The £250 million renovation of an MoD location in Gloucestershire will serve as a “crucial element” in updating the British Army.
Facilities for storing military vehicles are under construction at MoD Ashchurch, close to Tewkesbury, as part of an ongoing infrastructure initiative.
By 2027, the facility will be capable of housing up to 4,000 vehicles, such as tanks and Land Rovers, in a climate-controlled setting designed to maintain optimal humidity levels. This precaution ensures their preservation and readiness for immediate use when needed.
Brigadier Matthew Wilkinson stated: “Ashchurch plays a crucial role in the British Army’s contemporary modernization initiative. It’s easy to focus solely on advanced, state-of-the-art equipment, yet without adequate support structures… the military wouldn’t be able to deploy effectively.”
Belinda Lunn, responsible for managing the Vehicle Storage and Support Programme (VSSP), mentioned that six out of the intended 14 structures have been finished so far.
“All storage areas are maintained under controlled humid conditions, ensuring that our vehicles remain at optimal temperatures and do not degrade,” Ms Lunn explained.
These storage facilities will maintain optimal temperatures, ensuring that when we retrieve them for the Army, they’ll be readily deployable with minimal delay.
Approximately 400 individuals are engaged in the construction of these facilities simultaneously, she mentioned.
Brig Wilkinson said an important part of MoD Ashchurch was its stored operational fleet – a mix of vehicles that “are ready to do whatever the nation needs the British Army to do”.
The fleet comprises tanks, Land Rovers, and quad bikes.
“Pretty much every type of vehicle we anticipate the Army will operate in the future will have part of its fleet stationed here,” stated Brig Wilkinson.
We have deployed them for all our recent operations in the Middle East, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and prior to that, for the peacekeeping missions in the Balkans.
Many of the vehicles we’ve provided as in-kind donations to Ukraine have passed through Ashchurch. This location plays a crucial role in readying them for a setup that the Ukrainian armed forces can utilize.
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- Ministry of Defence