Nato feels "stronger than ever" despite recent internal tensions, a British commanding officer said during a major winter training exercise in Estonia. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Luson made the statement as 1,250 troops tested their capabilities in temperatures plummeting to minus 30 degrees Celsius at night.
The remarks come weeks after US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland caused friction between America and its traditional European allies. But Exercise Winter Camp at the Tapa military base demonstrates the alliance's operational unity and readiness.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Luson, commanding officer of the Royal Tank Regiment, told the Press Association: «Right now, on this training area, we have got US tank company part of the exercise, we've got the French company as part of the Forward Land Force battle group, and operating alongside Estonian partners as well. So Nato here feels stronger than ever.»
The British officer emphasized that concerns about the alliance's future have not affected morale at the training range. «We work well together, we're enjoying each other's company, and I think whilst we remain together as an alliance, we are strong and ready to go,» he said.
Extreme cold conditions
This year's winter camp is taking place in harsher conditions than usual. Luson noted: «Every year, the battle group coming through Estonia will come and do winter camp to practise. This year is colder than it's been for the last couple of years. Things are still working, and so far, so good.»
Janek Baiduza, a company commander in the Estonian Defence Forces, highlighted the training value for foreign troops. «This winter camp is perfect… It's colder than usual, challenging. The main reason is to exchange experiences, maybe for foreign and other countries who are participating in winter camp, they can get a lot of experience, fighting in these conditions,» he told the Press Association.
The Royal Tank Regiment has been deployed in Estonia since September last year as part of Operation Cabrit, the UK's contribution to Nato's Forward Land Forces in Estonia and Poland.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
