The British Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team will be ready for deployment to Estonia beginning July 2025 under a new defense road map signed Thursday at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Belgium.
Thousands of troops will be held at high readiness to send them to Estonia at short notice and support the British soldiers already stationed in the country and boost capabilities to defend NATO’s eastern flank against increasing global threats.
Estonia, which shares a border with Russia, recently held an evacuation exercise to prepare for a potential attack by a foreign country. According to an official with Estonia’s Defense League, the drills prepare civilians and authorities in case the conflict in Ukraine spreads to nearby countries.
U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey shared his recent visit to the deployed troops and underlined his country’s commitment to NATO’s goals.
“These announcements reinforce our contribution to the NATO alliance for decades to come,” he said in Brussels. “We are working closely with partners to develop advanced defensive and offensive capabilities to protect our citizens whilst boosting industry, jobs and growth in the U.K.”
As part of Britain’s contribution to NATO, Healey was expected to strengthen missile defense cooperation with allies at the recent meeting as the U.K. leads the Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences initiative. Short for DIAMOND, the initiative aims to develop new long-range missiles to improve NATO’s air defense.