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Saudi Gazette
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
British Army 'absolutely ready' if ordered to deploy to Ukraine
BUCHAREST — The British Army has said it is ready to deploy to Ukraine if requested by the week, 2,500 UK troops from the Army's high readiness force, the First Division, have been taking part in a large Nato exercise in Romania — on a training area just 16 miles (25km) from the border with mobile phones have been banned on the exercise, most soldiers are aware that there are now initial discussions to send troops to Ukraine Andy Watson, who is commanding the British contribution to the Nato exercise, says his brigade "is absolutely ready" should they receive orders to deploy to this week Keir Starmer said that he was ready and willing to send British troops to Ukraine to help guarantee its security, should there be a so far he too is unclear as to what they might be asked to terms of numbers of troops that might be needed, Brigadier Watson said "clearly what the force package would look like would be dependent on what the prime minister and the Ministry of defense would like".But he said "it's absolutely not" something the UK could do on its own. "I think the prime minister has been very clear that the UK would contribute to efforts, but absolutely not doing it on our own," says Brigadier Steadfast Dart is Nato's largest exercise this year and meant to demonstrate how quickly allies can come to the defense of an ally under attack. But while it's meant to demonstrate Nato's readiness, it also highlights its limitations UK has shown it can move large numbers of troops and equipment, including more than 700 military vehicles, 1,400 miles (2,253 km) across Europe at relatively short notice as part of Nato's new Allied Reaction that it can operate alongside allies. More than 10,000 military personnel are taking part in the exercise from eight European that is just 10% of the number that most military experts believe might be required for any peacekeeping operation inside Ukraine which might require a force of more than 100, of the nations taking part, like Spain and Italy, have not even met Nato's own spending target for defense of 2% of GDP, set more than a decade ago. Many, including the UK, have experienced recent cuts in the size of their armed British forces were sent to Helmand in 2009, the British Army had more than 100,000 regular it is at its smallest since the Napoleonic wars, at just over 70,000. Even before the cuts, the British Army was stretched sending a force of 9,000 required additional defense spending for urgent operational equipment, as well as a rolling deployment of fresh troops every six months. A regular Army of around 73,000 would now struggle to do something on a similar Dart is meant to show that Nato's European allies can respond to a for a large Nato military exercise, US forces are not directly involved. But America remains Nato's most powerful and largest military member and its absence from any plan to guarantee Ukraine's security would leave a gaping why Keir Starmer and his defense Secretary John Healey are calling for the US to be involved, despite the Trump administration's insistence that there will be no US boots on the said on Tuesday that European nations would have to play a leading role but he added that "it is only the US that can provide the deterrence to Putin that will prevent him attacking again".Nato's intervention in Libya in 2011 illustrated how European nations struggled without their biggest US was supposed to take a back seat in the bombing campaign but was still heavily relied on for logistics — air-to-air refueling — and providing intelligence and at Exercise Steadfast Dart, Colonel Gordon Muir, who commands 4 Scots troops and previously fought alongside the US in Afghanistan, said "there's a famous Highland saying — that friends are good on the day of battle". He said there are few circumstances when you want to go it full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been the wake-up call that European nations needed. Most of its members are now spending 2% of their GDP on Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte now says that is not enough and is pushing for more than 3%.The Trump administration says it should be more like 5% of GDP. The UK government has still not set a date for its new spending target of 2.5%. Europe has also been slow to ramp up defense Exercise Steadfast Dart shows that some lessons are being learned from the war in Ukraine. There is an emphasis on trench and urban warfare as well as combatting watch British and Romanian troops repeat drills of clearing a recently excavated zigzag of snow-covered trench of the British troops taking part in this training have also recently been helping train their Ukrainian counterparts in the Richard Gillin, of 4 Scots, told me, "we're definitely ready for Ukraine".Though they do not know whether such a deployment would happen — or what role they might be asked to perform — any operation in Ukraine would give the British Army a new sense of purpose and help with its recruitment crisis. Lance Corporal Lewis Antwis, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, said "people have joined the Army for a yeah, I think the boys would be ready". — BBC
