Grant Shapps visits largest NATO drill since Cold War in clear message to Russia

Britain is leading the way in the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War in a clear message to Russia that it “cannot continue moving west”.

The alliance’s Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 involves 90,000 troops as well as fighter jet fleets and armadas and is taking place right across Europe’s eastern flank over the next few months.

The largest portion of troops in the exercise, some 19%, are from the UK.

It comes as the Defence Secretary warns Britain is shifting “from post-war to pre-war” and “we have to be much more prepared”.

Grant Shapps visited part of the exercise taking place in NATO’s most exposed territory, the Suwalki Gap, Poland on Wednesday to meet troops and his Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak Kamysz.

Addressing assembled British troops at the military training area, Mr Shapps said: “You guys are part of the biggest single contribution of any country.

“There are 32 countries in NATO now, thanks to Sweden joining last week.

“We are providing 16,000 of the Army, about 19,000 or 20,000 of the overall personnel.

“So we are not just contributing, we are over-contributing, to this extraordinary exercise.

“And it couldn’t be coming at a more significant moment.

“Last week I was in Ukraine talking to Zelensky who needs all the help that he can be given because this is a moment where we have to show that we are not just offering words but we are prepared to put our money where our mouths are.”

He added: “One of the things we need to do is make sure Putin understands NATO is ready and he cannot continue moving west.”

More than 50 ships from aircraft carriers to destroyers are taking part, as well as more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones and at least 1,100 combat vehicles including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles.

Alongside other NATO troops, British soldiers taking part in the drill are testing their combat readiness to ensure they can move anywhere in the world within 48 hours.

Alastair Robertson, reconnaissance officer in the Desert Rats, said: “It is amazing that we’re here. The scale of it is extraordinary. It’s taken years of planning.”

Soldiers from the Desert Rats carried out war games in a model village set up at the training ground to prepare them for urban warfare.

The Defence Secretary watched a drill which involved British and Polish infantry working together to execute attacks across the fake village.

The elite soldiers climbed through windows as the ground shook from tank fire in the near distance. Entering a tall warehouse structure known as the “kill house”, they carried out close combat drills.

Only three hours from Russian exclave Kaliningrad, Polish commanders move around the base surrounded by up to half a dozen soldiers for security.

Western military planners warn the area, dubbed ‘NATO’s weakest link’, would likely be one of the Russian President’s first targets were he to choose to escalate the war in Ukraine into a direct confrontation with the alliance.

Speaking to journalists after the drill Lt Col Ben Hawes, CO of 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment and battlegroup commander of VJTF land said: “Our job is to punch ahead through complex terrain and set conditions for the armour to be launched.

“We deploy forwards to wherever is required…the scenario here is training.. ahead of the threshold of conflict being reached.

“The reality is we are very close to the border with Belarus…. there is a deterrence effect as well.

“When we train, we train for the worst case scenario.”

On his visit to Poland, the Defence Secretary announced that Britain’s heavy-lift capability will be bolstered with the purchase of 14 American-made Chinook helicopters (CH47-ER).

Mr Shapps reversed a decision by then-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to cancel the deal over the £2.3billion price, which sparked a diplomatic row.

Mr Wallace had ordered the deal to be scrapped because the cost had risen by about £500 million from initial estimates, which caused tension between British and US ambassadors.

But on Wednesday, the Defence Secretary confirmed the deal would go ahead because he was able to get the price reduced by £300 million for the extended-range helicopters.

As part of the deal, UK companies will produce components critical for manufacturing and maintaining the Chinooks which is expected to pump an estimated £151 million into the UK economy.

The new helicopters have double the range of standard Chinooks, which can reach 600 miles, and is capable of air-to-air refuelling, with the ability to carry up to 55 personnel or 10,000 kg of cargo.

“Procuring these Chinook helicopters will mark a significant milestone in our efforts to modernise and enhance the agility of the UK Armed Forces, cementing our ability to respond at pace to situations and threats across the globe,” Mr Shapps said.

“The Chinook is one of our most iconic aircraft, having been operated in every major conflict since the Falklands War. Delivering on this deal not only enhances our capability, but will boost UK industry and skills.”