NATO troops complete exercise in Latvia

Britain and its European allies have successfully concluded Exercise Joint Protector, across multiple locations in Latvia, supporting NATO's eastern flank.

The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a partnership of ten northern European nations - Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden Finland and the UK.

The exercise tested how quickly the JEF can deploy together across Europe to meet rapidly emerging threats, with military personnel from across the ten nations practising deploying from their home countries, along with key equipment, to locations across Latvia. The exercise helped to improve co-ordination and cooperation between JEF nations.

Ukrainian military officers attended the exercise for the first-time this year, with the alliance looking to learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP, said: Exercise Joint Protector demonstrates our unwavering commitment to regional security, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad, as well as the strength and depth of our international partnerships.  

"The participation of our Ukrainian partners highlights the exercise’s importance, ensuring that we can learn from Ukraine’s hard-fought combat experience."