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
British Army 'absolutely ready' if ordered to deploy to Ukraine
The British Army has said it is ready to deploy to Ukraine if requested by the week, 2,500 UK troops from the Army's high readiness force, the First Division, have been taking part in a large Nato exercise in Romania - on a training area just 16 miles (25km) from the border with mobile phones have been banned on the exercise, most soldiers are aware that there are now initial discussions to send troops to Ukraine Andy Watson, who is commanding the British contribution to the Nato exercise, says his brigade "is absolutely ready" should they receive orders to deploy to Ukraine. Earlier this week Keir Starmer said that he was ready and willing to send British troops to Ukraine to help guarantee its security, should there be a so far he too is unclear as to what they might be asked to terms of numbers of troops that might be needed, Brigadier Watson said "clearly what the force package would look like would be dependent on what the prime minister and the Ministry of Defence would like".But he said "it's absolutely not" something the UK could do on its own. "I think the prime minister has been very clear that the UK would contribute to efforts, but absolutely not doing it on our own," says Brigadier Steadfast Dart is Nato's largest exercise this year and meant to demonstrate how quickly allies can come to the defence of an ally under attack. But while it's meant to demonstrate Nato's readiness, it also highlights its limitations UK has shown it can move large numbers of troops and equipment, including more than 700 military vehicles, 1,400 miles (2,253 km) across Europe at relatively short notice as part of Nato's new Allied Reaction that it can operate alongside allies. More than 10,000 military personnel are taking part in the exercise from eight European that is just 10% of the number that most military experts believe might be required for any peacekeeping operation inside Ukraine which might require a force of more than 100,000. Some of the nations taking part, like Spain and Italy, have not even met Nato's own spending target for defence of 2% of GDP, set more than a decade ago. Many, including the UK, have experienced recent cuts in the size of their armed British forces were sent to Helmand in 2009, the British Army had more than 100,000 regular it is at its smallest since the Napoleonic wars, at just over 70,000. Even before the cuts, the British Army was stretched sending a force of 9,000 required additional defence spending for urgent operational equipment, as well as a rolling deployment of fresh troops every six months. A regular Army of around 73,000 would now struggle to do something on a similar scale. Steadfast Dart is meant to show that Nato's European allies can respond to a for a large Nato military exercise, US forces are not directly involved. But America remains Nato's most powerful and largest military member and its absence from any plan to guarantee Ukraine's security would leave a gaping why Keir Starmer and his Defence Secretary John Healey are calling for the US to be involved, despite the Trump administration's insistence that there will be no US boots on the said on Tuesday that European nations would have to play a leading role but he added that "it is only the US that can provide the deterrence to Putin that will prevent him attacking again".Nato's intervention in Libya in 2011 illustrated how European nations struggled without their biggest US was supposed to take a back seat in the bombing campaign but was still heavily relied on for logistics - air-to-air refuelling - and providing intelligence and surveillance. Back at Exercise Steadfast Dart, Colonel Gordon Muir, who commands 4 Scots troops and previously fought alongside the US in Afghanistan, said "there's a famous Highland saying - that friends are good on the day of battle". He said there are few circumstances when you want to go it full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been the wake-up call that European nations needed. Most of its members are now spending 2% of their GDP on Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte now says that is not enough and is pushing for more than 3%.The Trump administration says it should be more like 5% of GDP. The UK government has still not set a date for its new spending target of 2.5%. Europe has also been slow to ramp up defence Exercise Steadfast Dart shows that some lessons are being learned from the war in Ukraine. There is an emphasis on trench and urban warfare as well as combatting drones. We watch British and Romanian troops repeat drills of clearing a recently excavated zigzag of snow-covered trench of the British troops taking part in this training have also recently been helping train their Ukrainian counterparts in the Richard Gillin, of 4 Scots, told me, "we're definitely ready for Ukraine".Though they do not know whether such a deployment would happen - or what role they might be asked to perform - any operation in Ukraine would give the British Army a new sense of purpose and help with its recruitment Corporal Lewis Antwis, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, said "people have joined the Army for a purpose…so yeah, I think the boys would be ready".
