The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”

The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”

The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”

The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”

The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”

The UK is doubling the number of personnel in the EFP battlegroup it leads in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) and AFVs. (Estonian MoD)

NATO allies announced the further reinforcement of NATO's flanks during a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels on 16–17 February as Russia appeared to be continuing rather than drawing down its military build-up against Ukraine.

During a press conference after the meeting on 17 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Bulgaria had agreed earlier the same day to host a US Army Stryker company for joint training, with the unit “departing Germany in the coming days, and they'll help ensure our readiness and our interoperability with Bulgaria as our NATO ally”. A 1,000-strong Stryker squadron of the US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been deployed from its base in Vilseck, Germany, with its light wheeled armoured vehicles, to Romania to reinforce around 900 US troops already there.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 16 February that soldiers and personnel of the Royal Welsh battlegroup would leave Sennelager, Germany, and bases in the UK the same day and start arriving in Estonia during the following week. The ministry noted that the UK is doubling the number of personnel in Estonia and sending additional equipment, including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The UK already has an 808-strong armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks, AFVs, and self-propelled artillery in the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup it leads in Tapa, Estonia, according to a February 2022 NATO fact sheet. Janes has identified the tanks as Challenger 2s and the SPHs as AS90s, with the AFVs including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

In addition, British Army Air Corps' Apache helicopters will soon deploy to conduct exercises with allies and partners in Eastern Europe, and four additional UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters have landed in Cyprus and will soon begin patrolling Eastern European allies' airspace, according to the press release.

The UK MoD added that the offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had begun conducting patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish ships as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond preparing to leave for the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.

The ministry reported that most of the 350 Royal Marines of 45 Commando committed to Poland had arrived, with 1,000 more British personnel on standby in the UK to support a humanitarian response if required.

In a press conference on 16 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence, including to consider establishing new NATO [EFP] battlegroups in central and south-eastern Europe.” Welcoming the French offer to lead a battlegroup in Romania, he said, “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks.”