- 10 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:05On the ground! Oi! On the ground!
00:11Guys, Donald is running through.
00:13Yeah, roger.
00:14It's a very clear.
00:18Yeah!
00:30We appear ever closer to a full-scale war with Russia.
00:36But are our forces battle-ready?
00:43With Russia testing NATO's resolve all along its eastern borders,
00:48we have exclusive access to the war games testing our defences against a Russian attack.
00:59Tonight, NATO soldiers are challenged to race across Europe to support the front line.
01:05Right, so obviously the plan is to leave in the 0-600.
01:12And we're on Estonia's vulnerable border with Russia
01:16as soldiers showcase their military might to deter Putin.
01:23It's been tough. It's certainly been a real test of character.
01:27A lot of the borders with Russia are vulnerable, and that's why we test it.
01:32We're with the British cooks, feeding the front line soldiers.
01:36We've found about 1,500 people within this week, so the hours do rack up.
01:41Like, the other night, I did 25 hours straight.
01:45And we're in the skies right on Russia's border,
01:49with the pilots keeping watch.
01:51The fighters that are being controlled right now,
01:54we can see beyond what the fighters can see with their radar.
01:59Fire!
02:03As forces across Europe...
02:07..mobilise their troops...
02:11..we are behind the scenes on land, at sea and in the air,
02:17with the men and women training to be our first line of defence.
02:24Protecting our borders...
02:26Fire!
02:29..and stopping Putin...
02:34..from expanding his war in Europe.
02:54This is the very edge of Europe.
02:59Sharing over 180 miles of border with Russia,
03:04Estonia is where Western military chiefs believe Vladimir Putin could attack next,
03:10if he succeeds in Ukraine.
03:14So, right now, we are approximately 10 metres from Russian territory.
03:23Staring directly at the Russian threat,
03:26border guards like Peter Moran are the West's eyes and ears.
03:30They are the first line of defence.
03:38So, as you can see, there is the Estonian border marker,
03:44the Russian border marker,
03:45and the border line is between those two border markers.
03:53The situation has become quite a lot more tense,
03:56and we are, you know, fully expecting that something will happen.
04:03Maybe a military invasion from Russia.
04:07Before dawn this morning,
04:09President Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion.
04:12Not since the end of the Second World War has Europe seen a darker day.
04:17That was February 2022.
04:21The moment Russia stormed through Ukrainian border posts.
04:25Now, countries bordering Russia,
04:28their history is about to repeat itself.
04:32A fear exacerbated recently by Russian fighter jets
04:36brazenly violating Estonian airspace.
04:40This is where it's feared things could suddenly explode.
04:45And right on cue, a Russian border guard appears,
04:49reminding Peter just how close danger lies.
04:53Yeah, I think we should be more discreet.
05:01Peter and all the defence forces here
05:04know that they won't be able to hold off a Russian invasion alone.
05:08But fortunately for Estonia, they are not alone.
05:15Unlike Ukraine, Estonia has been a member of NATO,
05:19the world's largest military alliance since 2004.
05:24When Russian forces seized Crimea in 2014,
05:29NATO stationed soldiers from across the world here.
05:34We saw what transpired in Ukraine and we need to be prepared for further incursions
05:41or further moves from Russia into other NATO territory.
05:46Putin wants to achieve his aims.
05:49He wants to get the territory that he believes is rightly his.
05:52And we need to be prepared for that.
05:56We are surging our presence in all of those bordering countries with Russia.
06:02This threat is very real.
06:03And we have to take it seriously moving forward.
06:11NATO calls their permanent deployment here,
06:14enhanced forward presence battle groups,
06:17supporting all of Estonia's land, air and sea defences.
06:24Since 2017, the NATO battle group here in Estonia has been led by Britain,
06:30which has around 1,300 soldiers permanently based here.
06:37The deputy supreme commander of all NATO forces in Europe,
06:41at the time when these forward land forces battle groups were created,
06:44was General Richard Schereff.
06:49The enhanced forward battle groups,
06:51they were put there as a sort of tripwire force
06:54from any objective military judgment.
06:58Russia is not going to be deterred by 1,000 Allied soldiers
07:01from a military perspective.
07:04They might pause from a political perspective
07:07because Putin would know that if he attacked Estonia,
07:10he's at war with NATO.
07:20NATO's Estonian base sits just 90 miles from the border with Russia.
07:27The soldiers stationed here train throughout the year
07:32in conditions which mirror that which they're likely to experience
07:36if facing an invading Russian army.
07:40Clearing towards Bravo 1 to the left-hand side,
07:42barricading to the right,
07:43we're going to start clearing to the right-hand side to the Bravo 6.
07:45Roger.
07:46We're out here in Estonia
07:48as part of the forward land forces battle group,
07:52and we're out on the training area
07:53alongside our Polish, Estonian, American and French colleagues.
08:03In the event of a Russian invasion,
08:06these infantry soldiers know
08:07that fighting will take place in networks of trenches just like this.
08:20Today, British, French and Estonian soldiers
08:25are nearing the end of a seven-day exercise
08:28deep in the forests of northern Estonia,
08:32practising how to storm and clear trench corridors metre by metre.
