Yrys
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 11
- Points
- 430
UK troops in Afghanistan 'to come under US command'
There are currently 10,000 UK
forces in Afghanistan
About 8,000 British troops based in Helmand province in Afghanistan
are to come under the operational command of the US, the Ministry
of Defence says. The move is part of a restructuring of Nato forces,
with command and control in southern Afghanistan split into two.
UK forces currently take orders from British Major General Nick Carter,
in charge of operations in the south. Gen Carter will now oversee
Kandahar, while US Major General Richard Mills will take on Helmand.
The command of the 1,100-strong British battle group based in Sangin,
an area which has seen a number of UK troop deaths recently, and
Kajaki will also come under US-led force from 1 June.
'Complexity increased'
Announcing the changes, Major General Gordon Messenger told a news
conference in central London that the changes made "complete sense"
and were "welcome". "The span and complexity of the command challenge
in southern Afghanistan has increased enormously in recent months and
these changes provide the best command support to the troops on the
ground," he added.
The UK force level in Afghanistan is currently 9,500, but with special forces
totals some 10,000. BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale previously
reported how the recent influx of American forces meant there were now
too many troops in too large a geographical area for just one command.
There are currently 10,000 UK
forces in Afghanistan
About 8,000 British troops based in Helmand province in Afghanistan
are to come under the operational command of the US, the Ministry
of Defence says. The move is part of a restructuring of Nato forces,
with command and control in southern Afghanistan split into two.
UK forces currently take orders from British Major General Nick Carter,
in charge of operations in the south. Gen Carter will now oversee
Kandahar, while US Major General Richard Mills will take on Helmand.
The command of the 1,100-strong British battle group based in Sangin,
an area which has seen a number of UK troop deaths recently, and
Kajaki will also come under US-led force from 1 June.
'Complexity increased'
Announcing the changes, Major General Gordon Messenger told a news
conference in central London that the changes made "complete sense"
and were "welcome". "The span and complexity of the command challenge
in southern Afghanistan has increased enormously in recent months and
these changes provide the best command support to the troops on the
ground," he added.
The UK force level in Afghanistan is currently 9,500, but with special forces
totals some 10,000. BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale previously
reported how the recent influx of American forces meant there were now
too many troops in too large a geographical area for just one command.
