The UK says high-readiness British forces could be deployed under NATO defence plans if Belarus and Kaliningrad attempted to close the Suwalki Gap, the narrow land corridor linking Poland with the Baltic states.
The position was set out in a written parliamentary answer to Labour MP Mike Tapp, who asked whether Britain had the capability to respond swiftly to an attempt to close the route. Defence Minister Louise Sandher-Jones framed the response through NATO’s collective defence arrangements rather than as a purely national UK operation.
She said: “NATO has the capability and commitment to defend every inch of Alliance territory.”
The Suwalki Gap is the stretch of territory between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad which provides the land connection between Poland and Lithuania, and by extension the rest of the Baltic states. Its position has long made it an important part of NATO defence planning in north-eastern Europe, particularly because any attempt to sever the corridor would directly affect the Alliance’s ability to reinforce Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by land.
Sandher-Jones said Britain had committed the overwhelming majority of its military to NATO planning, including forces held at higher readiness. She said: “The UK remains staunchly committed to NATO’s collective defence obligation, offering almost all of our Armed Forces to NATO including high-readiness forces, which can be deployed as part of NATO’s collective defence plans if necessary.”
Ok what are these fotrce? worn out Warrior, short of ammo C2, 14 older model Archers? no counter UAV guns, whats doing recce? as Ajax is still brioken and CVR Ts were retired before Ajax replaced it. A story about bluffing and saying we have the kit when we don’t but no one is allowed to say that so it spin, lie, distract. If its light forces we have loads of them, thats about all we have.
So that’s a no, then