The British army’s Welsh regiments should all be based in Wales rather than across the border in England when not on active service, the nationalist party Plaid Cymru has said.
Plaid’s call for all Welsh troops to come home follows the British government’s announcement it is to sell off almost a 10th of its defence sites, including the historic Brecon barracks in south Wales.
The party’s leader in Westminster, Hywel Williams, said: “Our hard-working servicemen and women should be allowed to be as close as possible to their friends, family and wider support networks when not on active service.”
The three Welsh regiments of the British army are all based in England: the Welsh Guards are at Pirbright, near Guildford in Surrey, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards in Norfolk and the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh at Lucknow barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire.
Williams said: “Recent assessments of the makeup of the Royal Welsh regiment, for instance, show that 98% of recruits are from Wales, but they are forced to move to Wiltshire, Norfolk or Surrey to serve their country.
“Despite there being several locations in Wales that are suitable for stationing regiments, the three Welsh regiments are stationed in England. Facilities in Wales are excellent.
“There is also a strong economic case to be made in favour of bringing our troops home. Data available up until 2008 showed that the Ministry of Defence spends less per head in Wales than in any other UK nation or region. That means Wales is losing out on the benefits to the Welsh economy of local procurement as a result of not having those regiments stationed in Wales.
“The government in Westminster must look again at arrangements for stationing Welsh regiments so that the welfare of serving individuals are made an utmost priority and our economy benefits as a result.”
There has been growing anger in Brecon, where there has been a barracks since 1805, at the announcement that the army’s Welsh headquarters will be shut in 2027. A storage depot nearby in Sennybridge is also to go, as is Cawdor barracks further west in Pembrokeshire.
The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said the government hoped to raise £1bn from the sale of MoD land across the UK and save £140m a year in maintenance costs.
An MoD source pointed out problems in Plaid’s call, including the issue that the Welsh Guards provide security for the Queen and so it makes sense for them to be based near London.
The source emphasised that Wales – including the Sennybridge training area - was used by many hundreds of soldiers, from across the UK, each year.
An army spokesperson said: “The basing of army units is deliberately designed to maximise military capability and flexibility that allows us to respond to the security challenges of these uncertain times.
“With over 2,000 military personnel based in the region, and soon to be the future home of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft repair hub, Wales continues to make a vital contrition to our defence capability.”
