- Prime Minister thanks troops for service and dedication in
unprecedented year of global instability following the invasion
of Ukraine
- Sees first-hand the important work of UK forces as part of
NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence on its eastern flank
- Pays tribute to Armed Forces personnel who are spending
Christmas abroad without their families, telling them their
service will not go unnoticed this festive season
The Prime Minister has today paid tribute to the professionalism
and bravery of UK Armed Forces in an unprecedented year of global
instability.
Addressing military personnel in Tapa, Estonia, he told British
troops their service and dedication would not go unnoticed this
Christmas, and their selfless commitment was instrumental to
keeping the UK and our allies safe.
Around 6000 marines, soldiers, sailors, and aviators will be
deployed across the world this Christmas, serving on 33 military operations in 28 countries. They
will be supported by dedicated merchant sailors from the Royal
Fleet Auxiliary and civilian staff.
More than 1000 of those Armed
Forces will be on Op Cabrit across Estonia and Poland, including
the King’s Royal Hussars, from Catterick Garrison in the Prime
Minister’s constituency in North
Yorkshire.
The Prime Minister thanked those
troops personally today, and, alongside Estonian Prime Minister
Kaja Kallas, served Christmas lunch to NATO forces. He also shared mince pies with UK military
personnel after dinner, hearing first-hand about their
experience as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence across the
Baltics.
Prime Minister
said:
“This year, we have seen a
full-scale war return to our continent, and I am immensely proud
of the selfless dedication and bravery of our Armed Forces who
responded to that threat to keep the UK and our allies
safe.
“As thousands of our military personnel prepare to spend
Christmas on deployment, I know that this year of all years we
will not take their sacrifice, or the sacrifice of their loved
ones, for granted.
“Christmas, after all, is a time for peace, and as alongside our
allies, we’ll continue to support our Ukrainian and European
friends in pursuit of a return of that peace.”
This year, partly in response to the invasion of Ukraine, more
than 12000 UK military personnel have been deployed across
Europe, from Cyprus in the Mediterranean to Norway within the
Arctic Circle, across land, sea and air.
In Estonia, the UK temporarily doubled its footprint in response
to rising tensions, underlining our commitment to NATO and wider
European security. We have since bolstered the lethality of the
deployment with multiple rocket launch systems and short range
air defence, allowing force numbers to be reduced and redeployed
in other areas of the world.
The UK’s contribution to European security has not just been on
land in 2022, with the Royal Navy deploying on nine different
operations across Europe, involving 31 ships and submarines, six
Naval Air Squadrons and 1750 Royal Marines.
And the UK played a leading role in protecting European skies,
with around 1900 UK military flights patrolling, gathering
intelligence and providing essential transport and resilience
across the region this year.
From January 2023, UK Apache and Chinook helicopters will deploy
to Estonia. This additional surge capability into Estonia will
include an aviation task force of three CH47 helicopters,
followed by a deployment of four AH64 and two Wildcat
Helicopters.
