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UK forces test global crisis response

UK forces test global crisis response

Thousands of British military personnel have engaged in a warfighting exercise alongside NATO allies in Europe.  

Thousands of British military personnel have engaged in a warfighting exercise alongside NATO allies in Europe.  

Under the command of 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team (BCT), over 2,000 personnel from the British Army’s Global Response Force have teamed up with counterparts from eight NATO countries in North Macedonia for Exercise Swift Response – a multinational training exercise aimed at strengthening joint crisis response capabilities.  

The UK contingent included the 2 PARA Battlegroup – built around the airborne infantry of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment – supported by artillery, engineers, logisticians, medics and signallers from 16 Air Assault BCT; and Aviation Task Force 1 with Apache attack helicopters and Chinook support helicopters.

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“Exercise Swift Response shows how the British Army is transforming to become more lethal, agile and expeditionary. Exercises alongside our partners and allies are necessary to maintain our advantage in a complex and ever-changing world,” Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey MP said.

“I remain proud of our Armed Forces who continue to serve their country on postings around the world, providing leadership in uncertain times.”

During the exercise, NATO troops engaged in joint training to build capabilities and interoperability, before deploying onto the Krivolak training range by parachute and helicopter to secure and defend a foothold in simulated hostile territory, and then take the offensive.

Commander of 16 Air Assault BCT Brigadier Nick Cowley noted the importance of joint training and lauded the success of the exercise.  

“On Exercise Swift Response, 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, alongside multiple Army and RAF units, has truly demonstrated the lethality, agility and expeditionary capabilities of the Global Response Force,” he said.

“We have deployed thousands of miles across Europe to link up with our NATO allies to conduct arduous training in a challenging environment to make sure that we are ready to deploy on the most demanding missions, at short notice.

“I have been hugely impressed by the quality of our soldiers and their ability to integrate with NATO allies. This exercise has absolutely showed me that we are ready for anything.”

The training in North Macedonia was one element of Exercise Swift Response, which is later expected to involve multinational forces taking direction from the US Army, Europe and Africa, which is set to conduct simultaneous training across Europe.

The NATO exercise comes amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has sparked fear of spill-over conflict embroiling other nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear force if NATO directly intervenes in the Ukrainian war.

NATO members and like-minded countries around the world, including Australia, have supplied Ukrainian forces with military and rumination supplies to support the nation’s resistance to the Russian incursion.  

[Related: NATO recruits Leidos for ballistic missile defence.]

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