British Army sends hundreds of vehicles in Romania for NATO exercise

Around 730 British Army vehicles have been loaded onto cargo ships, ready to be transported to Romania for NATO’s first deployment of the Allied Reaction Force. Roughly 2,500 soldiers will accompany them to the Eastern European country.

The vehicles left from the Sea Mounting Center in Marchwood, Hampshire, ahead of Exercise Steadfast Dart 25.

NATO vehicles and troops will travel by sea, road, rail, and air over 2,300 km to and from Romania to test the Alliance’s ability to deploy under pressure. The purpose of the exercise is to practice a major deployment of land, sea, and air forces across Europe and to demonstrate NATO’s ability to mobilize rapidly throughout the continent.

Foxhound patrol vehicles, Jackal high-mobility weapons platform vehicles, Mastiff armored patrol vehicles, as well as fuel tankers and forklifts, were loaded onto the MV Hurst Point, heading to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis.

Exercise Steadfast Dart marks the first deployment of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force (ARF), composed of high-readiness troops capable of responding quickly and effectively to address any threat in peacetime, crisis, and conflict.

Approximately 2,500 British troops will travel by truck and aircraft to Romania, with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, deployed for the exercise. The two regiments, part of the 7th Light Mechanized Brigade Combat Team - known as The Desert Rats - will form the primary battle group supported by other British forces and representatives from eight other NATO nations.

The UK’s 102 Operational Support Brigade will provide the logistical element of the NATO exercise, transporting troops and equipment to Romania. British army representatives noted that the exercise will be a good demonstration of what the Allied Reaction Force can do and will show how it can be used.

“This is significant for the United Kingdom as it is the first time the Allied Reaction Force is being deployed, and the UK is providing the land component of the deployment,” said Colonel Jim Beere, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UK’s 1st Division, cited in the press release.

In the coming weeks, Germany will host elements of the British Army during Exercise Steadfast Dart as troops, vehicles, and equipment transit through Germany to their final destinations. The deployment will use several convoy support centers, hosted at Bundeswehr (German armed forces) locations, and civilian companies to provide fuel and refueling services, feeding, sleeping, and rest areas, as well as offices and communication facilities for a deployed headquarters and recovery zones.