Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom

Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom enable the British Armed Forces to conduct expeditionary warfare and maintain a forward presence. Bases tend to be located in or near areas of strategic or diplomatic importance, often used for the build-up or resupply of military forces, as was seen during the 1982 Falklands War and the use of RAF Ascension Island as a staging post. Most of the bases are located on British Overseas Territories or former colonies which retain close diplomatic ties with the British government.

Apart from the main operating bases, the British military has personnel stationed at approximately 145 overseas military installations located across 42 countries.^[1] Most of these are small contingents. However, some sixty facilities are run directly by the British Armed Forces, including seventeen installations on Cyprus. Allied countries host British military personnel in some sixty-nine facilities, including in Oman, at sixteen locations, and Saudi Arabia, where there are fifteen.^[2] Six of the countries with a fixed UK military presence are featured on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's list of 30 "Human Rights Priority Countries": Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.^[3]

A number of British military operations have relied heavily on the strategic island of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. It has been used for major operations during the War on Terror, Operation Granby (1991), Operation Herrick (2001–2014), Operation Telic (2003–2011), Operation Shader (2014–present), Operation Desert Storm (1991), Operation Desert Fox (1998), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–14), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–11), and Operation Inherent Resolve (2014–present).^[4]

The Ministry of Defence has publicly stated that the British Armed Forces only operates on military bases in the UK, the United States (Creech AFB), British Indian Ocean Territory, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Singapore and the South Atlantic.^[5][6]