Britain's forces heading for the Gulf
v.2.0 January 26, 2003

Forwarded by Gordon A. MacKinlay

Source: The Telegraph, January 22, 2003

In the region

Royal Navy: 1,000 personnel

Armilla Patrol: destroyer Cardiff; tanker Bayleaf.

Operation Oracle: frigate Cumberland.

Mine Counter Measures Group: minehunters Sandown, Bangor, Blyth, Brocklesby.

 Support: Sir Bedivere.

Submarine: One, nuclear.

Support ships: survey ship Roebuck.

RAF: 3,000 personnel

4 Jaguar GR3A - Incirlik, Turkey

2 Nimrod MR2, 2 Nimrod R2; SF C1a30K Hercules - Masirah, Oman

RAF transport hub; 6 C130, 2 E3D Awac, 2 Tristar tankers - Masirah, Oman

8 Tornado GR4 - Ali Al Salim, Kuwait

6 Tornado F3 - Prince Sultan airbase, Saudi Arabia

Tristar tanker - Muharraq, Bahrain

Deploying UK forces

Royal Navy: 3,750 personnel

Naval task force 03

aircraft carrier Ark Royal

assault helicopter ship Ocean;

destroyers Liverpool, Edinburgh and York

frigate Marlborough

minehunters Grimsby and Ledbury

one nuclear submarine

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: aviation support ship (primary casualty receiving ship) Argus plus seven other RFA vessels, including tanker Orangeleaf and supply ship Fort Victoria

Army:  20,000 personnel

1 (UK) Armored Div HQ and Signal Regt plus logistics units, engineers, medical personnel and military police

7 Armored Brigade

-         Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (46 Challenger 2 tanks)

-         2 Royal Tank Regt (46 Challenger 2 tanks)

-         Queen's Royal Lancers (28 Challenger 2 tanks)

-         1st Bn The Black Watch (46 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles)

-         1st Bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (46 Warrior IFVs)

-         1st Bn Irish Guards (28 Warrior IFVs)

-         1st Bn The Light Infantry (28 Warrior IFVs)

-         3 Regt Royal Horse Artillery (32 AS90 self-propelled guns)

-         32 Armored Engineer Regiment

16 Air Assault Brigade: 6,000 personnel

-         1st Bn Royal Irish Regt

-         1st Bn Parachute Regt

-         3rd Bn Parachute Regt

-         7 (Parachute) Regt Royal Horse Artillery (18 105mm light guns)

-         23 Engineer Regiment

-          Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, Household Cavalry Regt (12 Scimitar, 6 Spartan and 4 Striker armored reconnaissance vehicles)

-         3rd Regt Army Air Corps (Lynx and Gazelle helicopters)

3 Commando Brigade: 4,000 personnel

-         40 Commando Royal Marines

-         42 Commando Royal Marines

-         29 (Commando) Regiment, Royal Artillery (18 105mm light guns)

-         59 (Commando) Squadron, Royal Engineers

-         Commando Logistics Regiment

-         Queen's Dragoon Guards (armored reconnaissance)