UK Underlines Commitment To Western Balkans With Extension Of Troops In Kosovo

16th June 2021

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.

UK troops will continue to contribute to the NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR) until at least 2023.

The continuing presence of British Army personnel in the NATO force, which for over two decades has helped maintain a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, signals the UK’s ongoing commitment to the wider Western Balkans region’s security, stability and prosperity.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

NATO is the bedrock of UK security and it is because our Armed Forces step forward to protect peace alongside our partners that it remains so. The extension of our commitment to KFOR underlines our unwavering commitment to the Western Balkans region, where NATO has helped to bring stability for over two decades.

The UK has been a key contributor to the UN-mandated NATO force, known as KFOR, since it first entered Kosovo in 1999 as a peacekeeping force to bring peace and stability following the conflict of the 1990s.

UK forces have since worked to enhance KFOR’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability, significantly increasing the mission commanders’ situational awareness – ensuring the operation can provide a safe and secure environment for the entire population. KFOR acts as one of the main security providers in Kosovo, with troops contributed by some 30 nations including Italy, Turkey, Poland and the US, as well as the UK. The UK’s contribution includes a battalion-sized high readiness Strategic Reserved Force based in the UK, ready to deploy at short notice.

As set out in the recently-published Integrated Review into security, defence, development and foreign policy and Defence Command Paper, the UK remains committed to NATO which remains the bedrock of our security.

It comes after the Prime Minister announced in November an increase in Defence funding of over £24-billion across the next four years, enabling our Armed Forces to adapt to meet future threats.