The UK announces 20,000 British Forces to boost NATO in speech

From: 

Ministry of Defence, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP 

Published 

15 January 2024 

(Although this is an advance statement, he did say later on that day, what is referred to in this)

 

In the context of an ever more dangerous world, the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, will deliver a major speech at Lancaster House today, to set out his vision for the UK to deter threats, lead among allies and defend the UK.

Ah yes, defend the UK, Perhaps Mr Shapps can explain why the UK has no anti-missile defence system?

Following last week’s targeted Royal Air Force strikes against the Houthis in Yemen and the announcement of a further £2.5bn UK support package to Ukraine, the Defence Secretary is expected to announce that in the first half of 2024, 20,000 service personnel from the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force will deploy across Europe to take part in Exercise Steadfast Defender 24.

Mr Shapps is referring to the very expensive attacks made illegally against the sovereign state of Yemen that did little more than create craters in empty places. A total of 20,000 service personnel, somewhat misleading figure as only a portion of them are capable of taking offensive action. This number roughly equates to the number of casualties taken by the Ukraine army each week

 

The exercises will see the UK’s Armed Forces join thousands of personnel from 31 NATO allies and Sweden, operating across multiple countries, coinciding with the NATO Alliance’s 75th year.

The deployment will see the UK use the RAF’s most up-to-date fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, the Royal Navy’s most advanced warships and submarines, and a full range of Army’s capabilities – from logistics to armour to special operations forces.

All of which is dwarfed by the resources of the UK’s self proclaimed enemies. Mr Shapps like the rest of the UK government lives in a land of make-believe.

 

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps MP is expected to say:

We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation whenever the call comes.

So Mr Shapps who are these enemies, and why do you consider them enemies, facts please not just huff and puff and propaganda.

Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers. Old enemies are reanimated. Battle lines are being redrawn. The tanks are literally on Ukraine’s lawn.  And the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads.

The barriers in the form of sanctions, NATO expansion, espionage, and demeaning propaganda have been set up by the west including the UK.  Neither Russia or China has ever made a single threatening move against the UK yet you insult, provoke and belittle them at every turn, trashing the UK economy in the process.

I can announce today that UK will be sending some 20,000 personnel to take part in one of NATO’s largest deployments since the end of the Cold War. Exercise Steadfast Defender. It will see our military joining forces with counterparts from 30 NATO countries plus Sweden, providing vital reassurance against the Putin menace.

The total Nato possible NATO deployment of ground forces amounts to around half a million men with ammunition and fuel for a maximum of 30 days combat. They have to defend a frontline of over 2000 miles against a force which is 4 times larger with virtually unlimited supplies of ammunition and fuel and weapons that are a generation ahead of NATO’s weapons. 

Among those deploying this year is 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team (7LMBCT), which led the response during the activation of NATO’s Strategic Reserve Force in Kosovo last year, and which will be operating across Europe to deliver one of the largest NATO deployments since the Cold War.

Yes, they made a great showing against unarmed civilians and helped the EU break the solemn agreement it made to protect the rights of Serbians in Kosovo. Of course and as usual the UK taxpayer picked up the multi million pound bill for this act.

Enhancing the coalition between the UK and her NATO allies, Steadfast Defender 24 will bring NATO nations together and deliver on promises made at the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius.

On the contrary a number of NATO members are unhappy with its current policies and actions, after its disastrous interference in Ukraine its future is in doubt.

 

Contributions from each service:

The Royal Navy:

• The Royal Navy will be deploying eight warships and submarines, and more than 2,000 sailors. 
• A UK Carrier Strike Group, centred on a Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier and her air group of F-35B Lightning jets and helicopters, and surrounded by escort frigates and destroyers, will operate as part of a potent naval force of allied warships and submarines in the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea. 
• More than 400 Royal Marines Commandos will be deployed to the Arctic Circle at the heart of an allied amphibious task group designed to land in the high north and defend the alliance in one of the world’s harshest environments. 

More than 2000 is correct, about double that number for all these ships and submarines if they are fully crewed. Given the very old and insecure control and command system used by the RN I am sure the Russian signals intelligence monitors will have a field day collecting information from this lot.

The British Army:

• 16,000 troops from the British Army will be deployed across eastern Europe from February to June 2024, taking with them tanks, artillery, helicopters, and parachutes. 
• There will be live fire manoeuvres, parachute jumps, an Army and Navy joint helicopter force, and Army Special Operations Forces on deployment. 
• The British Army will deploy to test and strengthen the readiness of the UK’s land forces in defending NATO, and to bolster its ability to operate jointly with allied armed forces. 

Whoever wrote this is clearly not in the military, I am sure that the paratroops who will take part in the parachute drop are mightily relieved that they will be taking their parachutes with them. How many of these troops will be in the ‘tail’ ie maintenance and repair, medical and first aid services, and of course artillery. Just how many front line fighting troops will take part. I would say based upon previous experience less than half.

The Royal Air Force:

• The Royal Air Force will be making use of some of its most cutting-edge aircraft, including F35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P8 surveillance aircraft. 
• The RAF will practice flying in simulated conflict scenarios against near-peer adversaries, proving its ability to deter and defend against threats. 

Now it becomes embarrassing, the F35B is so far from the cutting edge of military aircraft that neither the US or UK have used it in attacks on the Houthis, it is unable to sustain supersonic speeds without damage, has poor manoeuvrability and proved inadequate in air combat trials against much older 2nd generation jet fighters. The Poseidon P8 is old technology and is vulnerable to ‘over the horizon’ missile attacks.

 

Now all we need to know is the one critical piece of information that is missing from this – the cost!

Based upon previous NATO exercises that did not involve the UK navy and airforce it will cost more than 400 million pounds. Money that could have been better spent on addressing the critical issues that affect UK citizens each and every day rather than posturing against imaginary enemies.

 

By James De Burghe, former Royal Marines Officer, government officer and defence and intelligence analyst. Now retired but with regular contact with those in defence and intelligence in several relevant countries.