'Critical' Royal Marines to defend Cyprus from 'global threats' while HMS Dragon pre-positions near Iran
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British forces have been conducting intense patrols in the eastern Mediterranean since RAF Akrotiri was hit by a kamikaze drone
Royal Marines with air defence equipment will take on the role of protecting Cyprus replacing a Royal Navy warship.
Specialists from UK Commando Force’s air defence troop will bolster the protective shield around the island and eastern Mediterranean. Alongside Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, the personnel will wield Martlet missile systems that can deal with a range of aerial threats from missiles to drones.
Captain Smith, officer in command of the Air Defence Troop, said: “The Royal Marines Air Defence Troop plays a critical role in protecting the UK’s Sovereign Bases in Cyprus and contributing to wider regional security. Their ability to counter evolving aerial threats, combined with rapid deployment from the Arctic to the Eastern Mediterranean, highlights the versatility and readiness of the Commando Force in support of UK strategic objectives.”
They have taken the place of HMS Dragon, as the Type 45 destroyer sails to the Middle East in a pre-positioned manner near the Strait of Hormuz. She will join a multinational force aimed at keeping the strategic waterway once hostilities between a US-Israeli coalition and Iran end. The destroyer was originally deployed after RAF Akrotiri was hit by a kamikaze drone, believed to have been fired from a pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq.
Earlier in the year, the Air Defence Troop were deployed to Norway as part of NATO’s large-scale operations in the Arctic. By March, personnel withdrew from the region within 48 hours and redeployed to the eastern Mediterranean.
The Commandos are considered an invaluable UK asset, as they can be deployed at short notice to extreme environments. The unit is home to specialist teams with a flexible and rapidly deployable capability, who are able to protect Royal Navy warships and capable of boarding operations if required.
Brigadier Jaimie Norman, Commander of the UK Commando Force, said: “We are incredibly proud of the important role the UK Commando Force Air Defence Troop are playing in the defence of Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean. That they deployed at such short notice from warfighting mission rehearsals in the bitter cold of the Arctic is testament to their professionalism and the agility of the Commando Force. This deployment is just one example of how the Commando Force and the wider Royal Navy is responding to global instability and threats to both UK’s interests and our partners.”