France will be contributing 300 soldiers and various military equipment to the NATO battle group, including Leclerc tanks, VBCI infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and VAB armored personnel carriers.

51 French troops are already in Estonia; the remainder are scheduled to arrive in the first half of April. The French contingent will serve in Tapa for the next eight months, following which they will be replaced by Danish troops.

The NATO battle group stationed in Estonia will include a total of nearly 1,200 allied troops, headed by the U.K. and supported by France and Denmark. The U.K. is contributing more than 800 personnel as well as Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior IFVs, AS-90 self-propelled artillery and armored vehicles.

Last July, the leaders of 28 NATO member states decided at the Warsaw Summit to station battalion-sized allied battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in response to a changed security environment. The battle group to be stationed in Estonia will be led by the U.K. with support from France and Denmark.