ballistic missiles (Retired from service)

Royal Air Force (RAF)

RAF Lakenheath
Used by the RAF and the U.S. Air Force. Believed to have around 30 U.S B61 nuclear bombs in storage.

Aircraft
F-35B stealth fighter aircraft (10)

Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets. (100)
May be equipped with Stormshadow guided missiles.

Tornado GR4 (119)

BAe Hawk trainer aircraft (86)

Short Tucano trainer aircraft (46)

Sentinel aircraft used for battlefield surveillance (5)

Britten-Norman Islander aircraft used for surveillance (3)

Nimrod aircraft

Airbus Voyager tanker aircraft (6)

VC10 tanker aircraft (4)

Merlin AW101 helicopters used for transport. (28)

Configuration for door mounted machine gun.

BAe Taranis stealth Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Under development.

Retired Aircraft
SEPECAT Jaguar attack aircraft

Valiant strategic bomber (retired from service in 1965)

Vulcan strategic bomber (retired from service in 1984)

Victor strategic bomber (retired from service as a bomber in 1993. Used currently as a refueling tanker aircraft) Last of the "V" series of British bombers.

Canberra light bombers (retired from British service in 1996)

Storm Shadow cruise missiles

ALARM (Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile)- British made anti-radiation air-to-ground missiles.

Brimstone air-to-ground missiles.

Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM)- Lightweight missiles that can be fired from a variety of platforms and engage a variety of different types of targets.

RAF Bases
RAF Lakenheath

RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire

RAF Leuchars in Scotland

RAF Menwith Hill near Harrogate in North Yorkshire- Includes a large communications and intelligence gathering facility.

Royal Air Force Reserve

Royal Navy

HMS (Her or His Majesties Ship) prefix to vessel names

Portsmouth and Devonport

Aircraft Carriers

Two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers equipped with F-35B Lightning aircraft and helicopters.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)

HMS Prince of Wales (R09)

HMS Invincible aircraft carrier (Decommissioned in 2005)

HMS Ark Royal (Scrapped in 2013)
HMS Illustrious. Invincible Class aircraft carrier (Retired in 2014)

HMS Ocean helicopter carrier (or Landing Platform Helicopter) Decommissioned by the Royal Navy in 2018 and sold to Brazil.

Royal Navy Sea Harriers were retired from service in 2006.
The Sea Harriers are to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

Destroyers (6)
Type 45 Class (or Daring Class)

Frigates (13)
Type 23 Class (or Duke Class)

Nuclear powered attack submarines (SSN)-7
Astute Class (2)

Trafalgar Class (5)

Nuclear powered submarines with Trident II ballistic missiles.(SSBN)-4
Vanguard Class (4)

Landing Platform Dock
Albion Class (2)

HMS Albion

HMS Bulwark

Albion Class assault ships can carry 1 Chinook sized helicopter or 2 smaller helicopters on the flight deck.

The Albion Class assault ships can carry 6 Challenger 2 tanks or 30 BV 206 tracked armored personnel carriers, 6 L118 105mm howitzers, 4 LCVP, Griffon hovercraft, 4 LCU which can carry 1 Challenger 2 tank each.

Patrol Vessels (24)

Mine Warfare Vessels (15)
Survey Vessels (4)

Naval Aviation
F-35B fighter aircraft.

Merlin helicopters used for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
May be configured for Sting Ray torpedoes and depth charges.

Lynx helicopters used for anti-submarine warfare.
ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles

BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles
Harpoon anti-ship missiles
Spearfish heavy torpedoes
Sting Ray light weight torpedoes

Trident II nuclear armed ballistic missiles.

Sea Viper (PAAMS) air defence system with Aster 15 or Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles.
Used on Type 45 destroyers.

Sea Wolf surface-to-air missiles. Used on Type 23 frigates.

Sea Ceptor (CAMM) air defense system to eventually replace the Sea Wolf system.

30mm Goalkeeper rotary cannons

Sea Dart surface-to-air missiles. Retired from service in the Royal Navy.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA)

3 Bay Class LSD (Landing Ship, Dock)
RFA Lyme Bay (L3007)

RFA Mounts Bay (L3008)

RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009)

6 Point Class sea lift vessels

Bay Class LSD can carry 1 LCU (Landing Craft Utility) or 2 LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel)

Armed with Phalanx CIWS, 2 Mark 44 mini guns, and 6 L7 machine guns.

