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00:02We appear ever closer to a full-scale war with Russia.
00:07But are our forces battle-ready?
00:15With Russia regularly probing NATO's borders, we've been given exclusive access.
00:21Thank you. Please sit down.
00:24To military war games, testing our defenses against a Russian attack.
00:30We're not at peace, but we're definitely not at war either. We're somewhere in between.
00:36Tonight, British soldiers face their greatest test in the biggest NATO exercise of the year.
00:42It's been tough. It's certainly been a real test of character.
00:47And we're on Poland's border with Russia, embedding with the American infantry.
00:52We're coming through, coming through!
00:56It's getting in, doing what you need to do, and then getting out of there as fast as possible.
01:01We're with the boots on the ground as they prepare for brutal trench warfare.
01:07All right, get on him!
01:08In the skies, right on Russia's border with the pilots keeping watch.
01:13The fighters that are being controlled right now are down here.
01:17We can see beyond what the fighters can see with their radar.
01:21And we fly with the pilots as they take aim at the targets on the eastern flank.
01:26A long 12-15 hour day typically, I can get pretty painful to sit on the seat of an ejection
01:31seat.
01:45We're behind the scenes on land, at sea, and in the air, with the men and women training to be
01:52our first line of defense.
01:58Protecting our borders.
02:03And stopping Putin from expanding his war in Europe.
02:25Russia's barrage over Kyiv was short but intense, involving almost 600 drones and over 30 missiles.
02:35As if peace talks in Alaska hadn't happened, or that they'd given Vladimir Putin a free pass.
02:49Almost four years ago, Vladimir Putin launched the largest land invasion Europe has seen since 1945.
02:58But will he stop with Ukraine?
03:01Make no mistake, Putin's not going to give up.
03:03He's never going to give up the intent to remove Ukraine from the map.
03:07And he's never going to give up his intent to see Russian domination of Eastern Europe.
03:12And that brings us directly into conflict with Russia.
03:18In 2025, NATO, the world's largest military alliance, is preparing for the worst.
03:27Despite attempts to broker a lasting peace, NATO's running huge exercises throughout Europe to deter Russia and to test its
03:35own forces are ready for war.
03:38If it were to come, the biggest exercise of the year is Steadfast Dart.
03:48NATO's Carl Harwood plays a key role in its planning.
03:54Exercise Steadfast Dart is a deploy ex-NATO nations who will deploy large amounts of people and equipment across the
04:04entire alliance.
04:0710,000 soldiers, 1,500 fighting vehicles, 2,000 miles to cover.
04:13It's a race against time, measuring how fast NATO can mobilise if Russia were to attack.
04:19If you're going to go and exercise those areas, you're very, very acquainted with what the terrain is like, how
04:26difficult it is, the weather, the topography.
04:29Then should there be that threat, we're equipped with the right people, the right training, to push back any adversary.
04:38The land component of Steadfast Dart is being led by the British.
04:47We've got about 350 vehicles lined up here behind us.
04:51That's probably about a third of the total amount of kit that we're going to take out on Exercise Steadfast
04:56Dart,
04:56which is the first deployment exercise for NATO's Allied Reaction Force.
05:04Formed in 2024, the Allied Reaction Force is NATO's high-readiness multinational formation.
05:11The UK volunteered to step up to provide the large share of the troops.
05:17It's a lot of troops and it's a lot of complicated moving parts.
05:21This is one of the largest deployments of British forces into mainland Europe since the Cold War.
05:28We had Brits based in Scotland taking their kit and equipment down to Marchwood,
05:34sailing to the ports in Greece, offloading vehicles and then heading to the eastern flank.
05:42After hundreds of miles of hard travel, they touched down in Romania.
05:50So you just go in them rooms, stay in them rooms, scoff tonight, it's a meat feast with, like, chips,
05:55burgers, there's loads of stuff going on.
05:58Keeping the convoy on the road is pushing the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to their limit.
06:05Without fuel and without equipment support, keeping the vehicles fit and good work in order,
06:10that equipment or that, like, really critical supplies will not reach the troops on the ground,
06:15the troops at the tooth end of fighting.
06:19Despite their best efforts, not everything is going to plan.
06:25So we've had about 500 platforms come through this location with about 60 that have failed the safety inspection.
06:31Of the 60 failing safety inspection, around 52 have been repaired here,
06:35which left eight to be dragged forward on the recovery vehicles.
06:40For NATO's British-led land forces, the objective was to reach the front line as soon as possible.
06:48They arrived three weeks after the ships left the UK.
