Military Presence in Estonia Shows UK’s ‘Unshakeable Commitment’ to NATO, Says Healey

Some 10,000 British military personnel will be deployed overseas during the Christmas period on 60 operations in 44 countries.
Military Presence in Estonia Shows UK’s ‘Unshakeable Commitment’ to NATO, Says Healey
Defence Secretary John Healey giving out cans of drink as he meets British personnel at the Tapa military base in Estonia on Dec. 19, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Victoria Friedman
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British deployment to Estonia demonstrates the UK’s “unshakeable commitment” to NATO and the defence of Europe, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.

The defence secretary made the remarks while visiting personnel deployed to Tapa military base in Estonia to thank them for their service over Christmas.

Healey said on Sunday that the UK’s deployment in the Baltic country is “keeping us secure at home and strong abroad.”

“Our presence here is a powerful message to our allies and adversaries: the UK stands ready to defend its allies and uphold our shared values, all year round,” he added.

Around 900 military personnel are based in Estonia, which is the UK’s largest permanent overseas deployment.

Earlier this year, the defence secretary announced that thousands more British troops will be put on standby to be deployed to Estonia’s border with Russia in times of crisis as part of NATO’s wider defence strategy.
The agreement will see the army’s 4th Brigade held at high readiness from July 2025 and will include the first overseas deployment of the UK’s Challenger 3 tanks and Boxer armoured vehicles.

10,000 Personnel Away at Christmas

Some 10,000 servicemen and women from across the four branches of the military are serving overseas during the festive period on 60 operations in 44 countries. Hundreds more based in the UK are also working during Christmas.

While visiting the base in Tapa, Healey met with troops, serving them food in the cafeteria and later eating a Christmas lunch with them.

In an address to soldiers, the defence secretary thanked them, saying: “This is a really important deployment for us. What you’re doing here really matters. It matters for the security of Europe, and it matters to us all back home in Britain.”

He continued: “We ask a lot of you all in the Armed Forces, not least the separation from your families and your friends and your loved ones. And at Christmas, that sense of separation can be especially strong.

“So thank you for your service. Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice what almost all of the rest of us take for granted. It’s an honour to be with you.”

NATO’s Eastern Flank

The Ministry of Defence describes the UK’s relationship with the Baltic nation as a “cornerstone of NATO’s defence.”
British forces are working alongside French and Estonian counterparts to form the Estonian battlegroup of the enhanced forward presence, which maintains a permanent NATO presence along the defence union’s eastern flank.

Other battle groups comprised of multi-nation forces include those in fellow Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania, as well as Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

Defence Secretary John Healey meets British personnel at the Tapa military base in Estonia on Dec. 19, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
Defence Secretary John Healey meets British personnel at the Tapa military base in Estonia on Dec. 19, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank has become increasingly important for the defence union since the start of the Ukraine–Russia war.

The defence union’s eastern front has grown in recent years. Both Finland and Sweden applied to Join NATO in May 2022, three months after Russian forces invaded eastern Ukraine. The decision by the two Nordic nations ended decades of military non-alignment and neutrality.

Finland’s and Sweden’s officially accession to NATO in April 2023 and March 2024, respectively, has increased the number of allies to 32.

Defence Secretary John Healey serving Christmas lunch to British personnel during his visit to the Tapa military base in Estonia on Dec. 19, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
Defence Secretary John Healey serving Christmas lunch to British personnel during his visit to the Tapa military base in Estonia on Dec. 19, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

During his first term in office, President-elect Donald Trump criticised members of the NATO alliance for failing to live up to the defence spending commitment of 2 percent of GDP.

But when he returns to office in January for his second term, Trump will find that an increasing number of members are hitting the target, with only eight countries having underspent in 2024.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also committed to increasing the UK’s minimum spend to 2.5 percent of GDP.

NATO operates under the model of collective defence which is enshrined in Article 5 of the treaty, where an attack on one ally is seen as an attack on all members.