The historic move, which will also deploy dozens of tanks to countries ranging from Finland to northern Macedonia this summer, will mark the largest development in Europe since the Cold War. The thousands of British troops will be joined by tens of thousands of troops from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, which includes Finland and Sweden. The plans have been in the works for a long time, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD), but were strengthened in response to what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine. The commander of the Field Army, Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse, said: “The United Kingdom is making a significant contribution to Europe ‘s defense and to preventing Russian aggression. The British Army’s series of exercises is fundamental to both. “The scale of development, combined with the professionalism, training and flexibility of the British military, will prevent aggression on a scale we have not seen in Europe this century.” Britain’s growth is expected to reach a peak of around 8,000 people operating in mainland Europe between April and June. “Europe’s security has never been more important,” said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. “These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the greatest joint developments since the Cold War.” Meanwhile, troops from the Queen’s Royal Hussars have been deployed to Finland – which shares an 830-mile land border with Russia – to be integrated into an armored brigade. Exercises alongside US troops are also taking place in Poland. It comes as the US House of Representatives today passed legislation by a vote of 417 to 10 that would facilitate the export of military equipment to Ukraine, reviving the “Lending-Leasing Act” that helped defeat Hitler during World War II. He will then go to the White House to sign with President Joe Biden. The measure would allow Washington to lend or lease military equipment to US allies. In this case, it will help those affected by the Russian invasion, such as Poland and other Eastern European countries, including Ukraine. “Today, the Ukrainian people are at the forefront of the struggle for democracy and against tyranny, and the United States must provide all possible humanitarian and military assistance,” said Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, a spokeswoman for the bill. . Among other provisions, the bill would allow the United States to supply equipment to Ukraine now with a technical requirement to pay some time later – essentially giving it to the Kiev government.
