British Army takes ferry to Nato exercise as calls grow for urgent defence spending boost
The Ministry of Defence claimed using a civilian ferry was not due to a lack of military transport but to test using civilian transport in the event of Nato Article Five being triggered.
More than 1,400 members of the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade took a civilian ferry.
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The British Army has used a civilian ferry to deploy troops to Europe en masse for the first time in a generation amid urgent calls for the defence budget to be boosted. More than 1,400 troops embarked on a DFDS ferry from North Tyneside on Wednesday afternoon for a 16-hour North Sea crossing to the Netherlands.From there, the soldiers from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade, known as the Desert Rats, will take trains to central Germany for Nato’s Exercise Rhino Storm.The exercise will demonstrate the Army’s readiness to respond should Nato’s Article Five be triggered by an attack in mainland Europe.This comes amid urgent calls to increase the defence budget.Lord Robertson, the ex-Labour Defence Secretary and now key government advisor, warned the UK's security is "in peril"."We are under-prepared. We are under-insured. We are under attack. We are not safe... Britain's national security and safety is in peril," he warned.Amid conflict in the Middle East, the HMS Dragon caused a stir after arriving in the region almost three weeks after an Iranian drone struck an RAF base on the island.Read More: Scrap triple lock on state pension to fund defence spending, former Bank of England chief economist tells LBCRead More: Britain could waste billions on defence if spending doesn’t actually produce equipment the military can use, industry chief warns
They boarded the ferry at the Port of Tyne, Newcastle.
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The Royal Navy type-45 destroyer was despatched to the eastern Mediterranean to protect Britain’s airbases on Cyprus.It was forced to dock in the Mediterranean after suffering “a minor technical issue with onboard water systems” during its mission. The Ministry of Defence claimed using a civilian ferry – usually filled with lorry drivers and trippers to Amsterdam – was not due to a lack of military transport.The journey was reportedly testing the UK's ability to use civilian transport infrastructure in the event of Nato Article Five being triggered. The article establishes that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all.
The journey is testing the UK's ability to use civilian transport infrastructure.
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Company Commander Charlie Gilmore of Right Flank, The Scots Guards, based in Catterick, North Yorkshire, said using a civilian ferry for a large-scale deployment was “unusual in recent times”.He said: “We used them a generation or two ago in the Falklands and a generation ago in the Gulf conflict.“There’s also a strong reason behind it. It shows a kind of flexibility.
They travelled to Germany to participate in Exercise Rhino Storm.
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“If we were to rely on the strategic airlift that’s provided by the Royal Air Force, we would clog all of that up to move the circa 1,400 people that are going.“It would take about seven flights to do that.“So we can move by air, by sea, we can move by rail, and it allows us to force-project to the location we need to get to.”He added: “We haven’t done it in a while, and we need to practise and rehearse to do that.“That’s the rationale behind it.”There was no alcohol or duty free available for the ferry trip which was reserved for service personnel only.
Entertainment on board included bingo, karaoke and live music.Exercise Rhino Storm will involve live-firing exercises and brigade tactics over several weeks.Second Lieutenant Ben Claxton, of the 1 Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said: “It demonstrates our ability to move troops from the UK, specifically from the north, to anywhere in Europe, en masse, rapidly, using a variety of forms of transport.“It’s a good way to prove we can do it and it leaves our airlift and sealift capability free to then bring over vehicles and equipment if need be.”
