The UK has maintained a consistent deployment of around 700 personnel in Estonia between 2021 and 2025, according to Defence Minister Luke Pollard.
Responding to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster, Pollard outlined the UK’s ongoing role in NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) initiative.
“Since 2017, the UK has been the Framework Nation to Estonia as part of the NATO construct, enhanced Forward Presence,” he said. The eFP initiative, established to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, “provides members of the Alliance positioned along the Eastern Flank of NATO (Host Nations) with bilateral guarantees from other NATO members.”
At the heart of the UK’s presence is an armoured battle group based in Tapa. According to the response, the force includes “up to 1,300 Service personnel and high-end warfighting capabilities,” with equipment including “the Challenger 2 Armoured Tank, numerous Anti-Tank capabilities, armoured infantry and artillery.”
Pollard also noted that the battle group benefits from additional divisional-level support assets, such as “Short Range Air Defence and long-range strike artillery.”
Following the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Alliance increased its support to host nations. Pollard explained that the UK had aligned its contributions with NATO’s new “Forward Land Forces” concept, agreeing to reinforce Estonia with up to a full brigade during periods of crisis.
“To date, the UK has achieved this through the allocation of 12 Armoured Brigade and associated capability,” Pollard said. “This year, 12 Bde are being replaced by 4 Bde, reinforced with an Aviation Task Force.” He added that this transition would be “showcased on Exercise HEDGEHOG, a Baltic-wide demonstration of the FLF construct.”
Although the number of troops in country at any one time has remained steady at around 700, the UK retains the ability to surge forces when necessary. The forward deployment model, Pollard stressed, reflects the UK’s commitment to deterrence and regional security.
The written answer did not provide specific figures for tanks or vehicles in theatre on the given dates, but highlighted that core capabilities, including Challenger 2 tanks and supporting systems, remain integral to the UK’s contribution.
Tokenism
It’s still showing we support our allies, though.
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700 troop during a period of war isn’t showing them anything. Realistically we should have 10-20k deployed to show to Russia that NATO means business and will defend it’s borders.
The issue is a large deployment would quicky show the cracks in the logistics caused by under investment and polictically that would be a nightmare as it’s not the current governments fault that under investment has happened for the last few decades and equally they can’t fix it quickly, but the pressure would be on them to do it.
Ideally way more than 20k but that isn’t even theoretically possible.
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Steve, we are not at war. We deploy a force on eFP duties in Estonia of the size required by NATO. This is a NATO mission, not a national UK mission. eFP is all about NATO troops acting as a tripwire.
Steve, Estonia has 41,000 soldiers. That’s backed up with a roughly 2,000 strong NATO battle group, so about 43,000 strong NATO commitment. That’s twice what you where asking for no?
Steve R, we are sending the sort of force that NATO requires us to send.
Better than apathy
James, this is a NATO operation. NATO determines the overall force structure and give the orders. All eFP missions were set at the BG level. Why are you criticising the UK for doing what they have been tasked to do by NATO? This force is a trip wire force; it is not designed to hold back 30,000 or 40,000 Russian troops.
No, it’s a tripwire force. Making it impossible for Russia to invade without having to engage the British forces and get us involved in a war.
You combine that with French, German, Canadian, etc tripwire forces, and the not inconsiderable Baltic TDF forces and it’s actually something to think about for the Russians.
X article reports it’s been reduced to 10Tanks.
4 Bde replacing 12 Bde providing this is a paper Brigade without its own regular CS CSS, neither is it Armoured.
So I assume elements will be task urged by taking bits from other formations.
And Starmer has his boots on the ground in UKR, and the UK “central” to this.
They just cannot stop grandstanding.
The UK, as a P5 G7 member, with the forces it should have for a nation of our stature and wealth, should be able to, comfortably, provide a Brigade on rotation and a full Division best shot effort.
Daniele, it was always 10 for, 10ish years. Did it flex higher? It did.
Agree. However, we should have a rotational capability for a Div and that would mean forward workshops; would Russia be upset?
