Exclusive: How Brexit Britain is defending the EU – and not being paid for it

The UK is leading the charge in protecting the EU’s territory

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

Facts4EU.Org reveals some of the forces deployed by the UK across the EU

Naturally the news right now is all about the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. In all of this, the role of the United Kingdom – no longer an EU member – in protecting the EU and other European countries has not been promoted enough.

In this first of three reports, Facts4EU.Org tries to put this right.

Facts4EU.Org’s reports reveal how much the EU is benefiting – for free

The reality is that the UK is providing significant military capability to protect the EU – on the ground, in the air, and by sea – and yet is not being paid to do so.

In today’s report Facts4EU.Org looks at the EU’s northern flank.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

UK defending the EU against Putin’s Russia – a Facts4EU.Org series

How the UK is protecting the northern flank of the EU (this report)
How the UK is protecting the eastern EU border down to Romania (to come)
How the UK is protecting the EU’s southern flank in the Mediterranean (to come)

The facts: Brexit Britain is providing military might to protect the EU from Putin’s Russia

Now that Great Britain is independent of the EU (even if Northern Ireland is not), we show how the UK has stepped up to confront an increasing threat from Putin’s Russia and his evolving Soviet empire.

Caveat: For security reasons Facts4EU.Org is not reporting all the information we have. The numbers are deliberately not complete and may not include all assets, as NATO and the MoD naturally do not wish the Russian military to be aware of their full capabilities.

The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, Defence Secretary

“As well as giving direct military support to Ukraine, we continue to bolster our contribution towards NATO’s collective security.”
“The UK is doing its bit in giving military support and reassurance to its allies. We are currently supplying significant air power to NATO, including increased air patrols, with both Typhoons and F-35s for NATO air policing… and sent an additional 800 troops to Estonia.”
“It is important at this time that, in order to maximise our reassurance and resilience effect, we co-ordinate through NATO and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.”
- Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, Defence Secretary, statement to the Commons, 9 Mar 2022

a) Northern flank of EU – UK planes, tanks, battleships, personnel deployed

UK-led NATO Battlegroup in Estonia

The UK is currently leading a NATO Battlegroup in Estonia, bordering Russia. This is a highly significant deployment, given the risk to the EU’s Baltic States from Putin’s Russia. Estonia is an EU member country, but it is partly defended by UK troops on the ground and UK fighter planes in the air. It also benefits from the Royal Navy’s presence.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

UK-led NATO Battlegroup in Estonia

1. Air Forces

On Tuesday (08 Mar 2022) British F-35B Lightning aircraft from RAF Marham arrived at Amari airbase in Estonia to carry out NATO enhanced Vigilance Activity.

This activity provides air policing of NATO airspace, further contributing to the security of Europe. Previously the airbase had been regularly used by RAF Typhoons on Operation Azotize to carry out the NATO Baltic Air Policing, safeguarding the integrity of airspace in the north-eastern flank of the EU.

Aside from their state-of-the-art stealth technology, these 5th-generation Lightnings carry a variety of weapons and are capable of multiple simultaneous missions.

British Apache and Chinook helicopters are also involved in exercises in Estonia.

2. Ground Forces

United Kingdom - 1,608 troops
1 x Armoured infantry battalion with main battle tanks and armoured fighting vehicles
Self-propelled artillery, air defence assets and engineers
Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance group
Logistic support elements
France - 337 troops
1 x Tank squadron with main battle tanks and armoured fighting vehicles
Supported by an engineer platoon and national support elements

3. Sea Forces

HMS Northumberland and HMS Richmond are now participating in the JEF, supported by seapower deployed for Exercise Cold Response. (See below.)

b) UK's newest aircraft carrier deployed this week as NATO Command Ship

UK’s largest warship has left Portsmouth to lead a NATO task force to the Arctic for the biggest exercises in Norway for 30 years

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

On Monday the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales deployed in her role as NATO’s Command Ship for Exercise Cold Response, which will see 35,000 troops from 28 nations operate together in one of the world's harshest environments.

HMS Prince of Wales is responsible for leading NATO’s Maritime High Readiness Force – an international task group formed to deal with major global events – and deploys for the first time in that role to Cold Response.

In this deployment, HMS Prince of Wales is joined by HMS Defender, HMS Albion, HMS Grimsby, RFA Tidesurge, and RFA Mounts Bay.

c) UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)

The UK leads the JEF involving eight partner countries

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a UK-led task group consisting of armed forces from the UK and eight partner nations: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The latter country is in the EU but not in NATO. Nevertheless it is particpating in this UK-led force.

Britain’s contribution to the JEF includes personnel and equipment from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The task group is designed to demonstrate the UK’s ability to project a highly effective maritime task force anywhere in the world, both individually and in partnership with other allied nations.

Observations

The daily news is naturally filled with Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine. The UK led the way in providing defensive military equipment to Ukraine – well before the major EU countries – and had previously supplied British troops to train the Ukrainian forces.

At every stage the EU has been lagging behind, as it always does. According to the EU Commission's latest figures the average spend on defence in the EU is 1.3% of GDP. In the UK it's 2.15%. For years Facts4EU.Org has argued for an increase to 4%, but the UK has already been way ahead of the EU for decades.

In Facts4EU.Org’s report today, however, we have highlighted some of the ways in which the United Kingdom has been defending the EU – without any payment and with no thanks from the EU. Individual countries are enormously grateful and have said so, but the EU’s eurocracy remains silent.

