Britian in Iraq - Operation Telic Factfile
Key factsÂ
UK COMMITMENT
Senior British Military Representative in Iraq (SBMR-I)
Lt Gen Chris Brown CBE
UK Troops in southern Iraq
Approximately 4,100
Total Numbers for Op TELIC
Approximately 6,500 (includes those not in Iraq, e.g. RN Ships in the Gulf and in neighbouring Gulf countries)
Current roulement
TELIC 13 (from November 2008)
Deaths of UK Personnel [Most recent: 11 December 2008]
179 (including 1 civilian). Of this number, 111 are classed as killed in action (including as a result of hostile action), 25 are classed as died of wounds and 43 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet been officially assigned a cause of death, pending the outcome of an investigation.
COALITION COMMITMENT
Contributing States to MNF-I
(This number does not include those states contributing to NATO Training Mission - Iraq (NTM-I)).
- States: Australia, Romania, UK and the US.
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM
Number of Iraqi Troops Trained
Over 585,000 Iraqi Security Forces have been trained and equipped by the Coalition.
KEY APPOINTMENTS
President
Jalal Talabani
Prime Minister
Nouri Kamil Al-Maliki
Defence Minister
General Abdel Qader Jassim
Foreign Affairs Minister
Hoshyar Zebari
Interior Minister
Jawad Al-Bolani
POLITICAL PROCESS
Constitutional/Political Milestones
15 Oct 2005 - Referendum on Constitution
25 Oct 2005 - Referendum passed
15 Dec 2005 - National elections
10 Feb 2006 - Final certified results announced
16 Mar 2006 - Iraqi Parliament inaugurated
20 May 2006 - Prime Minister forms government
31 Jan 2009 - Provincial elections
RECONSTRUCTION
UK Government Reconstruction Money
£544M between 2003 and 2006, an additional £100M pledged in November 2006, and a further £100M pledged in May 2007. A Total of £744M.
NUMBERS OF UK PERSONNEL DEPLOYED IN IRAQ
Approximate numbers of personnel deployed in Iraq:
- Peak during Major Combat Operations (March/April 2003)
- 46000 (includes troops deployed on Op TELIC outside of Iraq)
- Long-term enduring commitment likely to be around 350-400 personnel.
FORCES CURRENTLY DEPLOYED
20 Armoured Brigade have been in command of UK forces since early December 2008, and have provided the majority of British units serving in Iraq since that time.
The units deployed as part of 20 Armoured Brigade (and about to return home) are as follows:
- 20th Armoured Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (200)
- The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
- 35 Engineer Regiment
- 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
- 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
- 5th Battalion The Rifles
- 1 Logistic Support Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- 110 Provost Company Royal Military Police
- 606 Tactical Air Control Party
- 618 Tactical Air Control Party
- Elements of 1st Royal Tank Regiment
- Elements of 5th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 16th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 26th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 47th Regiment Royal Artillery
- Elements of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
- Elements of 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographical)
- Elements of 170 (Infrastructure Support) Engineer Group
- Elements of 2nd Signal Regiment
- Elements of 10th Signal Regiment
- Elements of 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare)
- Elements of 21st Signal Regiment (Air Support)
- Elements of 1 Regiment Army Air Corps
- Elements of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps
- Elements of 6 Supply Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 9 Supply Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 17 Port and Maritime Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 24 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 27 Transport Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 29 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps
- Elements of 1 Close Support Medical Regiment
- Elements of 22 Field Hospital
- Elements of 3 Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Elements of 101 Force Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Elements of 103 Military Working Dogs Support Unit
- Elements of 1 Military Intelligence Brigade
- Elements of 156 (North West) Transport Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteer)
- Elements of 148 Expeditionary Forces Squadron The Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteer)
- Elements of 28 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of 78 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Elements of Tactical Supply Wing
- Elements of Joint Helicopter Support Unit
LONG-TERM TASKS OF REMAINING PERSONNEL
- As part of the future bilateral relationship between Iraq and the UK (post-31st July) the Iraqis have suggested that they would like us to continue to provide specialist military training in Baghdad, and to the Iraqi Navy at Umm Qasr. This would see up to 400 UK Service personnel remain in Iraq after July.
- These personnel will deliver and support specific long-term training initiatives agreed between us and the Government of Iraq. Our aim is to focus on key strategic areas for Iraq where UK personnel can bring particular expertise to bear and make a real difference.
- We have offered to continue to provide Maritime support and Naval training, building on the impressive work done to date by the UK-led Coalition Naval Training Team at Umm Qasr, which is helping to develop a new Iraqi Navy.
- We expect that Royal Navy ships will continue to patrol the Gulf area and contribute to the defence of Iraqi territorial waters and its vital oil platforms.
- The Government of Iraq has also indicated it would like to continue arrangements whereby its military personnel receive military training and education in the UK. Recently Lieutenant Ali Kareem became the first member of the new Iraqi Air Force to graduate from RAF Cranwell with his "Wings".
- Full details of our precise roles in Iraq post 31 July are subject to a formal Memorandum of Understanding being signed by our two Governments. This is due to happen in the near future.
COSTS OF OPERATION TELIC
The annual audited figures for the costs of operations in Iraq for the years 2002/03 to 2007/08 were:
| YEAR | OPERATIONS IN IRAQ | EXPENDITURE ON CAPITAL | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/03 | £629M | £218M | £847M |
| 2003/04 | £1051M | £260M | £1311M |
| 2004/05 | £747M | £163M | £910M |
| 2005/06 | £798M | £160M | £958M |
| 2006/07 | £787M | £169M | £956M |
| 2007/08 | £1055M | £402M | £1457M |
| TOTAL | £6439M |
The cost of the UK's current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, over and above our planned expenditure, comes from the Treasury Special Reserve and does not impact on the spending of other government departments. By the end of the current financial year, we estimate that £13.2 billion will have been spent from the Reserve to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. In comparison, the annual budget of the NHS was £90 billion in 2007-08.
MILITARY AWARDS AND HONOURS
TELIC CAMPAIGN MEDALS 2003-DATE
| Service | Iraq Medal | Iraq Medal & Clasp | Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | 6403 | Â Â 4305 | Â Â Â 0 | 10708 | |
| Royal Marines | 3871 | 533 | Â Â Â 0 | 4404 | |
| Army | 60418 | 27011 | Â Â 81 | 0 | |
| Royal Air Force | 14755 | 4488 | Â Â Â Â 9 | 19252 | |
| Total | 85447 | 36337 | Â Â 90 | 121874 |