The newly appointed Defence Chief Sir Richard Knighton has confirmed on Sunday that the British military will assist with a coordinated response with France and Germany to help Belgium as there has been many drone incursions.
This is part of an EU assistance force as there has been several suspected Russian drone incursions who have been seen violating sensitive military installations across Belgium including their major airports.
It could be likely that the RAF’s 2 Force Protection Wing might be deployed to Belgium and Sir Richard said the UK will help their NATO ally “by providing our kit and capability”.
Belgium’s Kleine Brogel air base is believed to house US nuclear weapons and other sighting have taken place close to the German border.
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The German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the incursions are “likely connected with the fight over the use of Russian frozen assets held by Belgium,” of course Moscow has denied any involvement.
Sir Richard said, “The defence secretary and I agreed that we would deploy our people and our equipment to Belgium to help them.”
The newly appointed Defence Chief said whilst he cannot be certain about the origins of the drone, it is “plausible” Russia is behind this.
Sir Richard warned that the UK must strengthen their defences against “hybrid warfare” and that Russia is “the more pressing threat right now.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement, “As hybrid threats grow, our strength lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and protect our critical infrastructure and airspace”.
Sir Richard told the BBC he is “very happy” to Belgium, the Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said, “At first, drones flying over our military bases were seen as our problem.”
Francken warned, “Now it has become a serious threat affecting civilian infrastructure across multiple European countries.”
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