Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois, recently visited personnel from Headquarters 11 Infantry Brigade, ahead of their forthcoming deployment to Sierra Leone, to help combat the Ebola virus.
Headquarters 11 Infantry Brigade will make up the command element of the Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (CJIATF) which helps to provide the command and control function in Sierra Leone. Usually based in Aldershot, they will take over from 104 Logistics Brigade who have been in Sierra Leone since September. Their main tasks will include planning, re-supply and logistics. 40 personnel will deploy to Sierra Leone at the end of this month, with others to follow.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Mark Francois, said:
"When I visited Sierra Leone last autumn, I witnessed for myself the vital role our Armed Forces are playing in helping to tackle the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
Our engineers, planners, logisticians and medics are providing a significant level of support to the people of Sierra Leone and the deployment of 11 Infantry Brigade is a continuation of the UK's commitment. We are very proud of the role our Armed Forces are playing in combatting this dreadful disease."