Iraq: Operation TELIC

House of Lords written statement – made at on 23 June 2005.

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Photo of Lord Drayson Lord Drayson Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Defence Procurement), Ministry of Defence, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Procurement)

In line with our policy of employing reservists as an integral component of the Armed Forces, we shall shortly begin mobilising approximately 600 of them to replace existing reservists serving in support of our operations in Iraq (Operation TELIC).

Reservists currently deployed in Iraq carry out a range of activities including medical support, force protection duties and providing individual reinforcements to units. We anticipate that most of these tasks will continue. The callout will, however, involve fewer reservists than our previous callout for Operation TELIC announced in December 2004 (which involved 900 reservists), due to a reduced number of individual reinforcements to regular units, and the replacement of the reserve field hospital with a regular one.

We plan to issue the callout notices for reservists in phases and aim to give individuals 28 days' notice of call-up (other than for those who may volunteer to be mobilised at shorter notice). As is customary, to ensure that we successfully mobilise the required number, we will need to issue a greater number of callout notices than the actual requirement. So, while this announcement calls for the mobilisation of about 600 reservists, it is by no means certain that all 600 will be deployed in Iraq.

Mobilisation will be followed by a period of individual, pre-deployment and collective training, integration into receiving units, and then a short period of pre-deployment leave. Deployment to theatre will begin in mid-October. The majority of those called out can expect a deployed tour of six months and a total period of mobilisation, including post-tour leave, of about 10 months, though for a few it may be slightly longer.

I emphasise that this callout is part of our routine management of UK forces deployed on Operation TELIC. We continue to consider, with our partners in the multinational force, the levels and dispositions of forces required in Iraq in the months ahead, to build the capability and capacity of the Iraqi security forces and support the Transitional Government of Iraq through the process leading to the creation of a new constitution and full democratic elections in December 2005.

The next roulement of regular UK forces in Iraq is due to take place during October and November this year. We will make a further announcement covering this roulement once the details have been finalised.