08:38What we are seeing today in the modern battlefield
08:42is that the trenches have not disappeared anywhere.
08:46They're still there, they're still valid.
08:48If you want to protect yourself, you kind of have to dig in.
08:52A platoon company of around 30 soldiers
08:55methodically make their way through one of the trench networks
08:58that could soon litter this entire border area,
09:02just as they've scarred the front line in Ukraine.
09:09It looks like something from the First World War.
09:14But trench combat is a massive part of the conflict in Ukraine.
09:22The Donbass region alone
09:25has over 250 miles of front line,
09:28marked by fortified trenches.
09:32It's a brutal, oppressive and protractive form of combat.
09:39But it's something these NATO troops must be prepared for.
09:46This is about getting your infantry with the bayonet in to kill the enemy
09:50in exactly the same way the Romans did.
09:53It's as brutal as that.
09:55It's still a war in which men have to fight brutally face to face.
10:00This is total war, a war of absolute utmost brutality.
10:06Warfare on a scale not seen in Europe since 1945.
10:11We're out here, understanding the ground,
10:14understanding how the conditions are in these Baltic states,
10:17if anything was to happen.
10:18Not just understanding, surviving in these conditions.
10:22If something did happen, we are ready
10:24and the conditions are set for us to go.
10:28Despite the British-led presence here,
10:31in reality, NATO simply does not have enough troops stationed in Estonia
10:36to hold off Russia.
10:40Major military reinforcements from across the alliance
10:43are going to need to arrive fast
10:45if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to launch another invasion.
10:50I would imagine it might be at least a couple of weeks
10:54before any external forces that got up into Estonia,
10:59depending on the amount of warning we had.
11:03If you're in Estonia, you could be two weeks
11:06without any additional reinforcements.
11:10And this is why, throughout 2025,
11:14NATO has been testing its brand-new Allied Reaction Force,
11:18a rapidly deployable major land army,
11:21able to respond to crises within days,
11:23anywhere in Europe,
11:24and show Moscow that aggression against any member state
11:28will meet an immediate, heavy response.
11:37Coming up...
11:39We're with the British army mechanics,
11:42keeping NATO's new Allied Reaction Force on the move.
11:46Come on, sir. It's your time to shine.
11:50And...
11:51This is Estonian warship,
11:53part-passing 732.
11:55A major escalation in tensions between NATO and Russia
11:59on the Baltic Sea.
12:01Alter your force to 105 immediately. Over.
12:14In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy
12:18sits one of the world's top military sites.
12:22It's the NATO Headquarters for Allied Operations,
12:27the epicentre of the West's defence
12:29against all military threats to Europe.
12:37Welcome to Joint Force Command, Naples.
12:47So this is the slightly longer way to work,
12:50but it's like a right turn, right turn, right turn.
12:54Now we're going to make the next step to the operational command,
12:57where we're going to go into Joint Force Command, Naples,
12:59which is the operational command for NATO South.
13:04It's a great opportunity to look into the Headquarters
13:06and see what it actually looks like from the inside.
13:10Meet Commander Carl Harwood.
13:1336 years in the Navy,
13:15he plays a key role in NATO's military deterrence across Europe,
13:20heading the Media Ops team.
13:23The Headquarters is about 950 people
13:28from about 25 of the 32 NATO nations.
13:31And of the 950, around about 100 Brits.
13:37To enter this building
13:39requires high-level security clearance.
13:43Cameras are rarely allowed inside.
13:49Since the war in Ukraine,
13:52headquarters like this one
13:53have overseen a significant increase
13:56in the number and scale
13:57of military exercises NATO runs
14:00in regions right up against the Alliance's border
14:03with Russia.
14:06So this floor is logistics.
14:09So we talk about that big machine
14:10that move people,
14:12machines, armour,
14:14ammunition, food.
14:16So they sustain and maintain
14:18that fleet of personnel,
14:21that fleet of vehicles
14:22in order to support those operations.
14:24At the heart of JFC Naples
14:27are the Ops Centres.
14:29Highly secure command hubs
14:31manned 24-7.
14:34The largest military exercise of this year,
14:37called Steadfast Dart,
14:39is being run from inside these safe bunkers.
14:42So this is where we talk about crisis management,
14:45the Sedana Room.
14:48So the showcase exercise
14:50is exercise Steadfast Dart.
14:52So it's the biggest exercise
14:53for the NATO Alliance for 2025.
14:58Steadfast Dart
15:00is an exercise designed to test
15:02just how fast an army of thousands
15:04of reinforcements
15:05can get across Europe
15:06to support frontline soldiers
15:08on NATO's eastern borders.
15:1110,000 troops,
15:131,500 fighting vehicles,
15:162,000 miles to cover.
15:18A land and sea force
15:19big enough to send
15:20a strong deterrence message
15:22to Putin.
15:24This is not for fun.
15:26It's a race against time.
15:28Every minute crucial
15:30to defending Europe.
15:34We had the British contingent
15:37headed up by the Yorks,
15:38so they're based in York,
15:40transiting across to the ports,
15:43across to Netherlands,
15:44through Germany.