Our report above is the first part in a series, only covering the EU's northern flank. We hope to publish two further reports, demonstrating how the UK is defending the EU’s eastern and southern flanks, but we really need readers’ help as we are so short of funds. Can you help?

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[ Sources: Ministry of Defence | Royal Air Force | The Army | Royal Navy | Hansard ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 10 Mar 2022

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

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Reader Comments 10

1. Thunar , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 11:42:

It was derided & denounced as Project Fear when the obvious was stated that we'd be caught up in European affairs regardless of whether we were in the club or not. Even now many of you have conveniently forgotten that the balance of power question was brought up but Leave was more concerned with bendy bananas. Well, we are at that point now & the top consideration you have is not being paid.
As predicted, we are embroiled in situations that require our presence - may as well have stayed in & this more than likely would have never occured in the first place.
Russia stepped up it's recon of UK coastlines just after the referendum, annual "exercises" were done on the Ukrainian border, Crimea was captured & now Ukraine. It was no surprise. This did not just happen overnight & completely took the world by surprise. The timing is uncanny but I'm sure you'll write it all off as a coincidence - nothing at all to do with the power vacuum created by Brexit, no not at all.

2. PJB , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 12:04:

1 Thunar: Strange timeline. Crimea annexed 2014. EU referendum 2016.

3. Pat Flynn , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 12:46:

And EU are still sending dinghies across the channel

4. John Patrick , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 13:31:

All of the UK response has been defensive. This deployment is placing NATO forces in a position to defend or retaliate. The bully in the playground is picking on the weaklings. A show of force will make him think twice about taking on a NATO member.
Britain - in fifth place according to the Global Firepower survey - has a relatively modest number of tanks, aircraft and warships.
The UK operates around 400 tanks, 1,000 aircraft and 60 naval vessels.
But its strength comes from a robust economy, military expertise and bases in key strategic locations around the world.
That's why we are leading a NATO exercise.

5. John Hardman , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 13:41:

Thurnar, you are completely deluded showing the colours of a remainer 🤷🏻‍♂️

6. Not4EU, London , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 14:29:

Mightily entertained by comment 1, Thunar.
So the west was 'taken completely by surprise' by events in 2014, which coincidentally was even before the election 'promising' a referendum and hoping not to get a majority. Maths not a strong point?
Senior military strategists have been warning for years what would happen if the bear was continually poked and humiliated and agreed international actions ignored. Even the now senile Biden said the same at the time. A western backed coup, now openly boasted about, to oust a democratically elected Govt, to protect (& significantly extend) the corrupt practices. From some papers, it was triggered as the elected Govt was going to drop its intentions to join the EU & was leaning towards Russia. Perhaps you should see the Oliver Stone film 'Ukraine on Fire' to gain some understanding of historical events and be able to form a more reasoned opinion.
That this might not have happened 'if only we hadn't left the EU' is laughable. Indeed we would have being both paying the EU and subservient to their control. It's the typical emotive twaddle where facts come a poor second to virtue signalling & demonstrates a real lack of knowledge about the EU, let alone any tenous grasp on geo-politics. It's the same type of emotive reaction where, like the previous feargendering scams, if the 'official' narrative is even remotely questioned for supporting facts you are 'demonised' as a Putin shill, anti-vaxxer, xenophobe, racist *delete as applicable.
The Weapon of Mass Distraction aka the BBC seems very proud of of refusing any alternative opinion. It gave up on 'News' quite a few years ago. If it's so 'revered', let it become subscription & let the market decide.

7. Andy , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 16:58:

It was partly the actions of the EU which has created this mess just as it meddled in Yugoslavia costing thousands of lives. I wish the EU nothing but I’ll and I pray for it’s destruction daily.

8. jon livesey , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 19:35:

People are rightly laughing at "Thunar", but there is a connection and it isn't flattering to the EU. The EU have been behaving for decades as if with the UK a member, they had automatic call on the UK armed forces. And even after Brexit they have been behaving as if the UK is part of their military establishment, and getting themselves into a heap of trouble as a result. They have been behaving like a regional power, which, without the UK, they are not.
In the short term we have to go on acting as if the defence of Europe is a high priority, not least because temporarily the EU is still a big export market. But that isn't going to last. If Ukraine survives this attack, the credit will go to the US and UK and the EU will be left with a mopping up operation, perhaps admitting Ukraine to the EU, and our efforts will wind down. On the other hand, if Putin wins, the EU will then have a new border with Russia and it will be scrambling to make itself into another Russia-friendly neutral - the idea that the EU can really disconnect itself from Russian energy supplies isn't very plausible - and once again we can disconnect.
The point here is that either way our involvement with EU defence is temporary, and it is caused by the war, not by any permanent commitment to the EU. The big defence effort remains in the Asia-Pacific area in defence of World trade, and the EU is a temporary distraction. That is, after all, what Brexit is all about.

9. jon livesey , Thursday, March 10, 2022, 19:48:

Off topic, but three months ago I commented here that the "clever" opinion was that Boris would be gone by March, but that I doubter it would happen. Well, here we are, Boris is still in No 10, and this morning I read that Douglas Ross has withdrawn his letter of no confidence in Boris.
I reckon the Boris will lead the Tories into the next election. win with a reduced majority - that will be a healthy thing, incidentally - and he will finally hand over to someone else partway through the next Parliament.

10. BillyTheFish , Friday, March 11, 2022, 19:37:

Brexit does not seem to have changed this in a positive way, it seems.

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