300 French troops to arrive in Tapa next week
A 300-strong contingent of French Army troops to serve in NATO Battle Group Estonia is to arrive in Tapa next week.
The French contingent will arrive at Tapa Army Base next Tuesday, where it will serve through the end of August, the French Embassy in Tallinn said.
The arriving contingent, which will serve in the UK-led battle group under the alliance's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) posture, will consist of troops from the 2nd Armoured Brigade and the Foreign Legion of the French Army.
"We are very pleased that we can work together with our allies and improve our interoperability," contingent member Maj. Marc Antoine said.
The French troops will be armed with four Leclerc tanks and some 20 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), including 13 VBCI vehicles, which will be transported to Estonia by rail.
The previous French contingent served in Battle Group Estonia from March to December 2017. A French Air Force contingent also performed NATO Baltic Air Policing duties out of Ämari Air Base from April to September 2018.
Editor: Aili Vahtla