140 French troops to arrive in Estonia on Tuesday
The second batch of French military personnel to be stationed in Estonia as part of the new NATO battle group, consisting of 140 troops, will land at the Ämari air base on Tuesday.
The first 50 French military personnel arrived in Estonia on Mar. 20, and the transfer of the French contingent’s equipment to Estonia was completed on Wednesday, military spokespeople in Tallinn said.
The 1,200-strong NATO battle group to be deployed to Estonia this spring will have British and French tanks and IFVs as well as British self-propelled guns among its equipment. French troops will serve in the group for the next eight months, after which they will be replaced by Danish units.
The French contingent of 300 soldiers will be armed with Leclerc tanks, VBCI infantry fighting vehicles, and VAB armored vehicles.
The British contingent to eventually consist of 800 personnel will be armed with Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and AS90 self-propelled artillery.
Leaders of NATO member countries decided at the alliance’s Warsaw summit in July last year to increase NATO’s presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland because of the changed security environment. The contingent to be stationed in Estonia will be led by the UK, with additional troops contributed by France and Denmark.
Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS
