Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland are preparing to deploy to the Baltic states for Exercise Spring Storm, one of the largest multinational military drills NATO will conduct this year. Before flying out the troops spent weeks completing a demanding preparatory exercise called Black Cyclone across the north of England building the physical and tactical readiness they will need once they reach Estonia.
The Spring Storm exercise runs from May 4 to June 1 and involves more than 12,000 soldiers from Estonia, France, Latvia and the United Kingdom. It takes place in Estonian and Latvian territory close to the Russian border. The UK's 4th Brigade will integrate with the Estonian Division during the exercise, practising the kind of cross-border military co-operation that NATO considers central to its defensive posture in the region. Estonia's defence ministry has said the exercise will incorporate lessons drawn directly from Russia's war against Ukraine, including updated tactics and the expanded use of drone systems. Attack aircraft, fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles will all feature in the drills, Sky News reports.
