British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said it was highly likely the UK would add several hundred additional troops to its NATO-led mission in Estonia. He added that decisions on this matter will be taken at the NATO summit in Madrid.
The United Kingdom leads a unit under the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Estonia, consisting of two combat groups, each of approximately 1,000 soldiers. Adding a third combat group will turn it into a brigade.
“It is very likely that at the Madrid summit we will seek to expand these two battle groups into a brigade,” Wallace told Sky News. He added: “This does not necessarily mean that they will always be in Estonia, they may also return to the UK. But it is likely that their command, control and forward units will be in Estonia, where they are now.”
Wallace explained that there is an ongoing debate about how many NATO forces should be deployed to countries on the alliance’s eastern flank and how many should be stationed in their home countries and deployed only in crisis situations. Those based in their home countries will continue training for the eFP mission.
The NATO Summit will be held in Madrid on June 28-30. (PAP)
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