06:57Now, they're rendezvousing with the rest of the force, including the French, Spanish, Greeks and Romanians,
07:05just 13 miles from the Ukrainian border.
07:15In spite of breakdowns and sub-zero temperatures, here begins the massive task of building a war-ready camp,
07:23complete with dining halls and command headquarters.
07:28They've only got a few days to make it happen.
07:34Steadfast Dart gives you the ability to test new capabilities, test command and control.
07:40I can't stress enough how important that is.
07:43So you're ready to defend every inch of NATO.
07:50The rifles, the Royal Regiment of Artillery and 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, start digging in.
08:00It's a challenge. We've certainly experienced certain technical difficulties getting here.
08:03However, I think it's certainly been a real test of character.
08:12The weather's been tough. I mean, you know, we've had a night out sleeping in minus 11.
08:16We've certainly adapted to the climate.
08:18It's been quite dry, which I think soldiers from Britain would take any day of the week,
08:22having trained in Wales a lot when there's a lot of rain.
08:25We are fundamentally here to fire our L118 105mm light guns in support of infantry forces,
08:35particularly here in this example with 4 Scots Battle Group.
08:41It's a harsh environment, but these conditions are what they can expect in war with Russia.
08:49A bit of a shock to the system.
08:51We'd only been in for a couple of days and then suddenly the temperature really plummeted
08:54and with the wind chill, it sort of, I would say, it takes its toll.
08:58But I think what has been provided for us is a real opportunity to sort of harden.
09:08But we get the appropriate layering system in so that you can, one, go through and attack,
09:12not freeze, get to the end of the attack, and then, you know, once you've sweated,
09:16get yourself re-acclimatised and back to working temperatures.
09:20Once the camp is complete, they'll face the toughest part of the exercise.
09:25A simulated assault against Russian positions in brutal live-fire trench training.
09:35In Ukraine, the front line looks like a scene ripped from the First World War.
09:42The conflict has become a stalemate.
09:46Trench networks stretch across hundreds of miles.
09:50Being able to build and fight in these trenches is essential for front line survival.
10:01The layout zigzags, limiting damage from enemy fire.
10:07With a straight trench, one machine gun burst can take out an entire squad.
10:14Corners are lifesavers, breaking sight lines, containing shock waves, and giving troops cover.
10:26What we have been doing, we look at how we dig in, how you get below the surface to increase
10:31our survivability.
10:33We've been experimenting with a couple of different types of entrenching tools.
10:37We've bought some off the shelf and have brought them out here to give it a go, and the ground
10:40is really hard.
10:40But also, because this is an old range that's been going for a long time,
10:44there's just below the surface you find a tank, so, you know, it's been interesting.
10:50Knowing how unforgiving trench combat can be, medics are setting up.
10:56The primary mission of the field hospital is essentially to take very critically ill casualties,
11:02so whether they have a catastrophic bleed or something else that is life or limb endangering,
11:07we take them in and we take away that risk.
11:16So, for me, a typical day in this environment is I communicate with the wider battle group
11:23and they will indicate what kind of casualties might be coming our way
11:26so that the facility can prepare for that.
11:30Running a hospital in the field of battle is anything but straightforward.
11:35The biggest challenges will be things like the weather here, as it's very cold.
11:39We have drugs that need to be a specific temperature to maintain their use.
11:44So, finding out ways to maintain that temperature and keep them in the game is quite a challenge for us.
11:48Because we do have a surgical team, they need, obviously, a flat surface,
11:52so even the requirements like that are quite big considerations for when we're setting up this facility.
11:56So, if we don't have power, then the facility is useless.
11:59If we don't have fuel, the facility is useless.
12:01So, things like that can pose quite a challenge.
12:03It's tough work, but in a war, these medics will be the difference.
12:10When the fighting begins, their readiness won't just matter.
12:13It could determine who lives and who dies.
12:20Coming up, the fight begins.
12:25We join the Americans training for urban combat.
12:31You never fully know what you're going to begin yourself into.
12:33But can they hold the line before the Brits and other NATO troops are ready for action?
12:38Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!
12:48NATO, the world's most powerful military alliance, is running its largest war game of 2025,
12:56exercise steadfast dart.
12:59The first part of the mission was to test how fast the British and other NATO forces
13:04could reach the eastern flank.
13:07This exercise is two years in the planning.
13:10And the reason is to test and adjust all of our allies, all of our kit and equipment.
13:1610,000 troops have arrived, and now they need to be fed.
13:27So, I write the menu up depending on the meats they put out.
13:33The 2,500 Brits alone are going through 30 tonnes of food every week.
13:39This would only increase in a real war scenario.
13:46Nice. Enjoy.
