Rhondda MP Chris Bryant has raised his concerns about the future of the army’s presence here in Wales including the possible closure of its Brecon HQ.
Mr Bryant claims talks have been taking place which could lead to the full merger of the Welsh brigade which already comes under the responsibility of the West Midlands division.
And he reckons those talks could involve getting rid of the Brigadier based at Brecon or even closing that HQ in Brecon.
Mr Bryant said,
There are secret conversations going on at the moment within the army, within the Government, thinking about combining the Welsh brigade with the West Midlands and taking the HQ away from Brecon.
That’ll mean a loss of jobs, loss of influence and I think it’ll mean the downgrading of the British army in Wales.
That’ll be a big mistake and yet another example of the government turning its back on Wales.
The Ministry of Defence says that discussions are ongoing about how all three forces will be reorganised as part of the Government’s strategic defence review.
It’s confirmed that those discussion are looking at how Wales can play its part in that review.
But it says no decision has been made and the MOD wants to ‘retain its footprint’ across the UK.
UPDATE 1800 – here’s the official statement from the MOD:
The army are looking at ways to ensure that the organisational structure is as effective as possible but no decisions have yet been made. Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said that he is keen to maintain a military footprint in Wales.
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I would suggest there will for the foreseeable future at least, always be a strong military footprint in Wales, especially in the area surrounding Brecon.
The Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) is a vital training tool for the MOD, and the conditions that it provides for our Armed Forces are second to none.
This combined with the Infantry Battle School, Brecon mean that I believe the future of the Military in Wales is safe, for now.
As for the stream lining of the organisational structure, then yes I could see the role of 160 Wales Brigade changing. But I think to remove the role entirely would be short sighted. Whilst there may not be many Regular Regiments based in Wales anymore, it’s still a large recruiting area. This combined with training issues, territorial units and the welfare for Welsh military families, would I hope ensure that an administrative hub remains active in Wales.
Captain (Retd) James Banks
http://www.jamesbanksdefence.wordpress.com