- British tanks join NATO games
- Exercise spans four months
- Aims to deter Russian aggression
NATO war exercises will feature the participation of approximately 90,000 soldiers, sailors, and aviators from the 31-member alliance, conducting cyber and space operations in addition to land, sea, and air manoeuvres.
More than fifty British tanks will be deployed to Eastern Europe to participate in the most extensive NATO war games in a generation, as the prospect of all-out war with Russia becomes increasingly dire.
It is understood that while the majority of the ageing Challenger 2 main battle tanks will be transported by rail from the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel, 12 tanks will be removed from storage in Germany, where they are stationed, to participate in the exercise.
Already, hundreds of additional types of military vehicles are being transported by ferry from British forces to Germany in preparation for the Steadfast Defender exercise, which commenced at the end of January and will last for four months.
UK Prepares for Major NATO Exercise
In May, the 51 tanks will be deployed for the war games, representing the most extensive training exercise of British mechanised and armoured forces since 1984.
On Tuesday at Marchwood Military Port in Southampton, the 44-year-old second in command of the 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, Major Simon Robertson, oversaw the transfer of military trucks, transporters, and infantry vehicles onto one of the ferries.
He stated that Great Britain must be “prepared for anything.”
He stated that this exercise, in addition to others, serves as a means of training. It practises and fortifies the bonds and comprehension that the United States and its NATO allies possess.
However, members of parliament have expressed concern regarding the number of the British tank fleet. It consists of only 213 tanks compared to the 1,750 tanks in the Russian inventory.
Additionally, it is estimated that Russia has lost over 3,000 vehicles thus far in its conflict with Ukraine.
UK Tanks Bolster NATO Defence
Concerns regarding capacity are heightened by the fact that only 148 British tanks will be converted to the Challenger 3 variant, an £800 million initiative intended to extend the fleet’s out-of-service date to 2040 and improve its capabilities.
Western Challenger 2 tanks were originally sent to Ukraine’s military effort last year by the UK.
A British tank squadron is also in Estonia to deter Russian attack as part of NATO.
The Challenger 2 has been deployed previously in Bosnia and throughout the Iraq War of 2003. Since 1998, the 62.5-ton tank has carried a 7.62mm chain gun and 120mm rifled cannon.
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NATO war exercises will feature the participation of approximately 90,000 soldiers, sailors, and aviators from the 31-member alliance. They will conduct cyber and space operations in addition to land, sea, and air manoeuvres.
Several nations will participate in the exercise, including Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states.
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service warned of a military conflict with the West a decade ago.
The intelligence agency stated this week in its annual assessment of security risks. An expansion of allied forces might dissuade Moscow from launching an assault.