13:48The Allied Reaction Force can scale up to 100,000 troops,
13:52and they're there to deploy rapidly across the alliance.
13:57Now they're getting ready to fight a major simulated battle against Russia.
14:03It's a clear message to Moscow.
14:06Do not expand your war in Europe.
14:10And it's part of a far bigger strategy to reinforce NATO's front line.
14:15So the exercise design was planned to bolster and enhance the full multinational battle groups.
14:23Throughout eastern and northern Europe,
14:25NATO has small-scale permanent forces stationed close to its borders with Russia.
14:30They're there to deter.
14:32But if conflict erupts, these troops will be the first into battle.
14:50Okay, guys, what's the registration?
14:53Major General Nissen is in charge of NATO's warfighting corps in the Baltic Sea region.
14:58He makes sure the troops he commands are constantly preparing for war.
15:03Sir, according to last inter-report, currently we have two axes of advance.
15:07There is no change to enemy intent.
15:10Okay, thank you.
15:11Blue situation.
15:11I talked with the higher command a half an hour before and they will send us an update with the
15:19overall situation.
15:20Okay, so basically we're set to engage the enemy.
15:25The scenario that we're working with, Russian forces attacking into the Baltic countries and Poland.
15:32Two and four divisions, roughly 100,000, 200,000 soldiers.
15:38I think it's obvious that the carnage, the loss of life that you see in Ukraine,
15:43we would have a similar situation in this area of operations.
15:48That is why it is so extremely important that we continue our mission to deter,
15:54so we don't end up in a situation where we actually have to fight a war.
15:59But if we have to fight the war, we are ready.
16:07Just 40 miles from the Russian border in eastern Poland,
16:11the US 3rd Infantry Division is getting ready for their part in Major General Nissen's latest exercise.
16:18The scenario is that the Russians have taken part of a town.
16:23The Americans, alongside other NATO troops, must kick them out.
16:31In Ukraine, urban combat has dominated the battlefield.
16:36Street battles and house-to-house fighting have shown everyone what to expect in a war with Russia.
16:42In just nine months, tens of thousands were killed and wounded in Bakhmut alone.
16:57I'm Sergeant Garrett Brown. I'm with the 3rd Infantry Division.
17:02I've been in Poland about five months now.
17:10The mission will be rolling up to a multi-level building
17:14and clearing from bottom up of enemy combatants,
17:19prisoners of war, and seize the building.
17:25Urban warfare is complex, so special forces are leading the training.
17:31These elite soldiers can't be identified.
17:35So, the one man's ever wrong, so whichever way he goes,
17:39the two men have to go opposite, so if the one man decides to go this way,
17:41the two men have to go.
17:44He's outlining a plan to take the first floor.
17:46The two men need to go all the way to establish their POD, OK?
17:52The stairs comes in for the stack.
17:55It will be attacked by six men split into two teams.
18:00When I push in, I stay down there until we call clear.
18:05OK.
18:06So I'm watching up.
18:07From the basement?
18:08From, just from the, pretty much where he's standing there.
18:12Yep.
18:12Just look up.
18:13Sergeant Brown is leading this part of the mission.
18:15First team comes in, clears these two rooms,
18:17and then second team comes in, clears this room, bounce, leapfrog, over.
18:23The two teams will use a fire-and-move tactic called leapfrogging.
18:28As the first team advances, the other lays down, covering fire.
18:34After securing a room, they alternate until the floor is clear.
18:41While Garrett is getting ready...
18:42Alpha will take this side.
18:44Bravo will take this room.
18:46Sergeant Ryan Sherman is leading his squad into the basement.
18:49Alpha, Bravo.
18:50We're going to drop in this window.
18:51It'll be the same thing.
18:52I'll pie, you'll be long, you'll be breached.
18:54We'll creep up, we'll creep up.
18:56First floor clear.
18:58Eagle, eagle, eagle, and we'll take the second floor.
19:00Bravo.
19:04So as you can see, we clear the basement.
19:07And then once the first floor is clear,
19:09then my squad will push up to the top floor,
19:12and we clear the top floor,
19:14and then first squad pushes back up,
19:15and they clear the roof of the building.
19:18Planning complete.
19:20The exercise is ready to begin.
19:24You have to remember your tactics, remember what you rehearse,
19:27just making sure that you can do your job.
19:36With urban warfare, you can never fully train for it.
19:39You'll never fully be ready.
19:41It's an execution that you don't have to have
19:43a deliberate thought process behind.
19:46Where you get called upon, you know what you're doing.
19:49It's like a natural movement for you.