SBS Special Boat Service

Royal Navy Reserve

Royal Marines

7,420 active duty personnel

Around 1,000 reserve personnel

Javelin anti-tank guided missiles

L16A2 81mm mortars

L17A2 under barrel grenade launchers for the L85A2 assault rifles

L7A2 machine guns (FN MAG)

L110A1 light machine guns

L115A1 sniper rifles (.338 Lapua Magnum)

L85A2 assault rifles

L107A1 9mm pistols

Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife

Royal Marines Reserve

British Army

114,000 active duty personnel

121,000 reserve personnel

35,000 Territorial Army

Parachute Regiment

Armored Corps

Scottish Division

Guards Division
Kings Division

Queens Division
Prince of Wales Division
The Rifles

Royal Irish Regiment

Royal Gurkha Rifles

Special Air Service

Artillery

Signal Corps

Engineers

Intelligence Corps

Tanks and Armored vehicles

Challenger 2 tanks (345)

Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (785)

BVS10 Viking armored personnel carriers (161)

Saxon armored personnel carriers (147 in storage)

FV107 Scimitar armored reconnaissance vehicles with 30mm gun. (325)

FV432 armored personnel carriers

AJAX armored fighting vehicle with 40mm cannon

ARES armored reconnaissance variant of the AJAX (6)

APOLLO

ATLAS

ATHENA

ARGUS

FV103 Spartan tracked armored personnel carriers

FV105 Sultan armored command vehicles.

FV104 Samaritan armored ambulances.

FV106 Samson armored recovery vehicles.

Mastiff (Cougar) 6x6 wheeled mine protected vehicle (304) U.S. made.

Ridgback (Cougar) 4x4 wheeled mine protected vehicle (155) U.S. made.

Wolfhound 6x6 wheeled mine protected vehicle (73) U.S. made.

Vector Pinzgauer light armored personnel carriers (179)

Tpz Fuchs 6x6 wheeled German made armored personnel carrier and Chemical and Biological Warfare vehicle (11)

Land Rover Wolf patrol vehicles (12,000)

Land Rover Snatch patrol vehicle (574)

Foxhound Force Protection vehicles (300)

Iveco Panther CLV Command and Liaison vehicles (412) Italian made.

Husky protected 4x4 wheeled support vehicles (236) U.S. made.

Land Rover utility vehicles
Supacat Jackal MWMIK (Mobility Weapon Mounted Installation Kit) 4x4 wheeled vehicles (270)

Supacat Coyote 6x6 wheeled tactical support vehicles

Quad bikes used for light transport of mortars, ammunition, supplies, etc.

FV101 Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicles with 76mm gun. Retired from service in he U.K.

FV603 Saracen 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers. Retired from service in the U.K.

FV1611 Pig or Humber Pig armored cars. Used extensively during the conflict in the Northern Ireland. Retired from service in the U.K.

FV601 Saladin 6x6 wheeled armored cars with 76mm gun. Retired from service in the U.K.

FV721 Fox armored reconnaissance vehicle. Retired from service in the U.K.

FV102 Striker missile carrier with Swingfire anti-tank guided missiles. Retired from service in the U.K.

Challenger 1 tanks. Retired from service in the U.K.

Chieftain tanks. Retired from service in the U.K.

Centurion tanks. Retired from service in the U.K.

Anti-Tank Weapons

FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles

MBT-LAW anti-tank guided missiles

Light Anti-Structures Missile or LASM (M-72A9 LAW) anti-tank rocket launchers

Swingfire anti-tank missile launchers. (Replaced by the Javelin)

HK GMG (Grenade Machine Gun) automatic 40mm grenade launchers

L2A1 .50 cal heavy machine guns

L7A2 machine guns

L108A1 light machine guns

L110A1 machine guns (paratrooper version of the L108A1)

L86A2 light machine guns (based off of the L85 assault rifle)

Barrett M82 .50 cal sniper rifles

L115A3 Long Range Rifle 8.58mm sniper rifles

L96 7.62mm sniper rifles

L129A1 sharpshooter rifles

L85A1 (SA-80) assault rifles

L1A1 rifle (British produced derivative of the FN FAL. No longer in service.)

