Ukraine, Baltics to get more UK support

Michael Fallon, UK Defence Secretary, has announced more support for the Baltic States and greater training for Ukrainian armed forces, the Ministry of Defence announced on 8 October.

Fallon announced the expanded support at the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels, saying that company-sized units will be deployed to Poland and the Baltics regularly to provide training support and reassurance. Where possible, the deployed units will add to existing deployments.

The move will form part of the Transatlantic Capability Enhancement and Training (TACET) initiative by the US and Germany, and will enable the UK to boost self-defence capabilities of the Baltic States, while improving interoperability with its partners. TACET aims to coordinate military exercises and training in Poland and the Baltic States to develop resilience and capability.

As for Ukraine, Fallon announced an uplift in the number of UK training personnel based in the region, and an increase in the training delivery capacity by one-third. The UK is providing non-lethal assistance as required by the Ukrainian government. A total of 19 UK teams have been operating in the region at eight training sites.

Fallon said: 'We are committed to supporting the sovereignty of the democratic nations of Eastern Europe. We are already deploying RAF jets to the Baltics and providing crucial training to the Ukrainian armed forces. Now we will have a more regular drumbeat of troops deploying in the Baltics and Poland, and will step up our training effort in Ukraine.'