19:52You can't see him, but you can't hear him.
19:55The battle starts with simulated airstrikes
19:58on Russian positions.
20:08Heels!
20:24Then they assess the damage.
20:28The drones are being flown before anybody else goes in
20:32as a recon element,
20:34so we have a little bit more of an understanding
20:36of what we're getting ourselves into.
20:41In the Ukraine war,
20:44drones have revolutionized the battlefield.
20:46Whether it's for surveillance,
20:48firing weapons,
20:50or one-way kamikaze drones,
20:52they are now used on an unprecedented scale.
21:00Ukraine alone is thought to be manufacturing
21:02over 50,000 drones every week.
21:09And nowadays, with large-scale combat operations,
21:12drones are a shaping factor for all the elements.
21:15It's created a new warfare that not very many people
21:18know how to prepare for or know how to react to.
21:23Drones are a huge threat.
21:27But ultimately, it's boots on the ground
21:29that must take the land back.
21:31Yeah, now, we're good, we're good, we're good.
21:34It's a big adrenaline rush,
21:36and it can be very overstimulating.
21:57You never know everything that's going to be in that building
22:00that you go into.
22:10It's exciting, being that high-tempo,
22:13keeping the aggression.
22:15You want to get in,
22:17because not only do you have just the individual buildings,
22:19but you have surrounding buildings
22:20that threats could come from.
22:22It's just getting in, doing what you need to do,
22:24and then getting out of there as fast as possible.
22:27That's it, that's it!
22:30That's all I'm doing!
22:31That's all I'm doing!
22:32That's all I'm doing, coming through, coming through!
22:34Coming through!
22:38It's not just as simple as one building with no furniture.
22:42There's floors, there's windows, doorways.
22:50And you have to assess every little thing.
22:53If there's going to be an enemy prisoner of war,
22:55if there's an enemy combatant,
22:57if there's hostile or non-hostiles in the room.
23:01So there's just so many moving parts
23:02that you just always have to be prepared for.
23:05You have to really be self-aware of your surroundings,
23:08and it can be a little overwhelming.
23:09You have to be safe, right now!
23:18Fire!
23:20Clear!
23:20Let's go, let's go!
23:22Let's go, let's go!
23:23Come through!
23:24Come through, come through!
23:25Come through!
23:32Around them, Poles, Lithuanians, and Czechs
23:37take on the other buildings.
23:42It's all a bunch of moving parts,
23:44and we're all hand-in-hand.
23:46If one nation has a mess-up,
23:49all the nations are going to suffer for it.
23:51We all have to be on the same page
23:52and working simultaneously together.
24:00Roger that!
24:01Coming down, coming down!
24:02Friendly coming down!
24:04Friendly coming down!
24:06The worst outcome here is a friendly casualty.
24:08Just to avoid that at all costs is tremendously important.
24:11Right, let's get him out!
24:12Get him out!
24:14With POWs taken in, the injured are evacuated.
24:19Guys!
24:20Get him out!
24:21Yeah, let's go!
24:22We have to go!
24:23Get him out!
24:23If I will do that, I will provide security and security!
24:35After 17 minutes of intense action, the town is recaptured.
24:50Thank you. Please sit down.
24:52Back at HQ, it's time for the commander's debrief.
24:56Hi, girl. Can you give me a quick update?
25:00In Poland, sir, I'm getting some good identifications and lessons learned
25:05on how we can improve our own fighting posture, profile and presence.
25:10So the exercise is going on as planned. I think we're learning a lot,
25:14definitely with the forces on the ground, up to 14 different nations working together.
25:18And that's key, especially if we want to have cohesion in the alliance.
25:22And we want to display a credible deterrence.
25:27There is no military threat in our area of operations against us.
25:33But that could potentially escalate very quickly.
25:37And we need to be ready for that situation.
25:39We're not at peace, but we're definitely not at war.
25:44We're somewhere in between.
25:48Coming up, NATO in the air.
25:53With the eyes in the sky.
25:55We're with the men and women watching the Russians 24-7.
26:01And following British top guns to see if they're ready to defend the troops on the ground.
26:06You have long-range strikes into post-air support scenarios.
26:10You've got defensive air-to-air scenarios as well.
26:26In just 24 hours, NATO's biggest battle of the year, the finale of exercise steadfast dart, will begin.
26:35The Allied reaction force will fight a simulated Russian army in a trench war.
26:41But to succeed, this multinational group, all just arriving at the scene, will need to fight as one.
26:50Move!
26:50Go!
26:51Hurry, hurry, hurry!
26:51The main fundamental goal that we have is to see how we can operate together with separate partners we may
26:58never have worked with before.
