British Ministry of Defense will send 1,000 additional troops for NATO exercise in Eastern Europe 17

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Defence & Security News - United Kingdom
 
 
British Ministry of Defense will send 1,000 additional troops for NATO exercise in Eastern Europe.
United Kingdom will bolster NATO war games in Eastern Europe with another 1,000 troops as the alliance tries to mount a show of strength in the region to counter Russian aggression. The extra troops will allow British forces to carry on taking part in exercises in the region as the alliance tries to reassure its eastern members.
     
United Kingdom will bolster NATO war games in Eastern Europe with another 1,000 troops as the alliance tries to mount a show of strength in the region to counter Russian aggression. The extra troops will allow British forces to carry on taking part in exercises in the region as the alliance tries to reassure its eastern members. British soldiers from Kings Royal Hussars are shown around the turret of the Polish Leopard 2 main battle tank at Exercise BLACK EAGLE in Poland.
     
David Cameron said the forces would come on top of 2,200 already announced at the NATO summit in Wales last year.

The biggest exercise this year will see more than 1,000 soldiers and 300 vehicles join the Polish army on Exercise Dragon, in September.

Britain will also send troops to the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Germany over the course of the year.

Meanwhile the Royal Navy will send a task force to a maritime exercise in the Baltic in the autumn, the Prime Minister announced during his trip to Washington.

Nato’s Eastern members have called for greater support since Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea, fearing Russian forces are menacing their own borders.

The military alliance has rejected calls to base troops permanently in Poland, Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania as a deterrent, but has agreed to a rolling schedule of exercises to ensure a near constant military presence.

In November 2014, more than 1300 British soldiers and 100 armoured vehicles, including Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and Warrior Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle, from the 3rd UK Division participated in Exercise BLACK EAGLE, a British/Polish NATO exercise taking place in Western Poland.

When the UK’s commitment to the exercise was announced in July 2014, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “It is right that NATO and partners demonstrate our commitment to the collective security of our allies in Eastern Europe. The commitment of a battlegroup to Exercise BLACK EAGLE shows our sustained and substantial support to NATO’s eastern border.”