British Forces Belize Belize – formerly 'British Honduras' – gained its independence from Britain in September 1981. However, Britain retained a deterrent force – British Forces Belize – to protect Belize from the threat of invasion from
Guatemala to the south, which did and still does, claim Belize to be its own. The British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), formed in 1994, is a successor to British Forces Belize, which was structured as such in 1989: British Army Forces in Belize • 1st Battalion,
Welsh Guards, on six month
roulement. • 1 x Armoured Reconnaissance Troop, six month roulement. • 1 x Field Battery,
Royal Artillery, six month roulement. • 1 x Field Squadron,
Royal Engineers, six month roulement. • Detachment 2 Postal & Courier Regiment
Royal Engineers, FPO Belize, BFPO 12 • 24th Squadron,
Royal Corps of Transport. • 78th Ordnance Company,
Royal Army Ordnance Corps. •
No. 25 Flight,
Army Air Corps. Royal Navy Forces – Belize: •
West Indies Guard Ship, as needed. Royal Air Force – Belize: •
No. 1417 Flight RAF •
No. 1563 Flight RAF • 1 Air Defence Flight,
RAF Regiment, six month roulement.
Recent In 2010, the UK government announced it would mothball the facility as part of the
2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. However, in 2015, reports indicated that BATSUB was seeing "increased usage". In November 2015, the UK government announced it was re-establishing the facility as part of its
2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. According to some Belizean media reports, the British decision to re-establish BATSUB could have been linked to rising
tensions between Belize and Guatemala. Under the
Integrated Review paper announced by the UK Government in March 2021, Belize is to become a 'land hub', and could have personnel deployed more regularly and for longer durations. The unit is currently commanded by a
lieutenant colonel. == See also ==