Hansard

Military Attaches

Volume 477: debated on Monday 16 June 2008

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Dr. Fox

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attachés his Department had in post in each (a) city and (b) country outside the UK in each month since September 2007. (210644)

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

The following table shows resident Attachés/Advisers by country and city over the period in question.

Number of Attachés/Advisers at Post on 1st Day of Month

2007

2008

Country

City

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Afghanistan

Kabul

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Albania

Tirana

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Closed

Algeria

Algiers

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Argentina

Buenos Aires

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

Australia

Canberra

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Austria

Vienna1

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

3

3

Bahrain

Manama

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Bangladesh

Dhaka

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Barbados

Bridgetown

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sarajevo

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Brazil

Brasilia

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Brunei

Bandar Seri Begawan

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Bulgaria

Sofia

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Canada

Ottawa

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Chile

Santiago

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

China

Beijing

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Colombia

Bogota

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Congo, Democratic Republic of

Kinshasa

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Croatia

Zagreb

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Closed

Cyprus

Nicosia

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Czech Republic

Prague

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Denmark

Copenhagen

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Egypt

Cairo

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Finland

Helsinki

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

France

Paris

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

Georgia

Tbilisi

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Germany

Berlin

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Ghana

Accra

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Greece

Athens

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

Guatemala

Guatemala City

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Closed

India

New Delhi2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Indonesia

Jakarta

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Iraq

Baghdad

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Ireland

Dublin

1

1

Closed

Israel

Tel Aviv

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Italy

Rome

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Jamaica

Kingston

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Japan

Tokyo

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Jordan

Amman

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Kazakhstan

Astana

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Kenya

Nairobi

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Republic of Korea

Seoul

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

Kuwait

Kuwait City

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Lebanon

Beirut

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Lithuania

Vilnius

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Macedonia

Skopje

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Closed

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Morocco

Rabat

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Nepal

Kathmandu

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Netherlands

The Hague

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

New Zealand

Wellington

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Nigeria

Abuja

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Norway

Oslo

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Oman

Muscat

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Pakistan

Islamabad3

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

3

3

3

Poland

Warsaw

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

Portugal

Lisbon

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Qatar

Doha

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Romania

Bucharest

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Russia

Moscow

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Serbia

Belgrade

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Sierra Leone

Freetown

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Singapore

Singapore City

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Slovakia

Bratislava

1

1

Closed

South Africa

Pretoria

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Spain

Madrid

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

Sri Lanka

Colombo

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Sudan

Khartoum

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Sweden

Stockholm

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Syria

Damascus

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Thailand

Bangkok

1

1

1

1

1

1

Closed

Turkey

Ankara

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Uganda

Kampala

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Ukraine

Kyiv

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

United States of America

Washington

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

UK Mission to UN New York

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Yemen

Sana’a

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Zimbabwe

Harare

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1 Vienna has been established as a regional hub with three Attachés based there covering Austria and another six countries on a non-residential basis: Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

2 2 Senior Advisers (the Defence and Military Adviser and the Naval and Air Adviser) are supported by an Assistant Defence Adviser.

3 2 Senior Advisers (the Defence and Military Adviser and the Naval and Air Adviser) are supported by an Assistant Defence Adviser. An additional Adviser is now at post in the role of Assistant Military Adviser.

Over this period changes to the Defence Attaché network have been implemented as stated in the written ministerial statement issued by the Secretary of State for Defence on 17 September 2007, Official Report, column 125WS. These changes are:

Defence Sections have been closed in Albania, Croatia, Guatemala, Ireland, Macedonia, Slovakia and Thailand.

Attaché numbers have been reduced by one in Argentina, Egypt, France, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Poland, the Russian Federation, Spain and Ukraine.

A Defence Section has been opened in Kabul, Afghanistan and an additional Adviser has been deployed in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Vienna has been established as a regional hub with three Attachés based there covering Austria and another six countries on a non-residential basis: Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Dr. Fox

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department’s security objectives of reducing the size of the defence attaché network. (210645)

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

The ability of the MOD to fulfil its security objectives is not jeopardised by the reductions being made to the defence attaché network.

Dr. Fox

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether defence attachés from other EU member states assist his Department in countries where the UK has (a) a reduced and (b) no defence attaché section. (210646)

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

There are no arrangements in place for defence attachés from other EU member states to assist the UK Ministry of Defence in countries where the UK has a reduced or no defence section.