British military to leave Canada after 50 years for new Middle East base
The UK military is reportedly packing up shop and moving its training base from Canada to the Middle East.
The move to Oman is expected to be announced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace later this week the Telegraph first reported.
The relocation is thought to be part of modernisation plans for the army and will also put the UK military in a better strategic location close to its NATO allies.
A defence source close to the plans told The Telegraph: “If you only have 148 tanks and 22 of them are stuck in Canada, that’s 22 tanks that are not at readiness and not available to do anything operational.
“If they are training in Poland or Duqm, the logic is that they are having a more operational and deterrent effect.”
The British Army Training Unit Sheffield (BATUS) has been based in Alberta, Canada since 1972.
With 2,700 square kilometres of training space the base is equipped with more than 1000 vehicles, including tanks. More than 400 permanent staff and 1000 temporary deployed staff provide the UK military with live firing and manoeuvred exercise training.
A spokesperson for the Military of Defence told the Telegraph that Batus would not close before 2023 as a number of big tank exercises are scheduled to take place.
A small number of British army personnel will remain in Canada after the move.
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