Hundreds of British Army soldiers have arrived in Estonia to take part in a major multinational exercise, involving more than 13,000 troops.
Travelling from the UK by road, rail, sea and air, the mass transit of troops, managed by 4th Light Brigade Combat Team, also known as ‘The Black Rats’, has demonstrated the British Army’s ability to rapidly deploy a large-scale force to support a NATO ally.
Exercise Hedgehog, running from 9 to 24 May, aims to assess the combat readiness of the Estonian Defence Force (EDF) and its units, test the EDF’s ability to respond to threat scenarios and practice the rapid and large-scale deployment of allied forces to Estonia.
Brigadier Giles Harris, Deputy Commander Estonian Division, said:
“Forty-eight hours ago a multinational combat brigade was in the UK and France and their home locations held at high readiness to deploy as part of NATO’s Forward Land Force (FLF).
“In a full operational rehearsal of the Estonian National Defence Plan we are now here, rehearsing to defend Estonia under the command of the Estonian Division and NATO.
“The Brigade’s rapid deployment by road, rail, sea and air has seen them cross the continent ready to support our allies in the Baltic states. Together we are stronger, together we are NATO.”
British troops boarded trains at St Pancras for a rail journey across Europe while other troops flew by military aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. Most of the vehicles, equipment, and munitions that the British Army will use during Exercise Hedgehog were loaded on to a Roll On – Roll Off container vessel at Marchwood Military Port in Southampton.
Kingsman Amelia McCauley, 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, said:
“We got a coach down from our base at Weeton Barracks in Preston to Dover then we got a ferry over to France. We then took another coach to Paderborn in Germany and from there we flew over to Estonia.”
“It took two days but we did stop overnight in Germany. The journey was okay, I had my eye mask and travel pillow so I went to sleep for 90 percent of it.”
“We’re here to help Estonia and give them the reassurance that, as part of NATO, we’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”
Exercise Hedgehog serves as a Forward Land Force mission rehearsal, providing the opportunity for the FLF and allies and partner nations from across NATO to deploy to Estonia.
Over the course of the exercise, British troops, alongside those from the US and France, will integrate and conduct operations alongside the EDF and Estonian Defence League units.
The Estonian Defence League is a voluntary national defence organisation operating in the area of government of the Estonian Ministry of Defence, which is organised in accordance with military principles, possesses weapons and holds exercises of a military nature.
The exercise is one of several activities taking place in Northern Europe over the next few weeks under the banner of Operation Razoredge, supporting NATO’s eastern flank. In total, 13 NATO allies will carry out exercises in six countries with 16,500 allied troops and 6,000 UK troops.
