Nearly 2,400 British troops have been in Poland for exercise Immediate Response, which culminated in a complex river crossing involving more than 1,000 vehicles, including Challenger II tanks, in 24 hours.
It was one of several exercises as part of Nato’s Operation Steadfast Defender, a Nato war game and the largest deployment to Europe in 40 years, involving more than 40,000 Nato personnel, 16,000 from the British Army.
When he took over as Chief of the General Staff in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Sir Patrick launched Operation Mobilise to look at boosting the readiness of British troops.
Following Friday’s exercise he said that he had aimed to “learn the lessons from the Ukraine conflict and bolster our deterrence” but added that preparing the UK’s readiness was “sending a message to our adversaries around the globe about our collective strength”.
‘Relentlessly pursued improvements’
“Since then, we have relentlessly pursued improvements to the collective readiness of the Army,” he said.
“We have reached a peak during Nato’s exercise Steadfast Defender, deploying more than 16,000 troops and thousands of vehicles to continental Europe. This is a scale of commitment not seen in a generation and represents the lethal, agile and expeditionary Army we are.
“We have powerfully demonstrated the success of Op Mobilise and now I am delighted that the Government is committing funding to the programmes that will modernise the British Army to ensure it continues to be at the heart of the Nato defensive alliance and beyond.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
