British Army demonstrates how the JEF would support Latvia in a crisis.
The British Army’s 8 and 11 Brigades took to the Latvian forests during TARASSIS to support the Latvian National Guard’s 4th Brigade in the UK’s largest ever deployment to the country.
The Latvian MOD hosted the British Army and wove TARASSIS seamlessly into their annual national defence exercise, NAMEJS, an exercise which incorporates the entire nation’s defence infrastructure and validates the training of the latest conscripts.
For the first time, the Joint Expeditionary Force HQ took operational control (OPCON) of UK ground forces deployed to support a fellow JEF nation in a scenario that showed how the UK would reinforce Latvia if asked.
Latvia’s Chief of Defence Major General Kaspars Pudāns said “Exercise TARASSIS is an excellent opportunity for Latvia to practice the capability to support and host allies, not only involving armed forces but also engaging civilian organizations and infrastructure. At the same time, we use the presence of allied forces as an opportunity to practice various
cooperation and coordination procedures.”
Equipment for the activity was escorted to Latvia by sea on MV Anvil Point, and the troops flew in on Royal Air Force Voyager aircraft. Upon arrival, 8 (Engineer) Brigade and 11 (Infantry) Brigade setup a secure base in the town of Vaiņode and on its adjacent airfield.
Troops from 3 Scots, 11 Brigade, demonstrated using the latest drones in the battlefield from ground-based logistics drones for supplies/medivacs to quadcopters taking over the skies taking away the oppositions ability to hide. Throughout this phase the Latvian and British soldiers ‘fought’ shoulder to shoulder to take on the Canadian/Italian opposition.
8 Brigade undertook multiple tasks to prepare for greater reinforcements ranging from underwater infrastructure surveys to airfield repair and setting up logistics hubs. The culmination of their efforts resulted in a Canadian C130 Hercules landing on the runway during a VIP Day capability demonstration, with F-18 Hornets escorting.
TARASSIS demonstrated how the JEF works with wider Alliance forces to complement NATO deterrence and defence in northern Europe.
These activities continue to forge relationships and routes to enable future activities, namely next year’s Lion Protector.