British tanks join Poland exercises to reassure allies against Putin

telegraph.co.uk ^ | July 28, 2014 | Ben Farmer

[Tailgunner Joe]

Britain will send an armoured battle group of tanks and 1,350 troops to Poland for Nato war games designed to sure up the alliance’s eastern members against fears of Russian aggression.

The deployment will see British troops backed by Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured fighting vehicles join other Nato forces for a two-month exercise in eastern Europe.

The manoeuvres come as the Kremlin is accused of continuing to stoke the conflict in Ukraine by shelling across the border and increasing the flow of weapons and supplies to Moscow-backed separatists.

The Ministry of Defence in London said the UK would send “a full battle group comprising 1,350 personnel and more than 350 armoured and other vehicles to a major military exercise in Poland as part of a Nato package to reassure Eastern European allies”.

The force to join Exercise Black Eagle from October to December, is the biggest British force sent to Eastern Europe since 2008.

Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said the deployment showed “our sustained and substantial support to Nato’s eastern border.”

The crisis is likely to dominate the agenda of a Nato summit in Wales next month, as the alliance decides how to react to the sudden plunge in relations with Russia.

Mr Fallon added: “We have a strong opportunity at the Nato summit [in September] to discuss how we will continue our response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its destabilisation of eastern Ukraine. The UK is playing a central role and we are not ruling out further enhancements.”

[Jack Hammer]

Britain comes to the defense of embattled Poland...

Hmmm, why does that ring a bell?

[mylife]

It is hard to watch.

[ClayinVA]

I think they are doing that to every division to save money and from what I hear the brigades that are left just have skeleton crews. They are doing the old National Guard trick of of pulling from 3 units to form one unit that can be deployed. So basicly a Division is really only a Brigade with a bunch of extra senior officers fighting over slots.

[Tallguy]

He has cut the 101st Airborne Division from 4 Brigades to 3.

Which brigade got cut? When did that happen?

Fort Campbell's website for the 101st still shows 4 Brigades, plus Aviation.

[familyop]

"The manoeuvres come as the Kremlin is accused of continuing to stoke the conflict in Ukraine by shelling across the border and increasing the flow of weapons and supplies to Moscow-backed separatists."

Foul. Those artillery positions and supply lines should be hit from the air.

[varon]

Problem is, is if we turn our back, Islam and the Commies get closer to our shores.

Can't get any closer than our southern border and Dearborn, MI

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Old Russian saying: “ Everything truly important happens in Europe—always has, always will.”

[BobL]

I guess I won’t be seeing any tanks when I visit the London military museums next month.

Oh well, maybe they’ll leave some stuff there for me.

[mylife]

It is the crossroads.

[mylife]

Scary stuff.

[donozark]

4th BCT cut in April. 82nd also lost 4 BCT. And 1st Cav lost ? BCT. 7 more BCT's to be cut. Army Times was my source.

Just sad to see what this skinny Somalian socialist slug is doing to us....

[wally_bert]

Maybe Jeremy Clarkson can take the Range Rover to give them small fast target practice? He did it before with a Challenger II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wKfpPrRVIo

[Tallguy]

Thanks for the info... The 101st ABN’s website has yet to be updated it would seem.