Where are the UK Armed Forces deployed this Christmas?
Military personnel each year sacrifice a festive period spent with loved ones to keep the UK safe.
This year, almost 7,000 are spending Christmas deployed overseas.
With work spread across 40 operations in 30 countries, Forces News has taken a look at where British military personnel are deployed on Christmas Day this year.
Operations at home
There will be thousands of Armed Forces personnel hard at work keeping the UK safe this Christmas from home.
RAF Typhoon pilots will be providing the UK's Quick Reaction Alert to protect the skies 24 hours a day at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby, as well as Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.
RAF Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will continue to patrol the UK's coastal waters and RAF Atlas transport aircraft and Chinook helicopters are held at readiness to respond to any national emergencies.
The UK's strategic nuclear deterrent continues 365 days a year, as the Royal Navy Submarine Service has continued unbroken for 54 years.
Protecting British overseas territories
In the South Atlantic, more than 800 military personnel from all three services are stationed in the Falkland Islands.
Among them are the RAF personnel who fly and maintain the fleet of Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft.
In Gibraltar, over 400 military personnel from all three services protect the island and its residents.
Supporting Ukraine
Personnel deployed abroad and within the UK have worked hard to train Ukrainian personnel in frontline battle skills – more than 30,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained for combat so far.
Further Ukrainian personnel have received additional training in combat medicine, mine disposal, firefighting, small boat amphibious operations and delivering spiritual support in a conflict situation.
Europe
In Estonia and Poland, more than 1,000 soldiers from the British Army are currently deployed as part of Nato's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) to protect the alliance's eastern flank.
A Royal Navy task force of seven ships has recently deployed with allies to jointly patrol areas with vulnerable undersea critical infrastructure, from the English Channel to the Baltic Sea, following an increase in attacks and threats.
This year, soldiers from 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment deployed to Kosovo to reinforce Nato's Kosovo Force peacekeeping mission.
Middle East
HMS Lancaster and HMS Diamond are currently embarked on the UK's year-round patrol of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, supported by three minehunters and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship.
Earlier this month HMS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
HMS Lancaster has seized more than 10 tonnes of illicit drugs since her deployment began in autumn 2022.
Following the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a Royal Navy task group and RAF surveillance aircraft were dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean to reinforce regional stability and prevent escalation.
Lifesaving UK aid has also been transported by British forces to help Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Indo-Pacific
HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are deployed to the Indo-Asia Pacific, providing maritime security, and building relationships with both historic and recent partners in the region.
The Armed Forces also regularly participate in major exercises in the region including the recent multinational Exercise Bersama Lima in Malaysia.
Africa
UK Armed Forces personnel are deployed to Somalia in support of the United Nations, the African Union and the Somali National Army to restore security and stability in the region
This year RAF personnel enabled the evacuation of people from the UK and other nations after civil war broke out in Sudan, with over 2,400 people being airlifted from the country on more than 30 flights.
The operation was the longest and largest airlift by any Western nation during the crisis, involving more than 1,000 RAF personnel and seeing Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster deployed to the region to support the evacuation.
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