Defence Online

UK steps up measures to reassure European allies

Homeland November 3, 2016

The UK is stepping up its package of measures to support its allies in Europe in the face of a more assertive Russia, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon MP has announced.

The Defence Secretary said that the UK will commit RAF Typhoon aircraft to the NATO Southern Air Policing mission to offer reassurance to our Black Sea allies. Deployed from RAF Coningsby, the Typhoons will be based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase, Romania, for up to four months in 2017.

Following July’s decision that the UK will deliver one of four battalions to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States and Poland, Mr Fallon also confirmed the UK will be sending 800 personnel to Estonia, with France and Denmark contributing further troops.

The deployment is likely to include armoured infantry equipped with Warrior AFVs, tactical UAVs and a troop of Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks. Detailed planning with our Estonian hosts is well under way and the first deployments are expected to begin in May next year.

The Defence Secretary commented: “Backed by a rising defence budget this deployment of air, land and sea forces shows that we will continue to play a leading role in NATO, supporting the defence and security of our allies from the north to the south of the alliance.”

Image: The UK has committed RAF Typhoon aircraft to the NATO Southern Air Policing mission

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Mark Lane is a defence writer for defenceonline.co.uk and the MoD’s Defence Contracts Bulletin. He is also editor of Global Trader, sub-editor of Insider Scotland and a former editor of Business Today.

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