At the end of December 2018 Williamson said the year, that Britain needed two new permanent military bases. It is assumed, it will help the United Kingdom to become a "real global player", especially after Brexit.
The British contingent is already represented in Singapore and Brunei in one way or another. AT Singapore located Naval Party 1022 - subdivision, responsible for the technical support of British ships and equipment, located in the port of Sembawang. NP1022 is also a symbol of the British contribution to the Five-Power Defense Agreement (United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore).
AT Brunei there is a light motorized infantry battalion of the Royal Gurkish Riflemen. 7-1st Army Aviation Corps (helicopters Bell 212) supports ground forces. These units can provide support to the Sultan of Brunei, as well as accompany other elements of the British Armed Forces, when it is necessary. In Brunei there are about 2000 British, including civilian personnel, which change every 5 years.
Talk about, that "Britain is returning to Asia", hinting at the recently ended era of decolonization, not necessary. Anglo-Saxons never went anywhere. The British military presence in Brunei is one example of, that London wants to maintain its influence in Southeast Asia even after, how Malaysia gained independence, and Hong Kong achieved administrative autonomy. In light of growing tensions between the US and China, the importance of the British position in Brunei may increase even more. The "new military base" is essentially nothing new, but will only strengthen the forces already available there.
Caribbean Sea, in its turn, has never been a priority in UK defense policy. Only in 2017 year, when hurricane season hit British overseas territories in the region and UK security forces did not provide any assistance to the population, the government thought about creating a military base there.
Guyana was a British colony before 1966 of the year. The country is located in Latin America, but in terms of geography, culture and economy it is closer to the Caribbean region, rather than the rest of the southern continent.
Guyana's rainforest is ideal for all kinds of exercises, but, of course, this was not the determining factor for the possible creation of a military base here. The state borders on Venezuela, which has long-standing territorial claims to the western part (nearly 50% territory) Guyana. The dispute escalated in 2015 year, when oil exploration began in the disputed area of Guyana-Essequibo.
Military base on the island Montserrat would contribute to the improvement of the economy in this territory and would help to provide support to the people of the British Overseas Territories, if need be. The Caribbean is home to 140 thousands of British citizens on the islands of Anguilla, Cayman, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, and also in the British Virgin Islands.
According to the author of the Telegram channel “Brussels snitch”, Great Britain's desire to increase its "global reach" may be more problematic, than the benefits. Least, because Brexit will definitely affect the economy of the state, а для строительства новых баз потребуются значительные финансовые средства.
