Latest news with #SteadfastDart
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
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On the front line with British troops preparing to protect Europe from Russia
In below-freezing conditions, British soldiers, armed with guns flung over their backs, drag their bodies through snow-covered trenches for hours in an effort to hunt down and kill the enemy. Tanks circle in the distance ready to fire and drones zoom overhead, providing intelligence to the men who are navigating the sprawling networks of mud tunnels, dug deep into the frozen ground where their adversaries hide. While in this exercise the British troops are firing blanks and throwing fake grenades at the Romanians to 'clear out' the trenches in which they move, their presence on eastern Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine is a clear message to Russia: We are ready. We will protect Europe against Russia. Exercise Steadfast Dart comes at a time when Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put British troops into Ukraine in the event of a peacekeeping deal Donald Trump has promised to make with Russia. It is part of what Brigadier Andy Watson, Commander 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, has stressed is 'more than just an exercise' and is, in fact, an 'operational rehearsal'. Nearly 3,000 British troops have travelled across road, rail and sea, moving 730 vehicles, weapons and personnel at short notice from the UK, to make up 10,000 Nato troops to enact a rapid reinforcement of Nato's eastern flank. In an interview with The Telegraph at a make-shift office at the military base near Galati, Brg Watson had no doubts about whether his soldiers, who are held at high readiness with a notice to move of two days, could be sent to Ukraine. 'This brigade is absolutely ready,' he said. 'In terms of this brigade's readiness to conduct the whole range of military operations, absolutely, we've trained very well, we are well-resourced and clearly in this construct we are part of a well-resourced coalition.' 'We are prepared,' Brg Watson stressed, adding that the UK would be providing a contribution to any Nato or European effort, 'as opposed to the UK going alone'. With the British Army's troop numbers set to fall below 70,000 for the first time this year, there have been concerns that putting soldiers into Ukraine could expose an already constrained military. However, Brg Watson insisted that was not the case. 'I'm absolutely confident the Ministry of Defence would not send us into theatre without having the correct force package,' he said. Meanwhile, the British soldiers on the ground in Romania are not shying away from the now very real prospect that all the training they have done in these brutal winter conditions could soon be put into practice. Corporal Richard Gillin of 4 Scots said that when he heard the Prime Minister's comments on sending British soldiers to Ukraine, he would be 'up' for going to the warzone because 'it's what we signed up for'. 'At the end of the day, it's a new challenge for everyone,' he told The Telegraph. 'Being part of it is actually bringing ourselves to the table and supporting them. I think it would be quite a good thing. 'We have already been supporting them outside of ammunition and weapons training in the UK.' Cpl Gillin's comments were echoed by Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Muir, Commanding Officer of 4 Scots, who added that his men and women did not sign up to the army to sit around. 'My soldiers didn't join the Army in order to sit at home in their living rooms. They joined for this challenge, they joined to have the hardship and that experience.' Steadfast Dart, which is showcasing Nato's newly formed Allied Reaction Force (ARF), is working to prove the alliance's readiness, capability, mobility, and commitment to defend every inch of Nato territory. Set up as the first responder in the event of crisis, Lt Col Muir acknowledged that the force is on the precipice of crisis. 'We've been preparing ourselves for well over a year now to assume the role and work alongside Nato allies and partners to make sure that should the call come, we are ready to go. 'I think the message from Exercise Steadfast Dart and why we are here alongside so many Nato nations is to show that if the political decision is made, the force is ready to go and it is able to deploy as one.' While land, sea, cyber and air components are key to the nine Nato allies who make up the ARF, trench and urban warfare have been critical to their training. With lessons learnt in Ukraine from how trenches are still key, to fighting on land and to how beneficial drones can be for soldiers moving on foot, The Telegraph watched on as three platoons drilled the 'clearing out' of trenches, including an enormous trench with a frontage of 270 metres. 'With interconnected positions, it makes it complicated for the enemy to fight through it, putting the holder at an advantage as they have learnt how to manoeuvre on a multi-layered battlefield. Major James Graham, officer commanding of Delta 10, 4 Scots, explained. 'The war in Ukraine shows trenches haven't gone away in the 21st century,' he added. 'They are really complicated battlespaces in small areas, so you can do thorough training and test everyone's individual skills without using a huge amount of ground. These skills in the trenches are applicable elsewhere on the battlespace because you could be fighting through small bunkers, urban areas. We also share each other's tactics, which is how we get better at what we do.' Company Sergeant Major Edward Buntine, of the same regiment, said he felt the troops had learnt a lot from working alongside Nato partners as part of a Nato-sized divisional deployment. 'We moved my company all the way from North Yorkshire as a full complete unit with all our kit and equipment in just four days,' he said. 'We then floated the vehicles over from Greece and then drove up.' Asked why Steadfast Dart was so important, he said: 'It's shown interoperability and that we as an organisation can project ourselves forward at short notice.' Although soldiers have yet to have the call that they will be deployed to an active warzone, the location of their training, on the border with Ukraine, has not gone a miss. 'It is sending a message to Russia that we are ready,' one soldier fresh out the trenches said. 'We've prepared, we've practised, and now we'll wait.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
On the front line with British troops preparing to protect Europe from Russia
