Getting to know British Forces Cyprus and the SBA Administration

British Forces Cyprus and the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs), which includes Akrotiri, Episkopi, Dhekelia and Ayios Nikolaos, have remained under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom on the island of Cyprus since its independence in 1960.

Separated into the Western SBA (Akrotiri, Episkopi,) and the Eastern SBA (Dhekelia, Ayios Nikolaos) the ‘British Bases’ as they are better known in the region, cover just under three per cent of land on the island, or 98 square miles.

The Bases, a widely-used ‘catch all’ term, is comprised of two very distinct and separate arms, British Forces Cyprus and the SBA Administration.

With its headquarters in Episkopi, the SBA Administration (SBAA) is the civil administration for the UK overseas territory and is responsible for a range of interests that any civil government would undertake, including law and justice, customs and immigration and environmental projects.

The SBAs also has its own police force — the SBA Police — which is manned by more than 200 Cypriot officers, tackling a whole host of issues, including the widely-publicised illegal bird trapping, which has now almost been eradicated in the Bases as a result of the SBA Police’s commitment to the issue.

The unique environment and its location on the island also see approximately 12,000 Cypriots living within the SBAs and that number is topped up by close to 4,000 military and UK-based personnel and their dependants posted to the island. Together, they run the organisation alongside hundreds of Locally Employed Civilians (LECs).

The SBA Administration plays a key role in maintaining a close relationship with the Republic of Cyprus, and Area Offices, manned by LECs in both Dhekelia and Akrotiri, are the main conduit between the organisation and the Cypriot citizens living within the SBAs. They also liaise with residents and the RoC authorities on numerous issues, including land development and business licences.

British Forces Cyprus, the military arm of the Bases, is well-known throughout Cyprus and with the Headquarters also based in Episkopi, it is very much the public face of the organisation. Headed up by a two-star military commander who wears two hats, the Bases Administrator — the head of the SBAs, and Commander British Forces Cyprus.

Military personnel are located in both the ESBA and the WSBA, with Resident Infantry Battalions (RIBs) stationed in Dhekelia and Episkopi, accompanied by their families, carrying out a range of on-island roles and as the Regional Standby and Enhanced Light Force Battalion.

At present, the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, which deployed on Operation Pitting- the evacuation of entitled personnel from Afghanistan - are based in Episkopi, and in Dhekelia, the role of RIB currently falls to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment.

Other functions of BFC also demonstrate its role as a world class training hub for visiting UK military personnel and demonstrating UK Sovereignty in the SBAs and control of its Retained Sites.

Perhaps the most well-known base within the SBAs is RAF Akrotiri, which has been the Forward Mounting Base for multiple operations, including Typhoon fast-jet deployments as it supports British military operations around the world and as a trial location for the new Lightning (F-35) aircraft.

RAF Akrotiri is also home to the 84 Squadron helicopter crew, performing a whole raft of functions, including fire-fighting support to the Republic of Cyprus and most interestingly, as an Emergency Response crew — the only RAF squadron now undertaking this task.

In addition, the Bases support visiting Royal Navy ships, including recently, HMS Enterprise, which was deployed to assist in the relief effort following the explosion in Beirut. The ship loaded stores from RAF Akrotiri and took them across the Mediterranean to Lebanon’s capital city where it also carried out vital survey work in the port after the tragedy.

Over the past year, both BFC and the SBAA have also worked closely alongside the Republic of Cyprus Government in coordinating efforts to combat the threat of COVID-19, introducing measures within the community that ensure that the Bases remain in-step with their Cypriot counterparts.