The British Army’s first ground troops taking part in a series of multinational NATO exercises arrived in Germany earlier this month en route to Poland.
Soldiers from 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team – also known as The Desert Rats – are among 40,000 troops from across the NATO alliance taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, a series of eleven exercises.
According to the British Army.
“The Brigade Combat Team took part in Exercise Brilliant Jump, the first of the series which practised the rapid initial deployment of NATO ground forces. Troops from the Desert Rats flew into Sennelager to join their vehicles which travelled by sea from Marchwood near Southampton to Emden in Germany. They then completed a 1000km road move to the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area in Poland where they joined Polish troops, as well as those from Albania, Spain and Turkiye.”
Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 is designed to demonstrate the strength of NATO’s collective defence in the face of potential Russian aggression against the Alliance. In addition, Exercise Brilliant Jump tests and trains the Alliance’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) land forces in the planning and execution of a rapid deployment and their ability to respond to a potential crisis.
The British Army added:
“The 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, took command of the ‘spearhead force’ on 1 January 2024. The powerful and highly mobile VJTF can deploy within days anywhere in the world in support of NATO allies. The spearhead Battle Group is led by the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment with the Brigade Combat Team’s Combat Support and Service Support units providing artillery, engineers, logistics, mechanics and medics. Other specialist capabilities include drones, air defence and explosive ordinance disposal.
The Task Force also includes 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and troops and capabilities from eight other NATO allies. They form a highly mobile response force that can deploy within days, providing the spearhead for NATO’s Response Force.”
The British troops will now travel further east into Poland, cross the Vistula River and take part in Exercise Polish Dragon 24. This will see the soldiers working with units from other NATO forces in Combined Arms Manoeuvre dry and live fire training.
All 500 British troops move across Europe to deter Russia, they plan to shout threatening words over loud hailers at the Russians and lay down in protest in the roads when they see tanks, they called Greta for backup.
Don’t be silly . It’s the 500 challenger 2 Tanks they are transporting over , supported by the 500 upgraded Warrior APCs, backed up by the 100 AS90s upgraded with the 52 barrel using the latest in radio coms with over 100 of the latest medium Helicopters, which are afforded cover by AH64Es fitted with Brimstone 2 Missiles with all the troops using the new 6.8mm rifle which has scared the crap out of those Russians. All thanks to Greg Shapps the best Defence minister the U.K. has every had.
If only part of that was true lol 🙃
Slightly off topic but the French military have released a list of exactly what kit they have handed over to Ukraine these past 2 years. It’s on their website
French Military Equipment Delivered to UkraineThe data below show the quantitative list of French military equipment delivered to Ukraine from the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, on 24 February 2022, to 31 December 2023. French Military equipment delivered since 1 January 2024 is not included
All in all, the total value of French military equipment delivered to Ukraine amounts to € 2.615 billion. In addition, France contributed € 1.2 billion to the European Peace Facility (EPF). Overall, this amounts to more than € 3.8 billion between 24 February 2022 and 31 December 2023.
In addition to this financial effort, France has provided training to Ukrainian troops, with nearly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained by the French military in Poland and in France.
At the same time, France contributes to the security of the Eastern Flank of Europe by deploying land components to Romania as Framework Nation, and to Estonia, rotational air components to Lithuania and from mainland France, as well as a permanent maritime presence in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas.
French Military Equipment Delivered to UkrainePersonal Equipment
Helmet : 6,200
Bulletproof armour : 6,500
CBRN Protective Suit : 1,100
Flight Gear : 100
GPS: 200
Cold Weather Gear : 3,100
First Aid Kit : 3,700
Lyophilised Plasma (PLYO) : 300
Optical Systems
Night Vision Goggle : 445
Anti-Tank Systems
AT4 Rocket Launcher System : 1,002
MILAN System : 3
MILAN Missile : Classified
Artillery
TRF1 Howitzer : 6
CAESAR Gun : 30
Unitary Rocket Launcher : 4
120 mm Mortar : 10
Ground-to-Air Defence
CROTALE NG : 2
CROTALE Missile : Classified
CM200 Radar : 1
MISTRAL : 6
MISTRAL Missile : Classified
SAMP/T : 1
ASTER Missile : Classified
Armoured Vehicles
AMX10 RC Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle : 38
Armed and Sanitary VAB Armoured Personnel Carrier : 250
Transport / Liaison Vehicles
VLTT P4 : 120
GBC 180 Truck : 6
Watercraft
Zodiac FUTURA Inflatable Boat : 30
Fuel
TRM 10000 ACH Fuel Truck : 10
Petroleum Products : 150 t
Jet Fuel : 30,000 (in cubic meters)
Ammunition
Small arms ammunition (9 mm, 5.56 mm, etc.) : 1.1 million
Grenade : 10,500
12.7 mm cartridge : 1.74 million
105 mm AMX10 RC : 9,000
155 mm CAESAR & TRF1 : 30,000
Surface-to-Air
Missile SCALP : Classified
Transmission Systems
Frequency Scanner : 100
IRIDIUM Terminal : 30
Drones
Drone Detection System : 10
Reconnaissance Drone : 160
Electrical Support
300 kVA Power Generator : 2
Engineering
Primer : 38,000
Detonator : 17,000
Pyrotechnic Equipment : 43,000
Anti-Tank Mine : 3,600
Small Arms
7.62 mm Machine Gun : 55
12.7 mm Machine Gun : 560
FAMAS Assault Rifle : 1,000
Sniper Rifle : 20
Not saying I don’t welcome France’s awakening to Putin’s threat but it may be too little too late. Better late than never, I suppose.
Well done the French. What is a Sanitary APC though?! A ‘honey wagon’!
Joking – I am sure it is an armoured ambulance (santé)
Yeah it’s the Ambulance version of the VAB, the French 4×4 Wheeled APC.
Interesting list Farouk thanks,im curious about the 560 12.7mm HMG’s,would an Army the size of France’s even have that many in it’s inventory let alone to donate to Ukraine ?.
Interesting that Albania has deployed a contingent. Last time I looked, their army still had T34s! Glad to see they have got the very modern Chinese T59s now, albeit very few actually work.
In fairness they are making some good efforts to modernise since joining NATO in 2009, and have a number of MRAPs and other PM vehicles and Humm-Vees, although artillery, APCs and IFVs are still very dated.
Also doing a *lot* of joint ex’s with other NATO members.
Their mountain regions are very extreme and barely explored, they’re are special breed of people having come from a North Korean style dictatorship through gang warfare to an EU prospect in 25 years. I’d thoroughly recommend a visit
I bet few Westerners choose to take a holiday there!
Well personally I would thoroughly recommend it, I spent a couple of weeks there last year, it’s stunningly beautiful and the people are incredibly friendly and,hospitable. It’s cheap as chips too
Thanks for the tip. I will definitely research Albania for holiday potential.