15:44At the same time,
15:45with vehicles loaded down
15:46at Marchwood,
15:47and we had the strategic
15:49roll-on, roll-off ferries
15:50going around,
15:52transiting through the Mediterranean
15:53into Greece,
15:54where they're offloaded.
16:02The starting gun
16:03for Steadfast Dart
16:04has been fired.
16:07First stop
16:08is this Greek port.
16:10The British Army
16:12is arriving
16:12from Southampton
16:13to face the challenge
16:15of offloading hundreds
16:16of fighting vehicles
16:17at speed.
16:18Something they'll have
16:19to do for real
16:20if Putin attacks
16:21a NATO country.
16:27Boss,
16:28I want to say,
16:28is it
16:30anything of the army,
16:31isn't it?
16:31Yeah.
16:34My name is
16:34Sergeant Paul Heath.
16:36At the moment,
16:37we have 256 vehicles,
16:39different variants
16:40of vehicles,
16:41plus
16:42three containers
16:43that is coming out.
16:47My role is to ensure
16:48that the kit that's coming off
16:50on the cargo
16:50gets off safely enough
16:51and without any damage
16:54or anything like that.
16:56I've gone now
16:5734 years.
16:59It will be military.
17:01Yes, I start serving
17:02the Queen,
17:03Her Majesty,
17:04and from then,
17:05so I've been doing
17:06military service
17:07since then.
17:09These British Army vehicles
17:11are rolling off the ship
17:12as part of the first-ever
17:14deployment of NATO's
17:15new Allied Reaction Force.
17:20Steadfast DART
17:21is challenging
17:22this new high-readiness force
17:23to deploy
17:24to the Eastern Fronts
17:25of Europe
17:26in support of countries
17:27bordering Russia
17:28within 10 days
17:30or fewer.
17:33in command of these
17:34land forces
17:35for this first major trial
17:37are the British.
17:41The Allied Reaction Force
17:42is designed to respond
17:43to crisis
17:44on behalf of NATO.
17:46We've sent
17:47hundreds of vehicles
17:48and troops
17:49all the way across Europe,
17:502,000 miles,
17:52driving from Germany
17:52into Romania.
17:54We've sent thousands
17:55of troops in by air,
17:56hundreds of vehicles
17:58by ship
17:58into both Germany
17:59and here in Greece
18:00are really demonstrating
18:02our capability
18:02to go exactly
18:04where NATO needs us
18:05at very short notice.
18:09With the kit
18:10finally off the ship,
18:11it's time for the vehicles
18:13to get a proper once-over.
18:15Waiting in the wings,
18:17the Royal Electrical
18:18and Mechanical Engineers.
18:21Their job,
18:22check over every engine
18:24in a matter of hours,
18:25as they would have to do
18:27in a real war.
18:30Morning, Corporal Crasper.
18:33Meet Craftsman Peters.
18:35She's an Army Vehicle Mechanic.
18:37It's her first deployment
18:38and her job
18:40is to make sure
18:41all these vehicles
18:42are battle-ready.
18:44The team's got just 24 hours
18:47to inspect
18:47all 256 warfighter machines
18:50that rolled off the ship.
18:51It's a race against the clock.
18:54Can they pull it off?
18:58The guys have been doing
18:59their first parade
18:59on the vehicles
19:00to make sure
19:01that everything is good
19:02and the vehicles
19:02are prepped and ready
19:03for the road.
19:05There have been
19:06a few issues
19:07with the trucks
19:08where the trans oil
19:09has been overflow
19:10and we've been draining
19:11that oil
19:12and making sure
19:13that it's at the correct level.
19:15Starting up!
19:21Craftsman Peters' job
19:22is a vital part
19:23of a warfighting army.
19:28So if there's not
19:29enough air pressure
19:30which is here
19:31then you'll hear
19:33a beeping sound.
19:38She's checking
19:39these heavy transporters
19:41as well as
19:42the lightweight
19:43protected foxhound
19:45and more heavily armoured
19:46Mastiff patrol vehicles.
19:50Leave it running.
19:51Come here.
19:53Switch.
19:56And she needs
19:57to fix any faults fast
19:58here on the side
19:59of the port
20:00without having
20:01a garage full
20:02of high-tech equipment
20:03at her disposal.
20:07Being a vehicle mechanic
20:08it's hard work
20:10and
20:11a lot of dedication
20:13towards it
20:13because
20:15we all ask
20:16like
20:16the vehicles
20:17they basically
20:18stay in non-task world.
20:25We're looking
20:26to see the level
20:27of the trans oil
20:28at the moment
20:29to make sure
20:30it's not overflow
20:30so once
20:32he revved up
20:33the engine a bit
20:33he get it warm
20:34all the circulation
20:35of the oil
20:36we'll go through
20:36and then we'll
20:37check the level
20:38of the oil
20:39to make sure
20:39it's not overflow.
20:44Oh, Peter's.
20:45Yeah?
20:45Grab the master switch
20:46and put it in fact
20:47it's done.
20:48I think it's on.
20:49Yeah, it's on.
20:51Wynton!
20:51You need to go up.
