Soldiers and equipment from the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) (VJTF(L)) have been showcased to the World’s press at the Exercise Polish Dragon NATO Media facility on Monday, 4 March.
Troops from the spearhead battlegroup and other elements across the Brigade put on a united front alongside NATO partners, with equipment including a Royal Engineers M3 amphibious rig, a SV-R recovery vehicle, an L118 light gun and a Jackal high mobility truck on display.
This display comes ahead of the wet gap crossing of the Vistula River, when the German British Pioneer Bridging Battalion 130 will facilitate thousands of Polish British, US, German, Turkish, French, Spanish and Lithuanian troops and their respective equipment to cross the river, a task only made more complicated by recent heavy rain.
The day also saw the declaration of full operational capability of this joint Bridging Battalion, which is based in Minden, Germany.
Comprising two German amphibious companies, alongside 23 Amphibious Engineer squadron and various support companies, the Battalion now counts circa 1200 soldiers.
Since its formation in 2021, the Battalion has undergone a development pathway to ensure that they can deliver the joint capability to NATO.
The last remnant of the BAOR deploying into Poland.
Well you know what they say about the CRE? First in last out👍
I thought that was 3 Para’s mortar platoon…. oh wait no that’s something differentohwaitnoshi-
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No mate that was 9 SQN 😉
Janes: “The German and British armies stood up binational Amphibious Engineer Battalion 130 in Minden, northern Germany, on 1 October 2021”.
It has taken a little while to achieve FOC.
Bit confusing really 23 have been in Minden ever since 28 left Germany and have trained and operated with the Germans since then🤔
Not to keen joint force ,sure very professional on both sides and working along side the German troops and other allies is great and is a must.But I do think for the likes of Engineering both nations should have this has a independent capability. Sorry Guys 🍺
We did have an amphibious Regt in Hameln but when BFG was withdrawn it was scaled down to a Sqn! The UK mainland has no need for this capability so it made sense to leave them colocated with the Germans who have some VERY big rivers to contend with and at the same time we retain the skill set to conduct amphibious operations.I think there are some rigs in the UK with the reserves,if so that will probably be no more than a troop. Open to correction there though.
Yes mate that was my understanding too. A Troop.
Pity 28 was reduced but with withdrawal of BAOR I guess inevitable. That we retain the capability is key.
Don’t they train on the River Weser?
Yes mate Hameln and Minden are on the Weser. June 17 79 28 actually bridged the Rhine it took the whole Regt to do it but we did👍
Ahhhhh ok that makes sense now as to why they always seemed to use that river. Didn’t know they were actually on it.
Seen so many Cold War photos of the M3s looking like dragonflies all lined up with all you RE types all over them.
Respect.
I was with 28 in 1991-92, as OC REME Wksp. They only ever had had just two Amph Engr Sqns, 23 AES and 64 AES …plus a Trg Sqn (71) which of course had a fair number of M2 rigs.
They reorg’d as a GS Engr Regt while I was there (1992).
I agree it is best that the M3s are in Germany and makes sense for them to be integrated in a German Amph Engr battalion.
I was OC 28 Amph Engr Regt Wksp REME, when 28 were in Hameln (years ago, 1991-92). I was well aware that we now only have one squadron of rigs, 23 Amph Engr Sqn, and that they moved to Minden etc.
They will of course have their own REME Fitter Section.
I presume that Pioneer Bridging Battalion 130 will have a main, centralised component of a Regt Wksp – not sure if this will have REME as well as German maintainers.
They are well placed for NATO operations in eastern Europe and training opportunities are probably greater in Germany.
Bring back the Stalwart I say. Top tip, don’t sit in the load bay when crossing a river. The driver thought it was funny jumping off the bank.
Meanwhile the EU have just announced that if war was to breaK out with Russia they could block weapon exports to the UK. The scheme will also limit EU countries from purchasing weapons from UK-based firms, such as BAE Systems, if they want to benefit from financial incentives paid out of the EU bloc’s budget.
It appears that the EU wish to implement the same system as they did with the COVID vaccine.
So much for allies.
Maybe we should get serious about building stocks, enough to send to Europe as well 🇬🇧 💷
Announced by a French Commissioner, the plan hasn’t gone through yet. If it does, I can see various changes to the UK’s buying policy.
So how does that work? Aren’t we all in NATO or did I miss something 🤔
What possible purpose would that achieve? Nearly all these countries are NATO members too, so are treaty bound to assist us & visa versa. We’re in many weapons systems consortia across the EU as well as the USA, it makes no sense.
Since when has anything the EU does make sense?
The corruption does. See its not balanced its books for a few decades. Nice gravy train for some.
🤗
Was that Germany leaking Intel to Russia I hear? Make two defensive lines, Poland and France. Remove all UK troops from Germany and France and let them fend for themselves…
Let’s get this straight, in the event of a European major war the U.K. deploys the vast majority of its land forces to defend an assigned part of NATO.
Which I believe is Poland, Baltic and Nordic all of which are EU Countries.
And the EU would ban the export of munitions to U.K.
Anyone see a problem with that idea ? Could this possibly be either an early April fool or a bit of Russian disinformation ?
Let’s calm down a little- what they’ve done is produce a proposed legislation that would, in a crisis situation, ensure security of supply of specifically identified dual use products to a member state’s defence industry. If you don’t think we should have exactly the same provisions, I’d be very surprised. I will certainly be very angry with government if we don’t have that. It also doesn’t limit non-EU purchases, it seeks to increase the proportion of within-EU procurement via the fund and other financial and contractual adjustments to make it easier for multiple member states to get in on a… Read more »
Very much this. People really over react and are very keen to see the EU as “the enemy” just because they prioritise their own defence industires, as we would in their shoes.
Quite, all the while we were in the EU, there were mechanisms we could have used to benefit our own industries- but we didn’t. Now we’re out, we complain when they use the mechanisms that we should have taken advantage of.
Nothing productive comes from that.
Why would the EU do this? They stand out if we cannot effectively come to the aid of European ‘allies’.