The UK is stepping up efforts to boost military mobility across Europe, with Defence Minister Luke Pollard citing Exercise Hedgehog as a live demonstration of Britain’s commitment to NATO’s eastern flank.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour MP Mike Tapp asked what steps were being taken with international partners to improve troop movement across Europe. Pollard, the Minister for the Armed Forces, responded:
“As we speak, Exercise Hedgehog is currently demonstrating the rapid deployment of the 4th Brigade by road, rail, sea and air to Estonia as part of NATO’s forward land force, with nearly 2,000 British service personnel in addition to those already permanently deployed to Estonia.”
He added: “To keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad, we are working with our EU, NATO and JEF partners to enhance military mobility.”
Tapp then highlighted the strategic value of Rail Baltica – a high-speed rail project under construction between Warsaw and Estonia – as a future asset for rapid military movement in a crisis. He urged vigilance in the face of Russian threats:
“Does the Minister agree that we and our allies need to be agile to respond to the threats emanating from Russia, particularly in support of Baltic states such as Estonia?”
Pollard agreed, noting recent diplomatic and defence engagement:
“I met the Estonian ambassador and, indeed, all ambassadors from JEF nations on board HMS Sutherland last week, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right: fast, deployable forces are vital deterrents against Russian aggression.”
He concluded: “They underline our key commitment to NATO’s eastern flank, and particularly our strong commitment to our friends in Estonia. We will continue to have their backs and to ensure that we have forces deployed there, securing that nation’s freedom.”
Binning Puma2 won’t help with mobility – a crazy decision
I like the mobility exercise is called hedgehog. Slow moving heavily defended but weak in attack animal.
Exercise Hedgehog is not pure mobility exercise, it’s main focus is practicing for the defence of Estonia. Mobility is part of the UK’s reinforcement strategy, but overall it’s about defending the border rather than mobility.
Do Portugal , Spain and Italy contribute to these missions ? If not why not? It’s time we withdrew, work with Norway and focus on our own backyard. The EU is not a friendly ally so we should not backfill their defence spending within NATO. I imagine Estonia was fully on board separating Northern Ireland with a customs border. Feck ’em.
What’s the going rate for a comment like this Comrade?
Italy and Spain each provide the central framework of an EFP Battlegroup on the Ukrainian border, same contribution as the UK makes. Spain and Italy also both contribute a reinforced company to the Canadian lead Latvian EFP Battlegroup as well. This would have taken you seconds to look up but you obviously don’t care and just want to do your little bit to split up European opposition to Russia.
Ireland is our back yard and that is part of the EU..Sweden and Denmark also part of our back yard… what do you think Russia would do if the UK is isolated and it did not have to cross 800km of hostile allied seas and airspace to get at the UK… Russia hates the UK with a particular passion if we pulled away from our EU and NATO allies russia would be happy as can be… as for Norway if you think Norway would ever not be a close ally of the EU and work with the EU your really not understanding the geopolitics of Europe… we are going to have to live very closely with our very large and powerful political neighbour…the EU is essentially a dormant superpower that is just waking up..we chose not to be part of it..but it’s on our boarder and surrounds us..we need to live with that reality.
Russia hates the UK?, perhaps politics but the Russia has high respect for the UK in its people and has always held us highly compared to the rest of Europe. ONly the BAOR was considered a viable threat to any invasion that may have been considered in the past and the UK, but the fools in London have killed our Armed Forces and what they able to do. You only go to the table when you have strength to back you up and as we are still a Nuclear Power that keeps us there and the rest of Europe has sheltered under us for years.
I dont trust the EU and to be honest few do.
Cameron pulled back out of Germany, this saved a tiny amount of money and made a career in the armed forces less desirable being stuck in big garrisons like Tidworth.
The EU is not a defence organisation. The military outfit we are part of is NATO. Whether or not you ‘trust the EU’ is a bit beside the point. We trust that an overwhelming majority of the 32 NATO members will be fighting alongside us, as we planned and expected when BAOR was operational.
“Only the BAOR was considered a viable threat.” Gee that must’ve been news the the West German Army with it’s 18 Divisions, compared to the 3 the BAOR had… But I guess the Soviets wouldn’t have had much of a drama then since the BAOR only held 61 miles of the 800mile interior German Border.
“The rest of Europe has sheltered under us for years.” Lol. When? What specific war did we go into to protect Europe?
Russia took a particular glee watching the drama (and still does) of the UK leaving the EU.