In below-freezing conditions, British soldiers, armed with guns flung over their backs, drag their bodies through snow-covered trenches for hours in an effort to hunt down and kill the enemy. Tanks circle in the distance ready to fire and drones zoom overhead, providing intelligence to the men who are navigating the sprawling networks of mud tunnels, dug deep into the frozen ground where their adversaries hide. While in this exercise the British troops are firing blanks and throwing fake grenades at the Romanians to 'clear out' the trenches in which they move, their presence on eastern Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine is a clear message to Russia: We are ready. We will protect Europe against Russia. Exercise Steadfast Dart comes at a time when Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put British troops into Ukraine in the event of a peacekeeping deal Donald Trump has promised to make with Russia. It is part of what Brigadier Andy Watson, Commander 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, has stressed is 'more than just an exercise' and is, in fact, an 'operational rehearsal'. Nearly 3,000 British troops have travelled across road, rail and sea, moving 730 vehicles, weapons and personnel at short notice from the UK, to make up 10,000 Nato troops to enact a rapid reinforcement of Nato's eastern flank. In an interview with The Telegraph at a make-shift office at the military base near Galati, Brg Watson had no doubts about whether his soldiers, who are held at high readiness with a notice to move of two days, could be sent to Ukraine. 'This brigade is absolutely ready,' he said. 'In terms of this brigade's readiness to conduct the whole range of military operations, absolutely, we've trained very well, we are well-resourced and clearly in this construct we are part of a well-resourced coalition.' 'We are prepared,' Brg Watson stressed, adding that the UK would be providing a contribution to any Nato or European effort, 'as opposed to the UK going alone'. With the British Army's troop numbers set to fall below 70,000 for the first time this year, there have been concerns that putting soldiers into Ukraine could expose an already constrained military. However, Brg Watson insisted that was not the case. 'I'm absolutely confident the Ministry of Defence would not send us into theatre without having the correct force package,' he said. Meanwhile, the British soldiers on the ground in Romania are not shying away from the now very real prospect that all the training they have done in these brutal winter conditions could soon be put into practice. Corporal Richard Gillin of 4 Scots said that when he heard the Prime Minister's comments on sending British soldiers to Ukraine, he would be 'up' for going to the warzone because 'it's what we signed up for'. 'At the end of the day, it's a new challenge for everyone,' he told The Telegraph. 'Being part of it is actually bringing ourselves to the table and supporting them. I think it would be quite a good thing. 'We have already been supporting them outside of ammunition and weapons training in the UK.' Cpl Gillin's comments were echoed by Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Muir, Commanding Officer of 4 Scots, who added that his men and women did not sign up to the army to sit around. 'My soldiers didn't join the Army in order to sit at home in their living rooms. They joined for this challenge, they joined to have the hardship and that experience.' Steadfast Dart, which is showcasing Nato's newly formed Allied Reaction Force (ARF), is working to prove the alliance's readiness, capability, mobility, and commitment to defend every inch of Nato territory. Set up as the first responder in the event of crisis, Lt Col Muir acknowledged that the force is on the precipice of crisis. 'We've been preparing ourselves for well over a year now to assume the role and work alongside Nato allies and partners to make sure that should the call come, we are ready to go. 'I think the message from Exercise Steadfast Dart and why we are here alongside so many Nato nations is to show that if the political decision is made, the force is ready to go and it is able to deploy as one.' While land, sea, cyber and air components are key to the nine Nato allies who make up the ARF, trench and urban warfare have been critical to their training. With lessons learnt in Ukraine from how trenches are still key, to fighting on land and to how beneficial drones can be for soldiers moving on foot, The Telegraph watched on as three platoons drilled the 'clearing out' of trenches, including an enormous trench with a frontage of 270 metres. 'With interconnected positions, it makes it complicated for the enemy to fight through it, putting the holder at an advantage as they have learnt how to manoeuvre on a multi-layered battlefield. Major James Graham, officer commanding of Delta 10, 4 Scots, explained. 'The war in Ukraine shows trenches haven't gone away in the 21st century,' he added. 'They are really complicated battlespaces in small areas, so you can do thorough training and test everyone's individual skills without using a huge amount of ground. These skills in the trenches are applicable elsewhere on the battlespace because you could be fighting through small bunkers, urban areas. We also share each other's tactics, which is how we get better at what we do.' Company Sergeant Major Edward Buntine, of the same regiment, said he felt the troops had learnt a lot from working alongside Nato partners as part of a Nato-sized divisional deployment. 'We moved my company all the way from North Yorkshire as a full complete unit with all our kit and equipment in just four days,' he said. 'We then floated the vehicles over from Greece and then drove up.' Asked why Steadfast Dart was so important, he said: 'It's shown interoperability and that we as an organisation can project ourselves forward at short notice.' Although soldiers have yet to have the call that they will be deployed to an active warzone, the location of their training, on the border with Ukraine, has not gone a miss. 'It is sending a message to Russia that we are ready,' one soldier fresh out the trenches said. 'We've prepared, we've practised, and now we'll wait.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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 government. This 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 Ukraine. Although mobile phones have been banned on the exercise, most soldiers are aware that there are now initial discussions to send troops to Ukraine itself. Brigadier 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 ceasefire. But so far he too is unclear as to what they might be asked to do. In 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 Watson. Exercise 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 too. The 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 Force. And that it can operate alongside allies. More than 10,000 military personnel are taking part in the exercise from eight European nations. But 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 forces. When British forces were sent to Helmand in 2009, the British Army had more than 100,000 regular troops. Now 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 troops. It 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 crisis. Unusually, 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 hole. That's 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 ground. Healey 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 partner. The 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 alone. Russia's 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 defence. But 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 production. But 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 lines. Many of the British troops taking part in this training have also recently been helping train their Ukrainian counterparts in the UK. Corporal 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 purpose…so yeah, I think the boys would be ready". PM 'ready' to put troops on ground in Ukraine to protect peace UK military too 'run down' to lead Ukraine peace mission - ex-Army chief What key players want from Ukraine war talks
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".
