The British Army’s King’s Royal Hussars (KRH) Battlegroup have deployed to Estonia where they will take over from The Royal Welsh to lead NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup in the country.
UK Armed Forces have a leading role in NATO’s eFP in the Baltic States, in order to enhance Euro-Atlantic security, reassure allies and deter any future Russian aggression.
The eFP in the Baltic States is a multinational deployment of combat-ready forces to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on a lasting, rotational basis.
British personnel rotate on a continuous basis alongside Danish, French, and host nation Estonian forces.
Colonel Dai Bevan, Commander of the eFP Estonia Command Headquarters said:
“As we conduct a planned rotation of forces in the eFP, we recognise the commitment and achievements of the outgoing British, Danish and French soldiers over the last six months, and the security they provided to Estonia and the wider region.”
Operation Cabrit is the name of the UK operational deployment to Estonia where British troops are leading a multinational battlegroup as part of the eFP.
Colonel Bevan added:
“We welcome the new British-led Battlegroup and adjoining Danish Company with the enhanced defensive capabilities that they bring. Their first task is to complete their integration with the 1st Estonian Brigade and then start an intensive exercise programme into the winter.”
The KRH is an armoured tank regiment based in the south of England on Salisbury Plain Training Area and uses the Challenger 2 main battle tank to provide armoured strength on the battlefield.
The regiment is on its second deployment to Estonia as the framework of the eFP Battlegroup which this time comprises: two tank squadrons, an anti-tank company, MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) and AS90 fire support batteries, an armoured engineer squadron and an air defence troop.
The anti-tank company from 1st Battalion Scots Guards is mounted in Mastiff protected mobility vehicles equipped with the Javelin weapon system. In addition to the anti-tank capabilities provided by Challengers and Javelins, elements of the Battlegroup are armed with NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon) to defeat enemy armour.
