Thousands of British And French Troops To Train Together For Joint Military Exercises

More than 2,500 UK troops will train with their French counterparts as part of military exercises spanning from Eastern Europe to Africa.

From next month, over 1,500 British soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade will join troops from 11eme Brigade Parachutist on NATO exercise Swift Response in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. 

French troops will also join 1,000 UK personnel from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment on Exercise Askari Storm in Kenya in November, training on the prevention of instability and the spread of violent extremism.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"The UK and France have a long enduring relationship and that will continue as the UK leaves the European Union... We are deployed together in NATO, fighting against Daesh in Iraq and Syria and training together across the globe."

Britain and France have previously joined forces for Exercise Griffin Strike. 

The Defence Secretary will agree the new programme of UK-French training during his first bilateral meeting with Florence Parly, the newly appointed French Minister for the Armed Forces in Paris later today.