MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2023) Over 1,500 UK troops will take part in a large-scale NATO exercise in Estonia later this month, the UK Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"Hundreds of UK troops from across our Armed Forces will again train with personnel from 11 NATO nations, demonstrating the strength of our interoperability with partner nations and our combined commitment to the NATO Alliance," UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.
The Spring Storm annual exercise will involve around 14,000 military and become the largest NATO drills this year, the ministry said. This year, the United Kingdom sent more troops following its decision to increase the number of its forces under the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) program.
Additionally, French troops, which are also part of the eFP, will participate in the drills.
"Our Battlegroup is fully integrated with 1st Estonian Brigade and brings a highly trained and capable UK and French troops to the field. We will be bringing a wide range of hard-hitting capabilities from Main Battle Tanks (MBT), anti-tank, and artillery to snipers, mortars, engineers and tactical air controllers," Lt. Col. Steve Wilson, commander of the Queen's Royal Hussars armored regiment said.
The NATO units will train various combat tactics, including trench storms, light infantry combat, coordination with armored vehicles and reconnaissance operations, according to the statement.