20:52Come on, son.
20:54It's your time, Mishan.
20:57So we probably
20:57might need a breaker bar.
20:59Got it.
21:00Got it.
21:00Got it.
21:01Oh.
21:02I wouldn't say
21:03I think
21:04I would have
21:05ended up
21:05as an army mechanic
21:06but I always
21:07wanted a job
21:08where I can wear
21:09a uniform.
21:1117 years ago
21:13I was probably
21:14running around
21:15thinking that
21:16I'm going to be
21:16accounting
21:17in some bank
21:18and walking
21:20in heels
21:21and all that
21:22bits
21:22but it never
21:24happened.
21:25Right, well,
21:25go and start her up.
21:26Do the gearbox
21:27check again.
21:28Starting up!
21:32My stepfather
21:33is a vehicle mechanic.
21:34My dad is also
21:35a vehicle mechanic.
21:37My dad,
21:37he hasn't
21:38trust me since
21:39he doesn't believe
21:40I'm actually
21:41a vehicle mechanic
21:41to be fair.
21:43Just let him know
21:44what he's got
21:44and then potentially
21:46just stick that
21:46two litres
21:47straight into
21:47Saudi's truck.
21:50It's the basics
21:51of what we do
21:53in the army.
21:54Some of those
21:54vehicle checks
21:55are things
21:55that we would
21:56be doing
21:56wherever we are
21:57in whatever part
21:58of the world.
21:58We need to make
21:59sure that our
22:00capability is
22:01ready for whatever
22:02eventuality we
22:02could be rolling
22:03into.
22:04The war in Ukraine
22:05has demonstrated
22:06the criticality
22:08of logistics
22:09and sustainment
22:09of the force.
22:13Testing how
22:14fast troops
22:15and firepower
22:16can reach the
22:16front line
22:17to reinforce
22:18national defences
22:19is what exercise
22:20steadfast dart
22:21is all about.
22:24It's not just
22:25training,
22:26it's preparing
22:27for war.
22:28They are going
22:30to need
22:30reinforcement
22:31really quickly
22:32and it's a
22:34simple equation.
22:34The readier you
22:35are, the less
22:37time they're
22:38going to have
22:38to hold on.
22:40The less ready
22:41that thin line
22:42is going to crack
22:43pretty quickly.
22:47coming up.
22:50We go inside the
22:51cockpit of NATO's
22:52state-of-the-art
22:53intelligence-gathering
22:54aircraft.
23:04And can a
23:05makeshift kitchen
23:06in a freezing
23:07tent feed
23:08400 famished
23:09fighters?
23:11My oven is
23:12literally just a
23:12metal box
23:13with a door on it.
23:14So yeah,
23:14literally 400 out of
23:15that.
23:16It's hard going.
23:17It's long.
23:27We're on the road
23:28with the British
23:29Army.
23:31Right, so obviously
23:32the plan is
23:33leaving the
23:34T-600.
23:36Hauling troops
23:37and tons of war
23:38fighting kit
23:39thousands of miles
23:40across Europe.
23:44It's certainly
23:44the largest
23:45deployment in a
23:46NATO context
23:47and certainly
23:47from the
23:47British Army
23:48in the last
23:4820 years
23:49with over
23:501,500 vehicles
23:52deploying from
23:52the UK
23:53and over
23:5410,000
23:55personnel.
23:57This is NATO's
23:58biggest war game
23:59of 2025.
24:02Exercise,
24:03steadfast dart.
24:05The mission,
24:06to test
24:07if this was
24:08a real war.
24:09How quickly
24:10NATO's new
24:11Allied reaction
24:12force can reach
24:13and support
24:14frontline troops
24:14in the event
24:15of a Russian attack.
24:18Steadfast dart
24:19is a very important
24:20proof of concept
24:21for that deployment
24:22of troops and equipment
24:23to the eastern flank.
24:26A 2,000-mile journey
24:28to the eastern borders
24:29of Europe
24:29requires a series
24:31of pit stops
24:32to rest and refuel.
24:35Today, the British
24:36are arriving
24:37at their final
24:37transit camp,
24:39still 100 miles
24:40from their destination.
24:49This is Camp Constanta,
24:52a former Soviet
24:53Red Army barracks.
24:56Over 1,000 British
24:57soldiers have passed
24:58through this camp
24:59in the last week.
25:00They eat,
25:01sleep,
25:02and move on
25:03in a matter of hours.
25:06I don't care
25:07if your friends
25:08are in other rooms,
25:08OK,
25:08you're just going
25:09to go into
25:09them two rooms
25:10because the building
25:10is nearly clean
25:11to hand over tomorrow.
25:12Scots tonight
25:12is a meat feast
25:13with chips,
25:14burgers,
25:15there's loads
25:16of stuff going on.
25:16Turn around,
25:17follow me,
25:18we'll go that way,
25:18we'll go to the accommodation.
25:24Meet Sergeant Hayes
25:26in charge
25:26of Camp Constanta.
25:29It's known
25:30as a convoy
25:30support centre
25:32or CSC.
25:35The purpose
25:36of the CSCs
25:36is to give
25:37the soldiers
25:38the amount of rest
25:38before they deploy it.
