Brits trim the fat and the number of troops in Belize

Forty-three Belizeans working at the BATSUB Headquarters in Price Barracks, Ladyville have been given formal notice that come April first their services will no longer be needed.  The layoff comes as part of a massive reduction effort by the British Ministry of Defense to ease its presence in Belize and several other countries.  The job cut will see a loss of approximately three million dollars in salaries per annum.  In mid-December the British Army Training Support Unit Belize announced that it would be withdrawing three thousand troops systematically over the course of 2011.  While they will maintain a lesser presence in the country on a routine basis the organization will only retain a third of its existing workforce.  According to BATSUB commander Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lindsey, over the next eleven months a total of fifty-three of a hundred and sixty local employees will remain at BATSUB.

Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey, Commander, BATSUB

Robert Lindsey

“BATSUB is going to continue to be here in Price Barracks but throughout 2011 we will be reducing our posture here and sadly as part of that we have very recently had to give notice to a number of employed civilians.”

Isani Cayetano

“Can you give us an idea as to the number of civilians who were employed here that would stand to lose their jobs as a result of this reduction?”

Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey

“Well we’ve given notice to forty-three locally employed civilians who are currently [here] and sadly they will be finishing work for BATSUB at the end of March.  [Uhm] and then there will be another reduction towards the summer of this year when we would expect probably about another fifty or so redundees.”

Isani Cayetano

“Can you speak to us on any other phases of reduction besides the one that’s also scheduled for summer of this year?”

Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey

“Well there will be elements that are [facing] reduction across the board as we move out pieces of equipment and so on but it’s going to be throughout the whole of 2011 so I don’t think there’s going to be any one day where certainly most things have gone.  The majority of the British military personnel here will be here until July and into August and then the majority will leave in August.  But other than that it’s an evolution throughout the whole of this year.”

Isani Cayetano

“So what becomes of the jungle training aspect of having British troops come into Belize?”

Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey

“Well although we are going to be a much smaller organization we are still going to be training out here although it’ll be at a smaller level.  So we will still have British troops coming out here on an annual basis training here partly in the jungle and partly in some other areas.  So there will still be a British footprint and presence here both within Price Barracks on a routine basis and also from a training point of view as well so we will still be using many or some of the jungle training areas that we have traditionally used.”

BATSUB has also terminated the use of helicopters for emergency response as well as for the transportation of BDF troops to remote areas of the country.