UK to send troops for NATO exercises in Poland
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
29.07.2014 08:53
Britain is to send a contingent of 1,350 troops and 350 armoured vehicles to take part in NATO manoeuvres in October this year.
UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon (l) with Polish Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak in Warsaw, 28.07.2014 Photo: Major Robert Siemaszko / DPI MON
The announcement was made following a bilateral meeting between the foreign and defence ministers of the UK and Poland, Monday. The UK’s contingent is the largest to be sent to the region since 2008.
The operation, known as ‘Black Eagle’, is a NATO exercise billed for October which is to reassure the alliance’s members in Central Europe and the Baltic States.
“It is right that NATO members and partners demonstrate our commitment to the collective security of our allies in Eastern Europe, so I am pleased to confirm our participation in these exercises,” UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in Warsaw, Monday.
“In particular, the commitment of a battle group to Exercise Black Eagle shows our sustained and substantial support to NATO’s eastern border,” Fallon continued, as cited by a UK Defence Ministry press release.
The Black Eagle operation will follow Sabre Junction, another NATO exercise planned to take place in Poland in August, led by the US along with 16 other NATO members and partners. (jb)
Source: PAP/BBC/gov.uk