25:39They've been driving
25:40a long way
25:41to fix any
25:42of their vehicle
25:42problems they've got,
25:44allow them to eat,
25:46OK,
25:46so one of the
25:46main things we do
25:47here would be
25:48feed them,
25:48so the cookhouse
25:49is just behind.
25:52The biggest thing
25:53for them to do now
25:53is they are
25:54in enforced rest.
25:56Cool,
25:56find it,
25:57find a bed space,
25:58both bed spaces,
25:59we'll top up
25:59up in here.
26:01We got the odd
26:01question,
26:02can we leave camp,
26:02can we go and do
26:03this or the other,
26:04but most of the time
26:05it was,
26:05no,
26:05you're here to rest,
26:06you're going on
26:07exercise tomorrow,
26:08you're going to do
26:08more driving.
26:09It didn't sit well
26:10with some people,
26:11but most people
26:11just understood
26:13what they were
26:13meant to do.
26:16It's not just
26:17shut-eye the troops
26:18need at camps like this.
26:20Keeping them fuelled
26:21with hot grub
26:21is a mission
26:22all of its own.
26:23This is the cookhouse,
26:24this is where the soldiers
26:25got their meals,
26:26they had two meals
26:28with us,
26:29so they had
26:29dinner
26:30and breakfast.
26:33So we've got
26:33the chef in action
26:34here,
26:35so we've got
26:35Corporal Spencer
26:36on the burgers,
26:38we've got
26:39Private Goodache
26:39over there,
26:40and then you've got
26:41Corporal Brooks,
26:41Corporal Brooks
26:42is the head chef.
26:44This is Corporal Brooks,
26:46Army chef extraordinaire,
26:48with 23 years service.
26:52Well,
26:53we've found about
26:53one and a half thousand
26:55people within this week,
26:56so we've literally
26:56gone through
26:58probably about
26:59two ton of potatoes,
27:02gone through
27:02about 2,000 burgers,
27:05hot dogs,
27:06probably about the same.
27:08Today,
27:09Corporal Brooks
27:09has just four hours
27:10to rustle up dinner
27:11for several hundred
27:12freshly arrived soldiers.
27:17And he's got to have it
27:18on the table
27:19for 6pm sharp
27:20so the troops
27:21can rack up
27:22the rest they need
27:22to hit the road again
27:24at first light.
27:26So today we're doing
27:27some bread and prawns
27:30for the guys' dinner tonight.
27:31So we're literally
27:32just panning in it
27:33from the prawns
27:34into the flour,
27:36into the eggs,
27:37into the breadcrumbs.
27:39It is the same
27:40and an army
27:41can't move
27:42on its empty stomach.
27:43So, yeah,
27:44so with the morale's low,
27:46they come in,
27:47they get a nice hot scarf,
27:48they come in,
27:49they move straight up again.
27:53Corporal Brooks
27:54has multiple
27:54different dishes to cook
27:56and hundreds
27:56of soldiers to feed,
27:58all with just
27:59a single gas stove,
28:01which also heats
28:02his only oven.
28:05My oven is literally
28:06just a metal box
28:07with a door on it.
28:09So literally,
28:10you're in and out
28:10that oven
28:11every couple of minutes.
28:13So literally,
28:14I've got two number 5
28:15cook sets,
28:15which are designed
28:16for 50 people
28:18per cook set,
28:19so we've only got two.
28:21So yeah,
28:22literally 400 out of that.
28:23It's hard going.
28:24It's long.
28:29The hours do rack up.
28:30Like, the other night
28:30I did 25 hours straight.
28:33That's called the spent as well.
28:35You've done 20 hours,
28:36the other night.
28:37So it depends on the mission.
28:38You know,
28:39if you need to be in,
28:41you'll have to be in,
28:42because it's literally just you.
28:46OK, guys,
28:47you're going to have
28:47two burgers,
28:48this chicken,
28:49prawns,
28:50and this big fillet.
28:51There's one choice,
28:52all right?
28:54With the troops
28:55filing in for dinner,
28:56it's mission accomplished
28:58for Corporal Brooks
28:59and his chefs.
29:02Corporal Brooks
29:02has been unbelievable.
29:04Fillets and prawns,
29:05some nights,
29:06some of the stuff he's made
29:07in literally two little cook sets
29:10over there
29:10in a small oven.
29:12He put Gordon Ramsay to shame,
29:14honestly,
29:14wouldn't you, Brooksie?
29:15It's only Michelin star
29:16only in there,
29:17isn't it?
29:17Yeah.
29:18Are you the best
29:19for the boys or not?
29:24In a war situation,
29:26transit camps like this
29:27serve a vital purpose,
29:30ensuring troops
29:31en route to the front line
29:32arrive having had
29:33sufficient rest,
29:35medical care,
29:36and food
29:36to be in the best
29:37possible shape to fight.
29:41We've got about
29:42two and a half thousand
29:43UK service personnel here.
29:45All the things
29:46that you need to survive,
29:47food, water,
29:48medical treatment,
29:49but it's also the fuel
29:50for the vehicles.
