British Army

The United Kingdom's (UK) standing army. The British Army has had a presence in the region prior to and following the partioning of Ireland and the establishment of a regional assembly in Northern Ireland. However, the army was only deployed on the streets of the region on 14 August 1969. This marked the beginning of 'Operation Banner'. For much of the conflict the British Army played the leading security role in the region. However, following the policy of 'Ulsterisation' the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was given the lead role and the British Army played a supporting role. Approximately 501 members of the British Army were killed in incidents related to the conflict. The British Army killed 316 people during the conflict of whom 166 were civilians and the majority of these were Catholics. 'Operation Banner' came to an end in 2007. Approximately 5,000 British soldiers remain in bases in Northern Ireland. Brtish Army technical support is still provided for dealing with suspected explosive devices.