Ever-growing tensions with Russia: U.K. to send formidable force to Estonia next year
The United Kingdom will deploy tanks and drones with troops in Eastern Europe in the spring of 2017 amid NATO worries about Russia, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon says.
The U.K. deployment of Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior tracked armored vehicles, drones alongside 800 troops in Estonia is the first of several expected moves by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to help counter growing fears about Russia in the region, The Wall Street journal reports. Later, soldiers from France and Denmark will join the group. The batallion of defensive character is expected to be fully combat-capable.
According to Fallon, by placing heavy, well-armed units in the Baltic Sea region, NATO is trying to show that it wasn’t simply positioning a small unit in order to trigger a larger alliance invlvement, but rather building a force that could mount a real defense of the region.