29:51It's the spare parts
29:52for when things break down.
29:53It's the ammunition
29:54for our weapons
29:56and all of the other bits
29:57that sort of go with that.
29:59While these well-fed soldiers
30:01now bed down for some kip
30:02before pushing further east...
30:09..our cameras are allowed
30:10inside a live operational
30:12classified briefing.
30:15This one at a NATO airfield
30:17in northern Germany.
30:20Circling counterclockwise
30:21over to Baltic back here
30:23to be five knots
30:24as an average.
30:26Listening in,
30:28the crew of one of NATO's
30:30most important
30:31intelligence-gathering assets.
30:32There might be some more
30:34laws on HF, UHF frequencies,
30:38especially during the night.
30:40Meet the AWACS,
30:43NATO's flying radar station,
30:45providing surveillance,
30:47command, control
30:48and communication capabilities
30:50across Allied countries.
30:55From 30,000 feet,
30:57the AWACS's giant
30:59spinning radar dome
31:00allows NATO to watch
31:01an area the size of Poland,
31:04tracking 300 targets
31:06at once.
31:09NATO, 06,
31:10proper takeoff,
31:101207.
31:12Zero,
31:13standby.
31:14OK, we're ready.
31:16Last five.
31:16Yes, last five.
31:18Ready.
31:18Come on, let me get clear.
31:19More tank, you're on.
31:20Perfect.
31:25Each plane can monitor
31:27troop movements
31:28from up to 500 kilometers away.
31:45The AWACS serves
31:47as a flying air traffic control
31:48and battle management center.
31:51Today,
31:52it's on a live operation,
31:54keeping a close watch
31:56on Russian activity
31:57in the Baltic Sea.
31:59Russia's long been suspected
32:01of damaging and destroying
32:02vital infrastructure cables
32:04deep underwater.
32:07And that's what today's mission
32:09is all about.
32:12If you would have said
32:13like half a year ago,
32:14like, oh, we're going to
32:15sabotage all that
32:16internet cables and whatever,
32:17everybody would have said,
32:19ah, you're crazy,
32:20that's not going to happen.
32:21But it is actually happening
32:23that somebody thinks
32:24it's a good action
32:25to lower an anchor
32:26and plow through the cables.
32:29I mean, all of a sudden,
32:30it's a reality
32:31and we have to do our job
32:32not to prevent that.
32:36The moment the crew
32:37spots a suspicious ship,
32:39they're straight on the radio,
32:41calling in the local Navy
32:43and Air Force
32:43to check it out.
32:47What we are trying to do
32:48is first detect
32:49if there are vessels of interest.
32:51Are they performing
32:52any suspicious behavior?
32:54A ship going from port A
32:56to port B
32:57and that starts loitering
32:58somewhere in the specific area,
33:00why would you do that?
33:01Huh?
33:02That kind of stuff
33:03is what we're specifically looking for.
33:08There are warnings
33:09of a possible serious escalation
33:11between NATO and Russia
33:13after an aerial confrontation
33:14of the Baltic Sea
33:16and accusations
33:17Russia violated NATO's airspace.
33:21The importance of these
33:23ongoing AWACS operations
33:24became clear
33:25when an oil tanker
33:26suspected of being part
33:28of Russia's shadow fleet
33:29entered Estonian territorial waters.
33:33Sanctioned by Britain,
33:36the Estonian Navy
33:36immediately attempted
33:38to seize the vessel.
33:40This is Estonian warship
33:42Papa 6732.
33:46Your request
33:47will be denied.
33:50Follow my instructions.
33:52Altern your course
33:53to 105 immediately.
33:55Over.
33:56The Russians film
33:58from the tanker's bridge
33:59as the Estonian
34:00attempt to redirect
34:01the vessel
34:02to a nearby port
34:03for an inspection.
34:07The ship is refusing
34:09to follow the Navy's instructions.
34:31This is exactly
34:33the kind of flashpoint
34:34that could easily spiral
34:36into full-scale war.
34:41She's turning
34:42towards the stone
34:44of the vessel.
34:45Out of nowhere,
34:47a Russian Su-35 fighter jet
34:49suddenly appears,
34:50crossing into NATO airspace.
34:53Its purpose,
34:55it would seem,
34:56is to intimidate
34:57the Estonian military
34:58to back down
34:59from seizing the tanker.
35:02Estonian authorities
35:03said that it violated
35:04NATO airspace
35:06for close to a minute.
35:08It was then escorted
35:10back to Russian waters
35:11by the Estonian Navy.
35:17Russia looks to be
35:19probing NATO's nerve,
35:21testing whether the Alliance
35:22really will stand
35:23by every member
35:24with its shadowy campaign
35:26of undersea sabotage
35:28in the Baltic Sea.
35:33coming up.
35:35Steadfast dark gets serious
35:36as Marines storm the beaches
35:38in a show of force,
35:40right on the edge
35:41of the heavily contested
35:42Black Sea region.
35:45Dozens of ships,
35:46dozens of aircraft,
35:48thousands of soldiers.
35:49We were able to demonstrate
35:50our capability
35:51across huge geographic
35:53spans of land.