Do I look concerned? Russians understand strength, force, power and death. Anything else is of no interest to them.
So. Look to Finland for RCZ base facilities and beef up BritMil to supply rotational capability, if needed.
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DB, we cannot roule a brigade so we could not roule a division for an enduring operation. Why do you emphasise a forward workshop above all other elements? We certainly need REME first and second line out in Estonia.
Yup. As I said, there was a temporary surge, and this is just going back to the baseline of what the BG was.
Will the BA eventually be in a better position to fulfill deployment requirements post Ajax, Boxer, CR-3 and Precision Fires IOC? Or is the essential problem a lack of available personnel, or both unavailable manpower and materiel?
F/USAF, we have kit, albeit aged and largely unmodernised kit. Swapping out, for example, CR2 for CR3 does not enable us to fulfil deployment requirements as CR2 is good eneough ie able to give a good account of itself in doing battle with T-series equipment.
The issue is manpower. The army just does not have enough regular (active duty in US-speak) manpower to conduct an enduring operation with armoured/mech forces at the brigade level without burnout. You really need 5 armoured or mech brigades in your army to deliver and roulemont one brigade to Theatre – we have just two conventional (ie with Infantry) armoured brigades and one light mech brigade (with no tanks).
Thanks, a rather concerning description of current BA capability. BA longer-term capabilities development, given an eventual 2.5% of GDP MoD budget?
Hi Daniele, its already beginning to unravel. The eFP BG needs to be armoured/mech (as the potential enemy is armoured/mech) and that includes the HQ. A single squadron of 14 tanks would be barely adequate. Two squadrons somewhat more convincing. If it is just 10 tanks then that is unimpressive – SHQ and two Troops of tanks. Must have CS as well as first and second line CSS.
I agree that a nation of our standing should be able to roule a brigade for an enduring Operation – we did that for Op HERRICK but the army is 10,000 posts lighter since then. As you have said many times, we don’t have enough proper brigades now to roule without burnout.
As you say, 4x just have to Task Org the deployed BG.
“Task urged”
FFS….Task Orged.
Flippin phone autocorrect!
With 100 operational tanks Britain is irrelevant in the land theatre.
Hardly. Tanks are only part of the story for a land war. Most of the fighting is still by infantry and IFVs.
The UK might not have the mass, but combo of f35/typhoons proving top cover /cas combined with Apache and reaper/protector, means that on a limited front they can provide a signficant punch.
The issue is when they get spread out like in Afghanistan, at which point the mass becomes a major issue with lack of jets and armour to back up the infantry.
Micki, last figure published by MoD stated about 150 tanks operational or nearly so. We currently have three armoured regiments in an armoured division. Our armoured division would make a difference in a European war.
“The challenger two armoured tank” thank the lord it wasn’t the “un-armoured” version! Muppets, these clowns read off any chuff without having a clue what they are talking about!
As opposed to the Mark II unarmoured tank? I guess the Mark II and the Challenger 2 are easily confused.
You say that, but there’s a record of an un-armoured Cromwell tank that somehow made it from the testing grounds into service, and nobody realised until it came under fire from a low calibre AA gun.
Of those 700. how many are high quality fighters ?
Jack, they are all high quality. Are you concerned at the number of Combat Arms personnel within that 700? About 25% will probably be Infantry. A much smaller percentage will be RAC – if we really do only have 10 tanks, then about 60-70 RAC soldiers?. Not sure if they have AAC elements.
They are soldiers. They cannot all be Infantry if that is what you mean?
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i wonder if Ajax will be sent for some operational experience (vital for forward deployed maintenance feedback, etc…)?
It’s an interesting idea, as they must be close to IOC based upon figures / reports of them coming into service with different units.
But don’t think they’re part of 4th brigade.
They’re not. 4 Brigade has a Jackal Light Cavalry Regiment, not Armoured Cavalry.
However, just because 4 Bde will provide the HQ framework and personnel doesn’t mean the BG armour will vanish, as they will just Task Org and take bits from other elements of 12 and 20 Bdes for the armoured element.