The announcement of a border deal between Spain and the UK that will see EU officials operate Gibraltar’s border crossings has been met with delight and derision, depending on where the reader sits on the political fence.
A British overseas territory, the deal will see Gibraltar (also known as the Rock) become an associate member of the European Union (EU), enabling free movement between Spain and the small territory, which had previously been the case prior to the UK leaving the EU in 2020.
However, whatever the civil, economic, and political pros and cons of the deal, which is still to be signed off by the governments of the UK and Spain, Gibraltar retains a significant UK military presence and is a key asset for the UK’s operations in the Mediterranean region.
Gibraltar: a jewel in the UK’s overseas crown
The UK’s military presence on a territory measuring only 6.8km² is significant, with assets or facilities that can effectively operate across the generally understood warfighting domains. All elements fall under the British Forces Gibraltar (BFG) banner, although delivered through each of the territory’s or UK’s branch forces.
- Royal Gibraltar Regiment:
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is a unit of the British Army, raised by Governor of Gibraltar and committed to a full-time role within UK defence under operational command of Commander Strategic Command. The regiment is around 250-400 personnel strong, depending on retention and recruitment figures.
In 1991 the last UK-based infantry battalion left Gibraltar and the role of defending and securing the Rock was taken up by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. According to the British Army, the regiment is a light role infantry unit, optimised for the portion of key strategic assets in Gibraltar and British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) in conjunction with the Royal Navy’s Gibraltar squadron.
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By GlobalData- Gibraltar Squadron:
The Royal Navy’s Gibraltar Squadron is the sole permanent naval force based at the territory and is equipped with two Cutlass-class fast patrol boats, a diving support vessel, and smaller rigid hull inflatable boats. The Gibraltar Squadron is often tasked with escorting in visiting naval vessels and submarines.
Delivered in 2021, the Cutlass class are an improvement over the previous Scimitar-class vessels attached to the Gibraltar Squadron, being larger (19m vs 16m), faster (41kt vs 32kt), and able to equip more weaponry (3 x GPMG vs 2 c GPMG).
- RAF Gibraltar:
RAF Gibraltar is located on the northern end of the Gibraltar peninsula, providing an staging post for aircraft on operations and in support of larger RAF facilities elsewhere in the region, notably Cyprus.
Although the base does not have a fixed aviation wing, it regularly receives transport aircraft such the C-17 and A400M, and also provides airlift for UK military personnel moving in and out of BFG operations.
The Government of Gibraltar also operates a civilian air terminal on the north side of the airfield, serving the wider territory, which has a population of around 38,000 people.
Additional capabilities of BFG
Situated at the northern tip of the Strait of Gibraltar, the strategic benefit in maintaining a tri-service force in the territory is considerable. UK forces also maintain a secretive strategic communications intelligence (COMINT) capability to monitor airwaves and digital spectrum in the region.
The UK has control over element of Gibraltar’s port infrastructure as well, comprised as HMNB (Gibraltar) Dockyard Port. Facilities include five naval warship berths maintained at varying readiness, including two capable of receiving nuclear powered submarines.