36:05Today I'm heading off
36:06to Mount Whitney
36:07to meet the captain.
36:09The Mount Whitney,
36:11or the USS Mount Whitney,
36:12has just come back
36:12from the Baltic operations
36:14as a NATO exercise.
36:17USS Mount Whitney
36:19has a command
36:20and control platform
36:21controlling a whole multitude
36:24of ships and forces
36:26across the NATO alliance.
36:29We're with Royal Navy Commander
36:31Carl Harwood,
36:32and today we've been invited
36:35on board the US Navy's
36:36Europe-based 6th Fleet
36:37command ship.
36:39Should our forces
36:40go to war with Russia,
36:42it's this ship
36:43that will command
36:44NATO's operations at sea.
36:51Permission to come on board?
36:52Hello, please,
36:53come forward,
36:54how we doing?
36:54Good.
36:55Hey, how you doing,
36:56Captain Price,
36:56Commandant Officer,
36:57welcome on board.
36:57Sir, nice to meet you,
36:58I'm Carl Harwood,
36:58Command Harwood.
37:01While the British land
37:02component of the
37:03Allied Reaction Force
37:04grinds its way
37:05across Europe,
37:07the ARF's
37:08amphibious units
37:09are running drills
37:10to see how fast
37:11they can hit
37:11the front lines
37:12from the sea,
37:14as well as showcasing
37:15their naval power
37:16as a deterrent
37:17to Russia.
37:20One of the unique
37:21capabilities
37:22and why Mount Winnie
37:23is probably the most
37:24capable command
37:24and control ship
37:25in the world
37:26is because we have
37:27that capability
37:28and the ability
37:29to support both
37:29the US and NATO
37:31forces here
37:31on Mount Winnie.
37:33We are just there
37:34as a command
37:35and control platform
37:36working to practice
37:38command and controlling
37:39amphibious forces.
37:40And we need to be ready
37:41to go day one,
37:42and so every time
37:42we do this exercise
37:43is where our tactics
37:44and techniques,
37:44procedures change,
37:46we want to be up-to-date,
37:47so when something
37:47happens on day one
37:48we are ready to go
37:49enter and operate
37:51together seamlessly
37:52with no problems.
37:56Around the Mediterranean
37:57coast from Naples
37:59and up into the Aegean,
38:01this immediate response
38:02from NATO's naval forces
38:04to any Russian provocation
38:06is about to be put
38:07to the ultimate test.
38:14This is exercise
38:16steadfast dart
38:17from the sea.
38:19NATO's biggest,
38:20most complex live exercise
38:21of 2025.
38:26Our cameras have been invited
38:28onto the Spanish commanding
38:29aircraft carrier
38:30Juan Carlos I
38:31to witness a trial
38:33seaborn assault
38:34and storming
38:35of an enemy-held beach
38:36firsthand.
38:38If we do go to war
38:40this will be the D-Day
38:42landings of the modern age.
38:48On deck
38:49Harrier junk jets
38:50stand by.
38:54Below deck
38:56Marines from across
38:57the Alliance
38:57are poised
38:58ready and waiting
39:00to board dozens
39:00of landing craft
39:02and Zodiac ribboats.
39:06On the flight deck
39:07we have multiple
39:08aircrafts
39:09so we operate
39:10Seahawks
39:10we have also
39:11Harriers on board
39:13and the Harriers
39:14they do also
39:15protection
39:16against any threats
39:18coming from
39:19the land inside.
39:23An FUMS operation
39:24is normally
39:24the most difficult
39:25type of military
39:27operation
39:27that can exist
39:28so we have to
39:30coordinate
39:31many many aspects
39:32of it
39:33like air operations
39:34and we also
39:36had an integration
39:37of a special ops team
39:39we had a landing force
39:40which is like
39:41the core
39:41of amphibious operations.
39:44In the event
39:45of a Russian invasion
39:47this type
39:48of full-scale
39:49amphibious landing
39:50could be
39:51how NATO forces
39:52seek to rapidly
39:53reclaim land
39:54lost to Russia.
39:58The first wave
39:59of this operation
40:02hundreds of heavily
40:03armed Spanish
40:04and Greek marines
40:04launch to attack
40:05the shoreline
40:06on Zodiac
40:07ribboats.
40:09Once the operation
40:10starts
40:11we should get
40:12a lot of
40:13excitement
40:13and tension.
40:20In a real war
40:21these marines
40:23are sitting ducks
40:23on the water
40:24reaching the beach
40:26en masse
40:26and at speed
40:27is their mission.
40:29For this exercise
40:31they are racing
40:32the clock
40:33own the beach
40:34as fast as possible
40:35and then move
40:36inland.
40:38The second assault wave
40:39follows close behind
40:41dozens of landing craft
40:42carrying arm and vehicles.
40:45The marines on board
40:46are already at the wheel
40:48primed to storm the beach
40:49the moment
40:50they touch land.
40:53The third wave
40:55Chinook helicopters
40:56marines hanging
40:58off the back
40:58jumping directly
40:59into the sea.
