Posted on 03/30/2014 1:14:54 PM PDT by Smartisan
LONDON — Britain is adding new headquarters and engineering buildings in Bahrain to better support its growing Arabian Gulf operations. Tucked away on the large US base that houses the 5th Fleet, the British facilities have failed to keep up with the UK’s burgeoning maritime footprint in the region. As of the start of March, gulf operations account for nearly one-third of all Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels deployed around the globe. Now a construction firm is preparing to build a larger headquarters for the British UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), as well as facilities to provide engineering and logistics support for four Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels based in Bahrain. “The UKMCC headquarters was formed in November 2001, with just eight people. ... Today, with a command spanning an area of operations across the entire Middle East, command of 14 ships and aviation assets, a significantly larger and increasingly multi-national and coalition mission, and 41 people in the UK headquarters, the original building is no longer fit for our purpose,” the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) said in a statement released late last month. The UK effort, worth nearly $10 million, is dwarfed by the US 5th Fleet’s own $580 million expansion. Still, the British investment signals continued commitment to one of the most sensitive and busiest stretches of international water in the world. “The two projects for an HQ and the waterfront support group were brought together in 2012 and a contract worth $9.7 million has just been awarded to American International Contractors. Building work will commence in a few months’ time, and it is anticipated that both buildings will be finished early in 2015,” said PJHQ, the Northwood-based organization that plans and controls UK overseas military operations.
(Excerpt) Read more at rpdefense.over-blog.com ...
is that a pic of 1/3 of all of Britains’ worldwide naval fleet?
yeah pretty much, but they have had a lot of budget cuts in their navy shipbuilding. more cynical.
The pic really was to highlight what sort of naval force is stationed down there.
In the pic you have a Bay-class, 3 of the 4 MCMV’s, and the T45.
In addition to what you see in the pic, will of course be the 4th MCMV, a T-boat (on rotation), maybe some survey ships, and another couple of RFA’s for supply and maintenance.
Certainly counts as an overseas naval station, hence the upgrade to the UKMCC re new HQ buildings(based out of the US Naval Station.)
Added to all that, you get fleet deployments to the region, such as the UKRFTG that spent a couple of months exercising down there recently.
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/Operations/Current-Operations/Operational-Deployments/Ex-Cougar-13
http://navaltoday.com/2013/08/12/uks-rftg-sets-sail-for-cougar-13/
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