The Response Force Task Group is deploying to the region and includes a helicopter carrier with a battalions of troops under a brigade headquarters, the most advanced British destroyer, and the addition of the French nuclear carrier at some point in the deployment. It is intended to be a force in case the Syrian Revolution requires the evacuation of British citizens from the region:
A Ministry of Defence source said: “There is no question at this stage of a combat role, our aim is purely to consider contingency plans to evacuate British nationals if there are ‘proxy conflicts’ in the Lebanon and Jordan.One of the units sent is an information exploitation unit, which sounds like a unit designed to call in firepower.
“The worst case scenario would be terrorist attacks in Lebanon and Jordan if the Syrian government seeks to de-stabilise the entire region.”
To me it seems odd that a brigade headquarters is being sent with a battalion. Why? Do the British intend this to be the core of a brigade force with either two or three more British battalions added if there is a fight or allied units deploying under the British brigade?
In the eastern Mediterranean, the force would be useful in the entire arc of crises from Mali to Libya, to Syria; or even Somalia or Iran if the task group heads east of Suez.
Britain's military power is waning, but they can still send potent--if small--force packages to defend their interests in the region.
We'll see how well this works with the French providing carrier-based fixed-wing air support in the absence of a British capability.
