News story

Army return from Germany to boost UK economy by £1.8 billion

The UK economy is set to receive a £1.8 billion boost when the Army returns from Germany, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has announced today.

• From: Ministry of Defence, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and The Rt Hon Philip Hammond
• Published: 5 March 2013

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps returned from Germany to the UK in 2010 (library image)

Details of the investment in new bases and accommodation have been set out in the ‘Regular army basing plan’ which clarifies for the first time the Army’s future UK locations.

Around 70% of the Army will be brought back from Germany by the end of 2015, with the final 4,300 back by the end of 2019 - a move expected to eventually save £240 million a year.

The personnel will be based across the UK, with major concentrations around Salisbury Plain, Edinburgh and Leuchars in Scotland, Catterick in North Yorkshire, Aldershot, Colchester, Stafford and the East Midlands. The new basing plan will make the best use of the defence estate and provide better accommodation and facilities for our troops and their families.

The government is investing £1.8 billion in the new basing plan and £1 billion of this will be spent on building brand new accommodation. This will see around 1,900 new family homes being built and more than 7,800 new rooms for single soldiers, along with over 800 upgraded rooms for single soldiers and over 450 upgraded homes for families. The rest of the investment will be spent on technical infrastructure.

Major British Army sites in the UK, with future manpower totals shown [Picture: Crown copyright]

These changes will provide savings and efficiencies for the Army, a sustainable military footprint to support military operations, and certainty for personnel and their families.

Philip Hammond said:

By setting out our plans to bring troops back to the UK we are not only providing our Service personnel and their families with greater stability for their future but also generating a saving of around £240 million a year in operational running costs.

We are going to invest an additional £1.8 billion in our new basing plan, providing investment around the country, crucial jobs for local economies and the best possible accommodation for our soldiers and their families.

This work also supports and enables the Army 2020 structure, announced last year, which will ensure that the British Army remains the most capable Army in its class, adaptable and ready to meet the security challenges of the next decade and beyond.

General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, said:

This announcement is very welcome news for the Army. The plan provides an excellent springboard for operations overseas and it affords welcome certainty over where people will live.

A supporting document detailing the individual moves and the impact on local areas can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/regular-army-basing-plan

Published 5 March 2013