British Battlegroup

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British Battlegroup
UK Battlegroup

Active| 1 January 2005 – 30 June 2005[1]
1 July 2008 – 31 December 2008[2][3]
Country|  United Kingdom
Allegiance|  European Union
Branch| EU Battlegroup
Type| Rapid reaction force
Size| 1,500
Part of| European Union Military Staff
Garrison/HQ| London, United Kingdom
Commanders
Current
commander| General lieutenant Nick Houghton

Military unit

The British Battlegroup[4] or UK Battlegroup[1] is an EU Battlegroup, consisting entirely of British armed forces. It was on standby from 1 January, until 30 June 2005,[1] and from 1 July, until 31 December 2008.[2][3]

## Background

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The United Kingdom, as part of the European Union, contributed part of its armed forces to the EU Battlegroup scheme. This scheme puts a battlegroup composed of elements from one or more EU member states at the disposal of the European Council to be deployed as required. As one of the larger EU members, the United Kingdom contributed to two individual battlegroups. The British Battlegroup is made up entirely of British forces, while the other, the UK–Dutch Battlegroup, has the UK as the "framework" (i.e. lead) nation in the formation, in conjunction with forces from the Netherlands. The Netherlands also contributes to Battlegroup 107, alongside Germany and Finland.

## Composition and equipment

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The two UK-led battlegroups are formed from units declared to the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force, a rapid deployment element formed either from 3 Commando Brigade or 16 Air Assault Brigade, which are the elite commando and paratroop formations.[5]

## References

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1. ^ a b c John Reid (27 January 2006). "Lessons Identified from Battlegroups Initial Operational Capability". Hansard. House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
2. ^ a b Volpi, Valerio (2011). Why Europe Will Not Run the 21st Century: Reflections on the Need for a New European Federation. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 155\. ISBN 978-1443830522. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
3. ^ a b Landstrom, Gustav (February 2007). "Enter the EU Battlegroups" (PDF). Chaillot Paper (97). EUISS: 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
4. ^ Bonaiuti, Chiara; Lodovisi, Achille (2010). Sicurezza, controllo e finanza. Le nuove dimensioni del mercato degli armamenti (in Italian). Milan: Editoriale Jaca Book. p. 273\. ISBN 978-8816409279. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
5. ^ Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF): armedforces.co.uk

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Defence forces of the European Union

See also: Movement Coordination Centre · Air Group · Finabel · Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions · Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation · Personnel Recovery Centre

Multinational|

| Union level|

| Battlegroups|

* British Battlegroup
* Battlegroup 107
* Multinational Land Force
* Spanish–Italian Amphibious Battlegroup
* Battlegroup I-2010
* Nordic Battlegroup
* UK–Dutch Battlegroup
* Balkan Battlegroup
* Czech–Slovak Battlegroup
* Weimar Battlegroup
* EUBG 2014 II
* Visegrád Battlegroup

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Other|

* European Medical Command (PESCO)
* EUFOR Crisis Response Operation Core (PESCO)

Provided through
TEU Article 42.3|

* Eurocorps
* European Maritime Force
* European Gendarmerie Force
* European Air Transport Command
* Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade

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