The last British soldiers pulled out of south Armagh yesterday. As the last 20 troops left yesterday morning, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Nick Parker said the dissident threat in Northern Ireland was not one meriting an army.
"If I look at the reality the dissidents are not a worthy target for a military force. They do not represent the sort of threat which the military infrastructure which has been built up for Operation Banner should be used for."
Operation Banner was the name for the army's role supporting the police in Northern Ireland.
Gen Parker said people shouldn't "overplay the military role in removing the dissident threat, it is for other people to do that, not large numbers of troops based in bases around the country".
"The closure of Bessbrook is significant because it is our last base in south Armagh, which has always been an area of particular operational interest," Gen Parker added. "Therefore, its closure is quite iconic, it signifies a time when the army stops being part of the security forces and moves into being part of the community."
Gen Parker said the closure of Bessbrook was "the last big project in the normalisation plan".
"In two years since July 31st, 2005 we have reduced from 44 to 10 bases. There's been an incredible amount of work which really sometimes doesn't get noticed."
Soldiers withdrawing yesterday were from the Second Battalion, Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment. The last helicopter flight from what was once one of the busiest heli-ports in Europe happened on Friday, a fact welcomed by local residents.
The helicopter transport was necessary for many years because some roads were too dangerous for security forces.
However, Gen Parker said there could be training overflights in the area in future and added that trouble linked to, for example, a marching season, would spark temporary relocation of soldiers from England, Scotland or Wales. A bomb disposal team will also remain.
About 5,000 troops will be maintained in the North in future, available for operations around the world.
This compares to 27,000 at the height of the conflict in the 1970s. Plans to close bases in Ballymena, Co Antrim, and Ballykelly, Co Derry, are due to be complete by next spring.
- (PA)