British Forces Germany
52°07′34″N 8°40′59″E / 52.12611°N 8.68306°E
| British Forces Germany | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2012–2020 |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Type | Military formation |
| Part of | Land Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Bielefeld, Germany |
| Nickname | BFG |
British Forces Germany (BFG) was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK civil servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It existed from 2012 to 2020. It was established following the withdrawal of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and RAF Germany (RAFG) after the beginning of the 21st century.
It was the largest concentration of British armed forces permanently stationed outside the United Kingdom. With the end of the Cold War, and the Options for Change defence review in the early 1990s, BFG as a whole was considerably reduced, with the British presence centred on the 1st Armoured Division, and supporting elements.
Following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the permanent deployment in Germany ended in 2020. This was after British forces personnel were scaled down over several years, with 19,100 in April 2010, and 2,850 in April 2019. But around 185 British Army personnel and 60 Ministry of Defence civilians will stay in Germany beyond 2020.
The remaining presence in Germany is known as British Army Germany.