A WILTSHIRE tank regiment roared into action in southern Estonia along with 15,000 troops from over ten countries. 

It was all part of Exercise Hedgehog, an operation designed to test the security of NATO’s eastern flank, referred to as the ‘three Bs and P’ – the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) and Poland.

The Challenger 2s of the Wiltshire based Royal Tank Regiment took part. 

“Together we are stronger” were the closing words from Lieutenant Colonel Kaido Tiitus, Commander of the Estonian Defence League’s Southern Command,  as he addressed a highly symbolic military ceremony held with troops from across Europe and beyond as they stood assembled on either side of the small river that forms the border between Estonia and Latvia.

The ceremony marked the successful completion of the mobilisation of Estonia’s Reserve Forces and the starting point for the latest in a series of multi-national NATO exercises based in and around the Baltics. Codenamed Exercise Hedgehog, or Ex Siil in Estonian,  it was the largest military exercise ever to have taken place in the history of the country.

The British Army provided a heavy presence among the 10 participating nations – not least due to the 64 tonne Challenger 2 main battle tanks and 25 tonne Warrior armoured fighting vehicles sent to support the Estonian 2nd Infantry Brigade in the south of the country.

The Deterrence factor towards any aggressive neighbouring state who may covet the thought of rolling across the border was another major consideration in the planning of Hedgehog. Estonia shares a border with Russia and there is a heightened level of concern following the events in Ukraine. It is why the United Kingdom maintains and has strengthened a permanent military presence in the form of the ‘Enhanced Forward Presence’ or eFP for short.

29-year-old Tank Operator Corporal Alex Williams is nearing the end of his tour of duty in the Baltics.

He said: “It was really cold at first getting down to -20 degrees at times, for me the highlight was getting promoted to Corporal whilst out here. I’ve managed to get to see the capital Tallinn and the university town of Tartu which was great fun.”

For the past nine months, that presence has been around 700 troops of the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) battlegroup and for exercise Hedgehog they were joined by a further battlegroup centred on the armoured infantry of the Royal Welsh meaning the British Army contributed some 1,500 troops to Hedgehog.