Troops have travelled to Romania and Bulgaria to participate in NATO operation Steadfast Dart, which ministers hope will serve as a valuable proving ground for the British Army
British troops are travelling en masse to continental Europe to participate in major NATO-led drills designed to wargame mass mobilisation, amid threats that Russia could attack allied nations.
Thousands of soldiers and transports have been dispatched East to take part in the massive drills that will fall over more than a month, including the date marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Around 2,500 serving personnel are taking part in the drills, which started last week and will last until beyond the key date on February 24.
Known as Steadfast Dart, or STDT25, NATO states the operation will “test and train the operational deployment and reinforcement of 2024 Allied Reaction Force (ARF)”. While the organisation notes it will take place “under peacetime condition”, it will be carried out in two Eastern European nations that border Russia, which top military figures have warned is preparing to attack.
Troops are participating in STDT25 in Romania and Bulgaria, where they will “focus on the planning and execution of a pre-crisis multi-domain activity” and reinforce allied forces in both nations. The British convoy travelled to the nations in a “hefty undertaking”, British Army Second Lieutenant Alex Coleman told the PA news agency, that will show what the military and NATO “are capable of”.
The convoy has travelled through multiple nations, including the Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia, before pausing in Hungary and eventually landing in Romania, where they are due to carry out combat drills. They follow recent warnings from top German military officials, who have said Russian despot Vladimir Putin is rearming his country at a rapid rate, and could be preparing to attack a NATO nation.
German Major General Christian Freuding said in a statement that the Russian armed forces are “successfully rearming” despite massive losses in Ukraine. He said: “The Russian armed forces are not just able to compensate for the enormous personnel and material losses, they are successfully rearming.”
The military chief added that, while it isn’t obvious whether Putin has immediate plans to lash out against a NATO member state, the confrontation is on the cards. He said the Russian premier was “clearly creating the conditions” for a clash, noting: “Production is growing, the supplies in the depots are growing.”
The UK plans to use Steadfast Dart, which concludes on February 26, to demonstrate it is capable of leading the opposition against Russia, armed forces minister Luke Pollard said earlier this month. He said in a statement that the Government aims to make the nation the leading European force in NATO.
He said: “Exercise Steadfast Dart demonstrates our unshakeable commitment to Nato and highlights the UK’s key leadership role in the alliance. As we approach the three-year anniversary of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we must continue to strengthen our collective defences together to deter Putin effectively.”