Salisbury Plains Training Area will benefit from part of a £560m contract entered into by the government to provide management of facilities, rural estates and operational services on MoD land.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has chosen Landmarc Support Services, a joint venture between Mitie and Amentum, to provide UK and visiting Armed Forces personnel with facilities to live, work, and train, supplying around four million meals a year and one million bed spaces.

Landmarc will also maintain and improve the land, buildings and facilities at MoD training areas.

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Recently, the MoD training areas, which cover approximately one percent of land in the UK, have provided critical training to more than 10,000 Ukrainian troops defending against the Russian invasion.

Many are new recruits who volunteered to defend the country upon the beginning of the war, with little to no military experience.

Brigadier Jonathan Bartholomew, head of DIO Overseas & Training Region, said: “This new contract for the training estate will offer safe, secure, and well-maintained training facilities, meals, and beds, for our Service personnel as they prepare for operations worldwide.

“The new contract offers the opportunity to transform the way we manage our training areas. We have a good working relationship with Landmarc and I look forward to continuing our work with them to improve the training estate so that it meets the unique and ever-changing needs of our Armed Forces as well as offering a safe place for the public to visit.”

Mark Neill, Managing Director at Landmarc, said: “We are thrilled to be awarded this new contract and build on 20 years of outstanding service delivery to ensure that the UK Defence Training Estate delivers safe and sustainable locations to train our Armed Forces.   

“Every single one of our 1,300 strong team has had a part to play in providing the critical services that enable our Armed Forces to train effectively, deploy on operations and return home safely.  We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with DIO and working with its wider industry partners to transform the lived experience of Armed Forces personnel who use the Defence estate to live, work and train.”

Major General Richard Clements, Director Basing and Infrastructure said: “A well-maintained estate is critical to providing a safe environment in which to prepare our soldiers for operations and is therefore key to the success of the British Army. The new Training Estate contract will see Landmarc deliver essential services that will ensure infrastructure and facilities are well maintained to enable Defence’s world-class training.”