41:03These marines
41:04are the first boots
41:05on the ground
41:06securing the area
41:07and to make sure
41:08that the other parties
41:09following them
41:10with the landing craft
41:12and all the equipment
41:13and the vehicles
41:14can arrive safely
41:15at the beach.
41:17With F-16 fighter jets
41:19capable of flying
41:201,500 miles an hour
41:22twice the speed of sound
41:24and Harrier jump jets
41:26providing air support
41:27for the landing force
41:28the armoured vehicles
41:29are able to touch down
41:31and roll off.
41:34The landing area here
41:36is located
41:37to a Greece air base
41:39and they operate
41:40the F-16 here
41:41and you can hear them.
41:46The sound of freedom
41:47it's nice.
41:50The final wave
41:51is the most dangerous.
41:53Marines fast roping down
41:55from Seahawk helicopters
41:56within seconds
41:57to avoid being picked off
41:59by enemy fire.
42:01In a war situation
42:02both the pilots
42:04and the attacking marines
42:05are at huge risk.
42:13Everything went well.
42:14All the personnel
42:16works perfectly.
42:19There's a purpose
42:20that we do this
42:21on the south-eastern flank
42:22of NATO here.
42:23It's a clear signal
42:24to the east
42:25that NATO is ready
42:26to defend its territory.
42:29The message is clear.
42:30Don't mess with us.
42:32Don't mess with NATO.
42:36For the generals
42:37in charge of the deployment
42:38of NATO's new
42:39Allied Reaction Force
42:40on both land and sea
42:41Steadfast Dart
42:44is going according
42:45to plan
42:45so far.
42:49We demonstrated
42:50our ability
42:52to move
42:53large quantity
42:54of forces
42:55land, sea
42:56and air
42:57across vast
42:58expanses
42:59of territory.
43:01Soldiers,
43:03supplies,
43:04fuel,
43:04ammunition,
43:05aircraft,
43:07large machinery
43:08across many
43:10different nations,
43:11across many
43:12different borders
43:13proved our ability
43:15to respond quickly
43:16to a threat.
43:22But with the war
43:23in Ukraine grinding on,
43:24no one here
43:25needs a briefing
43:26on why these exercises
43:28in this region
43:29matter.
43:32All of us are trying
43:34to gauge
43:35what happens
43:37if Ukraine
43:38fails.
43:39Russia may see
43:40weakness
43:41and opportunity
43:42and they talk
43:43openly about
43:44reclaiming
43:45Estonia,
43:46Latvia,
43:46Lithuania.
43:48I could imagine
43:49a scenario
43:50where they would
43:51launch an attack
43:52against NATO
43:53country.
43:54Senior political
43:55and military figures
43:57inside NATO,
43:58including the
43:59Secretary-General,
44:00now speak frankly
44:01about Russia
44:02posing a credible
44:03threat to member
44:04states within a few
44:05years.
44:07Recent border
44:08provocations in
44:09Poland,
44:09Romania and
44:10Estonia
44:11highlight the dangers
44:12Russia poses
44:13to our peace
44:14and security.
44:18We assess in NATO
44:19that Russia could
44:20attack within five
44:21to seven years.
44:22Only by preparing
44:23for the worst case,
44:24which is war with
44:25Russia,
44:26do we deter war
44:27with Russia?
44:29We are at a
44:30crossroads in
44:31history today.
44:33This is not a
44:34moment for more
44:35talk.
44:36It's time to act.
44:38The one thing our
44:40history tells us
44:41is that if there is
44:43conflict in Europe,
44:44it will wash up
44:45on our shores.
44:49We've witnessed
44:50NATO stress-testing
44:51its ability to hurl
44:52manpower and firepower
44:55at its borders
44:56with Russia
44:56at breakneck speed
44:59as both a defence
45:01and a deterrence.
45:03But exercises alone
45:05won't stop Putin
45:06from probing the
45:07West's resolve.
45:09Ultimately,
45:11more men
45:11and women
45:13may soon have to
45:14stand ready
45:15to risk everything
45:17to hold Europe's
45:19front line.
45:22armies have to expand
45:24to fight wars
45:25of national survival.
45:27What we've got
45:28to ensure
45:28is that
45:29the armed forces
45:30of this country
45:31reflect properly
45:33the political
45:34statements
45:35about the first
45:36duty of government
45:37being to protect
45:38the country.
45:39And we've got to
45:40hold our political
45:41leaders' feet firmly
45:42to the fire
45:43to ensure that happens.
45:49next time,
45:51after almost
45:52a month
45:53on the road,
45:54the British
45:54finally arrive
45:55at their front line
45:56base
45:57and the full-scale
45:59war games
45:59begin.
46:01Come on!
46:02Ah!
46:03Six L-118
46:04night guns
46:05lays down
46:06that suppressing fire
46:07to support
46:07the close combat
46:08elements.
46:11And we join
46:13the Americans
46:13defending
46:14the Polish border.
46:16We're going in!
46:17First team comes
46:18in, closes
46:19these two rooms.
46:22We're not at war,
46:23but we're definitely
46:24not at peace.
46:28We're somewhere
46:29in between.
46:39We're not at war.
47:00Transcription by CastingWords
Comments