A further 353 Armed Forces personnel will deploy to locations across Scotland as part of the continuing military support to testing and vaccine delivery programmes.
The Ministry of Defence say that this is the largest single deployment of military personnel in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
The uplift will take the total number of Armed Forces personnel supporting the Covid response in Scotland to 466.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“The UK Armed Forces have demonstrated their professionalism and resilience throughout this pandemic. They are dedicated to delivering support to the fingertips of these islands and the increase of personnel in Scotland shows our commitment to assist the civil authorities wherever and whenever needed in the fight against Covid-19.”
The Ministry of Defence say in a news release:
“An additional 33 defence medical staff, from across all three services, will join their 57 colleagues already working as part of the Vaccine Quick Reaction Force. Split across three vaccination teams, military personnel will assist NHS staff at vaccination centres in Dumfries and Galloway and Fife.”
As part of the Scottish Government’s programme of Asymptomatic Testing a total 320 personnel, from Regiments based across Scotland, will support the roll out from the 15th of February.
170 personnel from the 39 Engineer Regiment, based at Kinloss Barracks, and 75 personnel from both the 2nd Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, based at Leuchars Station, will now spend an initial week planning and preparing, before helping administer the tests the following week.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:
“Our fantastic British Armed Forces have played a key role in the fight against Covid-19 in Scotland – from coordinating the emergency response in the early days of the pandemic, to setting up testing sites in the summer, and assisting with the first vaccination centres. We are grateful for all their efforts to keep us safe and help defeat the virus. Getting jabs into arms is essential, and I am grateful that military personnel will continue to help with Scotland’s vital vaccination programme.”
98 members of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards already deployed to help set up 80 Vaccine Centres across Scotland will successfully complete their task on Monday, when they handover the sites to NHS Scotland.
“Since March 2020, the UK Armed Forces have provided Scotland with planners, logistics specialists and aircraft medical evacuation capability, as well as the delivery of a Mobile Testing Unit service throughout last summer. Across the UK there are over 5,200 personnel committed to winter and COVID-19 operations are supporting 80 different tasks in the UK and abroad – this includes the vaccine rollout, NHS support and community testing across the UK.”
I expect Ian Blackford, SNP, will also be making a statement of heartfelt thanks tomorrow, in the House of Commons…
I’m sure he will??
..and they’ll be raising the Union Jack above SNP Headquarters! 🙂
Now ive come across some bell-ends in my time, but Blackford…damn theres one small man, chip on shoulder, chuff talking publicity seeker!
You’ve got that right Airborne, he’s certainly a blowhard bore, stands up in parliament, pause for everyone to put on ear defenders, then….
Moan, moan, moan, bitch and moan, hard done by Scotland etc, etc, etc…..
Agreed!
353 more cases of cancelled leave that they won’t get back.
What will we do when they are 10,000 less?
Let’s play that one by ear Dave, it’s just rumour at the moment.
That said, the Army is probably at the bottom of the funding pile in the third decade of the 21 at century.
The RN and the RAF were both hit ‘really hard’ by the sandbox wars, with funding transferred to the Army, both had their strength cut a third.
Today, they both need to be rebuilt to face the challenges of the new cold war and the Army has been dealt to the bottom of the pile.