Glock 17 9mm handguns (To replace the Browning L9A1)

Browning L9A1 9mm pistols

SIG P226 pistols

L9A1 51mm mortars

M6-895 60mm mortars

L16 81mm mortars (may be fired from a FV432 vehicle)

Artillery

Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System or GMLRS (M270 MLRS) 227mm multiple rocket launchers (42)

AS90 self propelled 155mm howitzers (166)

L118 towed 105mm howitzers (138)

Army Aviation

Britten-Norman Islander aircraft used for airborne reconnaissance.

Britten-Norman Defender aircraft used for airborne reconnaissance.

Westland AH-1 Apache attack helicopters. 30mm chain gun and Hellfire anti-tank missiles.

Westland Lynx utility helicopters.

Westland Gazelle helicopters

Dauphin helicopters

Watchkeeper UAV. Still being developed.

Hermes 450 UAV

Desert Hawk mini UAV
Black Hornet Mini UAV using Nano technology.

Intelligence Corp (IC)

British Army sniper training centre in Wales.

Parachute Regiment
Maroon berets

1st Battalion (1 Para)- Special Forces support
2nd Battalion (2 Para)- Airborne infantry
3rd Battalion (3 Para)- Airborne infantry
4th Battalion (4 Para)- Army Reserve paratroop unit

Special Air Service (SAS)

21 SAS Regiment
22 SAS Regiment
23 SAS Regiment

The SAS has a Revolutionary Warfare Wing.

Strategic Reconnaissance Regiment
Conducts covert surveillance and reconnaissance.
Green Grey berets

Brigade of Gurkhas
Composed of Gurkhas from Nepal
Used curved Kukri knives
Royal Gurkha Rifles, 1st Battalion
Royal Gurkha Rifles, 2nd Battalion

Queens Gurkha Engineers

Queens Gurkha Signals
Queens Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment
70 Gurkha Field Support Squadron

UKSF Signals Regiment- Provide communications for Special Forces

Air Defence

Rapier surface-to-air missile launchers (24)

Land Ceptor (CAMM) air defense system to eventually replace the Rapier.

Starstreak HVM surface-to-air missiles. High Velocity Missile. (229)

Javelin shoulder fired surface-to-air missiles. Developed from the Blowpipe.

Blowpipe shoulder fired surface-to-air missiles. Retired from service in the U.K.

British Army Reserve

Formerly called Territorial Army prior to 2014

Ministry of Defence Police (MDP)
Civilian police. Not part of the military. Around 3,440 personnel.

National Crime Agency

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

British Transport Police

Special Weapons

The United Kingdom has nuclear weapons.

Believed to have around 225 nuclear warheads. Has received much of its nuclear technology from the United States.

4 Vanguard Class submarines each armed with up to 16 Trident II missiles. Based at HMNB Clyde in Scotland.

Intelligence Agencies

General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)

British version of the NSA. Headquarters in Cheltenham.

Birdlip Radio Station on top of Shab Hill in Gloucestershire

"Doughnut" shaped facilities Benhall

Communication tower with a large "golf ball" top in a special enclosure on the west side of Birmingham International Airport
Project Tempora

ECHELON communications facility

MI5

Also called the Security Service. MI5 handles internal security threats, much like the FBI. Thames House headquarters along the Thames River in London.

MI5 A4 Watchers

MI6 (Secret Intelligence Service)

Handle external or foreign security threats. MI-6 officer training school at Fort Monkton.

Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC)

Defence Intelligence (DI)
Part of the Ministry of Defence

New Scotland Yard

Counter-Terrorism Command

The Information and Research Department (IRD) of the Foreign Office.

British Companies
BAe
British Petroleum (BP)
Shell (Royal Dutch Shell)- Joint Anglo-Dutch corporation
Land Rover
Alvis
Supacat
Cadbury
Tetley
Global Komited

Modern British Colonies

Northern Ireland

History

The Normans conquered a good portion of eastern Ireland in the 1100's.

By the year 1601, the English had all of Ireland under its control. In the year 1610, the English began a process of bringing more Protestant English and Scottish settlers into Ulster and deliberately displacing Irish Catholics from their homes.

After a long and dirty guerrilla war with the British occupation forces, most of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1921, forming the Republic of Ireland. Only six counties in predominately Protestant Northern Ireland remained under British control.

Six counties in British controlled Northern Ireland

County Tyrone which includes the city of Omagh.

