Pictured is a member of C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment patroling across the Caylus training area during Exercise Falcon Amarante.
British and French paratroopers are showing their readiness to deploy together on joint operations.
Across two demanding weeks in November, south west France saw Exercise Falcon Amarante testing the Airborne Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (A-CJEF) a partnership between 16 Air Assault Brigade and 11e Brigade Parachutiste.
The two brigades provide the airborne rapid reaction forces for their respective armies, and the A-CJEF has been trained and ready since 2013 to deploy on short-notice operations ranging from war fighting to disaster relief.
Exercise Falcon Amarante is the A-CJEFs annual test exercise, taking place in 2018 under 11e BPs command.
Some 650 British troops and 170 vehicles of the 3 PARA Battlegroup - built around the airborne infantry of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment bolstered by artillery, engineers, medics, signallers and logisticians took part.
British troops were paired with the 3e Regiment de Parachutistes dInfanterie de Marine as the A-CJEF, with US paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade working alongside it. After mission planning and reconnaissance, the exercises started in earnest with some 600 British, French and US paratroopers jumping onto the Caylus training area near Toulouse. From there, a series of simulated missions tested the skills and capabilities of the 2,000-strong force.
Downing Street has announced that 1,000 UK troops have been put on standby in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, with fears of a fall out of a humanitarian crisis following such potential actions.
PM, Boris Johnson will fly to Poland today in support of a key NATO ally as tensions mount in the region.
Already 350 Royal Marines from 45 Commando are being deployed to Poland, while in December the UK sent 100 Royal Engineers to the country after Moscow’s ally Belarus engineered a refugee crisis on the border.
The government has stipulated no British troops will engage in combat on the ground.
British officials warned any further Russian incursion into Ukraine would be a “humanitarian disaster” leading to a mass displacement of people, which would particularly affect countries like Poland and Lithuania.
Additional troops are being paced on readiness to provide a humanitarian response if required, although they could also be used to provide further support to allies in the region.
