British Paras Drop Into Major NATO Exercise

British soldiers have parachuted into Latvia as part of a NATO exercise to demonstrate joint capability.

Paratroopers from C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (C Coy, 3 PARA), part of the Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade, dropped into the Adazi training area alongside American troops.

It was during Sabre Strike - a US-led two-week exercise involving 19 countries and 18,000 troops.

Taking place across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the aim of the exercise is to develop interoperability and prove readiness against threats to the region but it is being increasingly viewed by Russia as provocation.

The British paras made the jump with US personnel from 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, known as '1 Fury'.

Colonel Andrew Jackson, Deputy Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, described the exercise as ‘a clear and unmistakable show of airborne strength on a global scale’.

He said: “There’s a reason why most of the world’s reference armies still maintain an airborne capability.

"In strategic terms it’s not possible to get this many men and this much equipment anywhere on the globe so quickly by any other means.

"This is a very public statement that the 82nd Airborne Division GRF (Global Response Force), with 16 Brigade as part of it, is able to project significant force at short notice."

1 Fury’s Specialist Austin Hilden said he had relished the opportunity to spend so much time with his British counterparts, sharing their knowledge and building even stronger bonds between their units.

“We both go headstrong into a battle, we both love training and getting to shoot our weapons."