County Antrim which includes Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey, Rathcoole. Belfast is in County Antrim and County Down.

County Fermanagh which includes Enniskillen

County Armagh which includes the cities of Crossmaglen, Portadown

County Londonderry (Derry) which includes the city of Derry (Londonderry), Coleriane

County Down which includes Warrenpoint, Bloomfield, Dundonald, Bangor. Part of Belfast is in County Down and County Antrim..

British military forces in Northern Ireland
Around 1,500 British soldiers remain in Northern Ireland.

British military and intelligence collusion with loyalist paramilitaries during "The Troubles".

Gibraltar

British colony in southern Spain. Overlook the strategic Strait of Gibraltar.

The Rock of Gibraltar

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

The Dhekelia and Akrotiri base areas on Cyprus
Approximately 3,000 military personnel

Sovereign Base Area Akrotiri
RAF Akrotiri near the city of Limassol
RAF Akrotiri is a Royal Air Force base often used as a base to launch attacks against targets in the Middle East.
RAF No 84 Squadron
Sentry AWACS aircraft (3)
Sentinel R1 radar aircraft (1)
VC10 aerial refueling aircraft (3)

Sovereign Base Area Dhekelia
Near the port city of Larnaca.
Ayios Nikolaos Station- Contains a GCHQ electronic eavesdropping station.

British Colonies in the Caribbean

Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks Island

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

South east of the Bahamas next to the Caicos Islands

Grand Turk Island

Cockburn town

Airport on each major island

Caicos Islands

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

Next to Turks Island. Airport or airstrip on each major island.

The “British” Virgin Islands

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

153 square km

Located about 100 km east of Puerto Rico

Consisting of three main islands. Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Tortola. About 36 islands total.

Population of around 24,000

Virgin Gorda Airport. Virgin Gorda National Park.

Anegada is located about 16 miles north of Virgin Gorda. Airport in Anegada.

Beef Island is connected to Tortola by the Queen Elizabeth bridge.

Beef Island International Airport on Tortola

Road Town on the island of Tortola is the capital of the British Virgin Islands.

Sage Mountain National Park on Tortola.

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, CEO and owner of Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, and a space program called Virgin Galactic, owns a small island in the “British” Virgin Islands. The previously uninhabited island, called Necker, lies between Tortola and Anegada.

Montserrat

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

102 square km

Capital: Plymouth
Located south of St. Christopher Nevis and South of Antigua and Barbuda.

Population of around 10,000 people

A major volcanic eruption in 1995 caused around 12,000 people to flee the island.

The last eruption was in 2003. Since then many people have returned. Some parts of the island may still be uninhabitable because of the volcanic activity.

Soufriere Hills volcano

Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF)

Volunteers who perform mostly support and ceremonial duties.

Approximately 20 personnel?

L1A1 rifles

Royal Montserrat Police Service

Anguilla

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

Located east of the British virgin islands.

102 square km

Population of around 14,108
Royal Anguilla Police Service

L1 rifles

Cayman Islands

(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

262 square km

Located south of Cuba and north west of Jamaica.

Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac are the three major islands.

Population of around 48,000 people

Grand Cayman is the home to the branch offices of more than 500 banks. The Cayman Islands are the banking center of the Caribbean.

Georgetown

Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman

Airports on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac also

Monetary unit called the Cayman Island Dollar

Income tax?

Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS)

Maritime patrol in small boats.

Air patrol in helicopter.

Grand Cayman is port call for the Royal Navy and U.S. Coats Guard.

366 enlisted and 54 civilians in the RCIPS (2006)

Cadet Corps

Bermuda
(Still under occupation by the U.K.)

Royal Bermuda Regiment

L85A2 rifles

G36rifles

L42A1 sniper rifles

FN MAG machine guns

Beretta 92 pistols

Glock 17 pistols

In the Atlantic Ocean

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda.

53 square km

Population of around 66,536

Airport

St. George

No income tax in Bermuda. Many U.S. companies from insurance companies to manufacturing companies have incorporated to Bermuda. Many others have incorporated the tax free havens such as the Cayman Islands. Offshore reincorporation reduces the U.S. Treasury Tax revenue by $70 billion annually.

