3 days ago
Cambuslang soldier deployed on Exercise Hedgehog near Russia
Fusilier David Whyte, 18, is serving with the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) as part of a 2 SCOTS-led Battlegroup to Estonia.
The soldiers are joining thousands of other British Army troops as part of Exercise Hedgehog.
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(Image: Crown Copyright 2025)The exercise, running from May 9 to 24, involves 17,000 troops from 12 nations and is designed to test Estonia's defences and NATO's ability to respond rapidly to potential threats from Russia.
A former pupil of Cathkin High School in Cambuslang, David joined the army at just 16, training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.
He said: "I joined the army because it was something different, not sitting in an office.
"While at Harrogate, I enjoyed going on a battlefield tour to France.
"My proudest moments so far have been passing out at Harrogate and getting through the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick."
Exercise Hedgehog marks the young soldier's first overseas deployment with the army.
(Image: Crown Copyright 2025) David said: "It was something completely different getting on a military flight to get here.
"Sitting on a massive RAF plane was a bit different to getting on a Jet2 plane to go on holiday."
David's brother, who joined the army two weeks before him, has also been deployed to Estonia with a different company.
The 2 SCOTS regiment formed a battlegroup in the Nursipalu training area in south-east Estonia, where they conducted urban and woodland combat training.
The soldiers built trenches in the Estonian forest, similar to those dug by Ukrainian soldiers to protect against Russia's invasion.
Attacking forces made up of other NATO allies assaulted the trench positions using drones with simulated pyrotechnic munitions, blank ammunition fired by machine guns, and simulation grenades.
(Image: Crown Copyright 2025)
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Exercise Hedgehog serves as a Forward Land Force (FLF) mission rehearsal, offering an opportunity for the FLF and allies and partner nations from across NATO to deploy to Estonia.
The UK's 4th Light Brigade Combat Team — known as The Black Rats — is leading the deployment.
Thousands of British troops travelled by road, rail, sea, and air, arriving in under 48 hours, demonstrating the British Army's ability to mobilise a large-scale force rapidly.
The mass transit of troops demonstrated the British Army's ability to quickly deploy a large-scale force to aid a NATO ally that borders Russia.
