Since April 2003, 20,601 members of foreign armed forces from 147 countries have received training at military establishments in the United Kingdom. All of these individuals will have received some form of hospitality from the training establishment, ranging from a basic welcoming reception to the provision of MOD service accommodation. This applies to all course places whether they are part or fully paid for by MOD, or whether the country in question pays for the training itself.
The principal objective of this training activity is to use British Defence assets in peacetime to discourage hostility abroad, build and maintain trust between states, facilitate inter-operability with British armed forces, and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces; thereby helping to make a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution. The provision of training is also undertaken for income generation purposes, but all offers of training are made only where they comply with wider Government policy on engagement and the relevant security restrictions applying to each country.
The list of countries receiving training and the total numbers of students trained by financial year is shown as follows.
Country 2003-04 2004-05 2005-061 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Afghanistan — * * * * * Albania * * * — * * Algeria * * * * * * Angola — * * — — — Antigua and Barbuda * * * * * * Argentina * * * * * * Armenia — * * * * — Australia * * * * * * Austria * * * * * * Azerbaijan * * * * — — Bahamas * * — — * * Bahrain * * * * * * Bangladesh * * * * * * Barbados * * * * * * Belarus — — — — * * Belgium * * * * * * Belize * * * * * * Bhutan — * — — — — Bolivia * * — — — — Bosnia-Herzegovina * — * — * * Botswana * * * * * * Brazil * * * * * * Brunei * * * * * * Bulgaria * * * * * * Burundi — — * * — — Cambodia — — * — — — Canada * * * * * * Chile * * * * * * China (inc. Hong Kong) * * * * * * Colombia * * * * * — Congo Rep — — — — * — Cote D’Ivoire — * — — — — Croatia * * * * * — Czech Republic * * * * * * Democratic Rep. Congo — — * * * * Denmark * * * * * * Djibouti — — * * — — ECOWAS (West Africa unspec.)2 — — — * — — Ecuador — — * — — — Egypt * * * * * * El Salvador — — * — — — Eritrea — * — — — — Estonia * * * * * * Ethiopia * * * * — * Fiji * * * * — — Finland * * * * * * France * * * * * * Gabon — — * * * — Gambia * * * * * * Georgia * * * * * * Germany * * * * * * Ghana — * * * * * Greece * * * * * * Guatemala * * * * — — Guyana * * * * * — Honduras * — * — — — Hungary * * * * * * Iceland — * * * — — India * * * * * * Indonesia * * * * * * Iraq * * * * * * Israel * * * * * * Italy * * * * * * Jamaica * * * * * * Japan * * * * * * Jordan * * * * * * Kazakhstan * * * * * * Kenya * * * * * * Korea * * * * * * Kuwait * * * * * * Kyrgyzstan * — * — — — Latvia * * * * * * Lebanon * * * * * * Lesotho — — * * — — Liberia — — — — * — Libya — * * — * — Lithuania * * * * * * Luxembourg * * — * * — Macedonia * * — * * * Malawi * * * * * * Malaysia * * * * * * Maldives — — * — * — Malta * * * * * * Mauritania — — — — * — Mauritius * * — * — — Mexico * — — — — — Moldova * * * * — * Mongolia — — * * * — Morocco * * * * * * Mozambique * * * * — — Namibia * — * * * * NATO and EUROCORPS unspec.2 — * * — * * Nepal * * * * * * Netherlands * * * * * * New Zealand * * * * * * Nicaragua — — * — — — Nigeria * * * * * * Norway * * * * * * Oman * * * * * * Pakistan * * * * * * Palestine — — — * * — Panama — — * — — — Papua New Guinea — — — — — * Peru — * * * * * Philippines * * * * * — Poland * * * * * * Portugal * * * * * * Qatar * * * * * * Republic of Ireland * * * * * * Romania * * * * * * Russia * * * * * — Rwanda — — * * * * Saudi Arabia * * * * * * Senegal * * * * * * Serbia and Montenegro * * * * * * Seychelles — — * * — — Sierra Leone * * * * * * Singapore * * * * * * Slovakia * * * * * * Slovenia * * * * * * South Africa * * * * * * Spain * * * * * * Sri Lanka * * * * * * St. Kitts and Nevis * — * — — — St. Lucia — — * — — — St. Vincent and The Grenadines * — * * — — Sudan — * — * * * Swaziland * — — — — — Sweden * * * * * * Switzerland * * * * * * Syria * * * * — * Tajikistan — * — — — — Tanzania * * * * * * Thailand * * * * * * Tonga — * * * — — Trinidad and Tobago * * * * * * Tunisia * * * — — — Turkey * * * * * * Turkmenistan — * — — — — Uganda * * * * * * Ukraine * * * * * * United Arab Emirates * * * * * * USA * * * * * * Uruguay * * * * * * Uzbekistan * * — — — — Venezuela — * * — — — Vietnam — * * * * Yemen * * * * * * Zambia * * * * * — Total 4,685 3,103 2,985 3,628 3,696 2,504 Total all years 20,671 * = Indicates personnel from that country commenced training at UK military establishments in that year 2008-09 figures are based on attendance in year to date. Where a course spans two plus financial years, the * indicates year that training commenced. There may be a few instances where a student was present in a “blank” year indicated with a “—” for this reason. 1 Records for FY 2005-06 for students attending Land Warfare Centre may be incomplete, owing to possible corruption of data when there was a change of databases. 2 Some attendance records only denote that the student was part of a contingent from ECOWAS or was from a NATO member. They would have been West African or Western European respectively, but otherwise nationality is unknown. Caveats: 1. Foreign military personnel attending exercises in UK and Exchange Officers are excluded. 2. Where one student attended two different courses he/she may be counted twice.