Bermuda ranks first in the world in per capita income. (2007)

The Bermuda Regiment
Infantry battalion approximately 609 personnel
Based at Warwick Camp

Weapons
FN MAG machine guns
Mini 14 assault rifles (Standard Issue)
L1A1 rifles
M4 carbines
G36 assault rifles
L42A1 sniper rifles
Mossberg 500 shotguns
Uzi sub-machine guns
Sterling sub-machine guns
Beretta 92 pistols

QF 25 pounder field gun

Toyota Land Cruiser trucks
Toyota Dyna trucks

Small boats

British Colonies Off the Coast Of Africa

The British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

St. Helena (Under British Occupation)

In the South Atlantic near Africa

Around 1,300 km (800 miles)

Main island of the three.

Population of 4,255 (2008)

No indigenous population

Ascension Island (Under British Occupation)

88 square km (34 square miles)

In the South Atlantic around 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from Africa

Capital: Georgetown

Population of around 880 people. No indigenous or permanent population.

Ascension Island was a major staging area for British forces during the Falkland Islands War, and remains a major refueling point for British aircraft on their way to the Pacific.

Wideawake Airfield is used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF), and the U.S. Air Force. There is also a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, and a BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station there as well.

Traveller's Hill is a RAF base on the island.

Cat Hill is the U.S. Air Force base on the island.

Police station

Tristan da Cunha Islands (Under British Occupation)

In the South Atlantic near Africa

British Colonies in the Indian Ocean

"British Indian Ocean Territory”

Diego Garcia

Located in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia is part of what is called the "British Indian Ocean Territory". Shaped like a “V” with 3 small islands at the mouth of the “V”. Almost closes off into a lagoon. Tropical island about 11 square miles.

U.S. and U.K. strategic airbase on the British controlled island of Diego Garcia located below India in the Indian Ocean. 17 square mile atoll. The British took the native inhabitants of the island, called Chagossians or Ilois, off of their land. Most were relocated in Mauritius . The British paid them a small amount for compensation. Most of those who relocated to Mauritius live in poverty. Some were deported to the Seychelles. Most had made a living as agricultural workers and fishermen.

U.S. Naval Support Facility- Refueling and support station

B-2 bombers in shelters?

Refueling aircraft

The indigenous people of Diego Garcia were forcibly removed by the British and U.S. in 1971. Most were relocated to the Chagos Archipelago, or Mauritius or Seychelles.

British Colonies in South America

The Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

British Occupied territory

Claimed by Argentina

Falkland Islands Defence Force
Rigid Raider boats
Land Rovers
M2HB .50 cal machine guns
Steyr HBAR (Heavy Barreled Automatic Rifles) light machine guns based on the Steyr AUG.
L7 light machine guns
Steyr AUG assault rifles
Browning Hi Power pistols

Patrol boats with 20mm Oerlikon cannons?

1833- The British begin to expel Argentinians from the Falkland Islands and began bringing in British citizens, similar to the tactics used in the north of Ireland.

1982- Conflict in the Malvinas (Falkland Islands). Argentina recaptures the Malvinas. The British respond by sending two aircraft carrier groups and Royal Marines.

The two aircraft carriers from which they operate, the HMS Hermes and the HMS Invincible, carry Harrier fighter aircraft and helicopters. It took the two carrier groups two weeks to arrive near the Falkland Islands.

The British used the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II to help transport soldiers to the Falkland Islands. The cruise ship Canberra and ferries were also used to transport soldiers and equipment.

The battle at Goosegreen was won by the British through deception, by convincing the Argentinians that they were outnumbered by British forces, causing the the Argentinians to surrender. The majority of the Argentinian forces on the islands were conscripts and low level officers.

The British used night vision to their advantage during the duration of the conflict.

British and Argentinian forces used Canberra bombers and Blowpipe surface-to-air missile during the conflict.

As of 2011 the British are reinforcing their positions and bringing in more weapons and equipment to defend the Falkland Islands. The British are believed to be preparing to drill for oil on and around the Falkland Islands, hence the increased measures. Argentina has strongly objected to the idea of the Brtitsh. drilling for oil on an island that is considered their territory. Argentina also objects to the increased amount of British military hardware on the islands. A British nuclear submarine was spotted in the waters off the coast of the Falkland Islands

Ascension Island was a major staging area for British forces during the Falkland Islands War, and remains a major refueling point for British aircraft on their way to the Pacific.

South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands

(British Occupied Territory)