A senior army office has said the British troops are “ready” to head to Ukraine as peacekeepers and he is confident we are ready “if and when required.”
Brig Andy Watson, commander of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) land brigade, told the Express some 20 miles from the Ukrainian border in Smardan, eastern Romania, “Our job here is to provide options to ministers.
“I can’t comment on what the force package would look like inside Ukraine, if there is to be one, but in terms of this brigade’s readiness to conduct the whole range of military operations, absolutely.
“We’ve trained very well, we’re well-resourced and clearly, in this construct, we’re part of a well-resourced coalition.”
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Lt Col Harry Waller, Commanding Officer 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, said, “The reaction force here are absolutely ready and we’ll always present our commanders with options. We’re able to project at pace and we [and the other nations] are ready.”
Lt Col Gordon Muir, Commanding Officer of 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland said, “I’m absolutely certain that UK defence is in a position to lead whatever force would be required.”
The senior officers also believe that peacekeeping in Ukraine could lead to an uptick in people joining up.
Lt. Col Waller said, “We saw that spike in Afghanistan and we also saw it during the Cold War.
“I think when there is a clear and present danger, it becomes a much more exciting proposition.”
The Express reports, Lt Col Gordon Muir, said, Over the course of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was definitely an upsurge in interest among young people in the UK who wanted to serve, for that adventure and excitement.
“I expect that part of society, young people, would want to go. And that’s a great thing.
“You join up for the excitement, the challenge, and then realise it’s a really worthwhile profession.
“You gain a lot out of it and then, like me, wake up 19 years later and wonder where it’s all gone.”
