To support NATO forces in Europe, 20,000 British troops will be stationed in an effort to increase international security.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is due to outline plans for the UK’s response to the loss of the so-called “peace dividend” that the West has enjoyed since the end of the Cold War in a speech later today.
This occurs just a few days after the government announced a second £2.5 billion UK aid package for Ukraine and approved strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In the first half of this year, the 20,000 soldiers will be stationed throughout Europe as part of Exercise Steadfast Defender 24.
Shapps is expected to warn that the “foundations of the world order” are being “shaken to their core”, arguing that Britain “must be prepared” to deter its enemies.
The deployment of 20,000 troops will help to support “one of the largest NATO deployments since the Cold War”.
Some 16,000 of them will be troops from the British Army, deployed across eastern Europe from February to June 2024. They will be supported by British taking tanks, artillery, helicopters, and parachutes.
Overnight on Friday, Britain joined the US in unleashing targeted strikes against military facilities in Yemen in response to the “reckless actions” of Houthi rebels in the region.
Action was taken after weeks of disruption to international shipping in the Red Sea.
The rebels had launched a series of attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea, which they claimed to be a show of support for Palestine and terror group Hamas.