Britain operates a substantial overseas network of military bases, encompassing 145 sites across 42 different countries, a report has suggested – with their locations pinpointed in a striking map.
The figure – which is far higher than has been presented by the Ministry of Defence – is highlighted in an analysis focusing on the UK’s global military presence, and published on the Declassified UK website.
Key locations include established bases in regions such as the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa, reflecting the UK’s commitment to maintaining a broad international footprint.
Some – for instance Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands – are well-known.
However, others – for example, one in Nepal, and another in Rwanda – are less well-known. Express.co.uk understands many of the facilities referred to as bases are likely
Cyprus hosts a total of 17 UK military installations including firing ranges and spy stations, with some of them located outside UK’s “sovereign base areas”.
UK personnel are based across 15 sites in Saudi Arabia, and at 16 sites in Oman, some of which are directly operated by the British military.
In Africa, British troops are located in Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali.
Several UK overseas facilities are located in tax havens including Bermuda and Cayman Islands.
The report further highlights the strategic significance of these bases for operational readiness, intelligence gathering, and power projection.
The map showcases the distribution of UK military presence worldwide, underlining both the breadth and scope of the UK’s international defence commitments, as well as its capacity to support various operational objectives.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute in July, General Sir Roly Walker, the recently appointed head of the British Army, outlined the concept of a joint force involving the integration and coordination of different branches of the military-Army, Navy, and Air Force – as well as other governmental and non-governmental organisations.
He said: “My vision for the British Army is to field fifth-generation land forces that set that joint force up for the ‘unfair fight’.
“Fifth Generation Forces in this context exploit advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and autonomous systems to integrate data from all domains for precise battlefield impact.
“And these forces will lie at the heart of NATO, and be filled with the best soldiers in the world, supported by incredibly committed civilian staff and leading industrial partners, and the nation itself, and providing value at every turn – societally, politically, internationally, economically, as well as just militarily.”
Referring to remarks by Defence Secretary John Healey, Gen Sir Roy added: “This is the One Defence mindset that the Secretary of State referred to yesterday and to which I fully subscribe.
“And to that end, I have a bold ambition to double our fighting power in three years and triple it by the end of the decade.”
The full list of 42 countries detailed in the map are:
Australia
Bahamas
Bahrain
Belgium
Brunei
Canada
Cyprus
Denmark
Djibouti
Falkland Islands
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hong Kong
Iraq
Italy
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabi
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Seychelles
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States
Yemen
Belize
Malaysia
Montserrat
Nepal
Nigeri
Rwanda
Saint Helena
Timor-Leste