27:03Myself, I've been hosting a French officer from Saint-Cyr School in France.
27:08It's been a really great opportunity to be able to practice other languages.
27:18Not only will these troops need to communicate perfectly, they'll also need to handle the other nation's kit.
27:26The vehicle has a decent amount of protection, small arms, in terms of the armour, and primarily IEDs or blasts
27:33due to its V-shaped hull.
27:38We work with some of the Greek army. We also have worked with Bravo Company, 151st Battalion from the Romanians,
27:44and that was a really good opportunity.
27:46They were really keen to work with us, really keen to work with them.
27:50We've done trenches with them and looked at what they do and they've looked at how we do things.
27:57We've been doing an integration piece with the Romanian engineers today.
28:03Mainly to test the new Krakatoa.
28:05The Krakatoa is a small-shaped charge which can be used similar to a Claymore, but it can also be
28:11used to penetrate through vehicles and equipment.
28:15Fire in the hole!
28:22As British troops embed alongside their allies...
28:26Fuck!
28:28..there's one threat that's putting them all in danger.
28:32That danger...
28:33..comes from above.
28:37Being just a few miles from the front line, they're critically exposed to air attack.
28:43I have a fixed wing moving north to west.
28:46Possibly S, correction, Sierra.
28:49Uniform, three, four.
28:51I'm observing, government.
29:08The challenges that they'll face, of course, is that Russia has, still has, significant air warfare capabilities, so that would
29:16be at risk.
29:18Even after three years of war, Russia's air force remains the second-largest in the world.
29:25With over 1,000 fighter jets and bombers at its command, left unchallenged, it would seriously threaten NATO ground forces
29:33within hours.
29:39Countering the threat, the alliance is testing whether it can control the skies, before Russia does.
29:47NATOaza's air force.
29:49NATO...
29:49We are on stand by.
29:5230,000 feet above the troops.
29:55We are given unique access to NATO's airborne warning and control system.
29:59Or AWACS.
30:05packed with cutting-edge radar and sensors it scans the skies and the ground below
30:12giving the alliance a real-time understanding of russia's intentions
30:19so this is where the weapons team sits
30:23so we're the eyes of the sky
30:30our job is we get tactical control to fight aircraft we can see beyond what the fighters
30:36can see with their radar with our radar picture so with that information we could potentially
30:42tell them where opposing aircraft are or where opposing surface-to-air missile systems would be
30:48and then we communicate that tactical situation to them over the radio and over the that we have
30:58looking 500 miles into Russian territory master sergeant Maria can guide allied attack aircraft
31:05right to a target on weekly missions they fly all along NATO's border with Russia to do this
31:14this is us here that's where we're flying right now so you have Estonia Latvia Lithuania and then
31:23South Korea Kaliningrad that's but fairly normal as well for us right now
31:31with tensions escalating reconnaissance sorties have surged
31:39as have Russia's provocations
31:44aggressive manoeuvres designed to stop surveillance
31:50if a war kicks off this crew will be a prime target
31:56I think the atmosphere in general was more intense it felt more strange to know that there was war in
32:04Europe again but we quickly got used to flying these these missions a lot
32:10close to the border flying at such close proximity to Russia the team runs regular drills
32:24this scenario is training to respond to a high-altitude attack leading to cabin decompression
32:53by training for every possibility NATO's 14 AWACS can keep a constant eye on Russia 24 7
33:02allowing commanders to prevent surprise attacks and call on support from across the Alliance
33:13in the Mediterranean the world's largest warship is ready to react this US nuclear power carrier is a floating city
33:2625 decks high
33:29it's 75 combat aircraft
33:33can fly up to 270 sorties every day
33:37and amongst the 4,500 crew
33:41British pilots from the Royal Navy
33:48one of the great things about the UK US relationship is that it feels very homely when we get on
33:54board
33:56culturally everything like that is is very familiar to us which is great
34:02Lieutenant Phillips has been working with the Americans for two years
34:07he now routinely takes part in their missions
34:12training is something that we still need to undertake whilst we are deployed
34:16day-to-day role primarily is to fly three out of every four days that we're in the cockpit
34:21and on those fly days that can look like a long 12 to 15 hour day typically
34:25from a mission planning cycle to a briefing cycle to the execution of the mission
34:30to then the debrief cycle as well
34:32but might be one or two cycles in there so we might get airborne once or twice in that flight
34:37day from there
34:43even though the carrier is based in the Mediterranean
34:47Lieutenant Phillips's missions can take him hundreds of miles away
34:51we're operating over Eastern Europe area
34:54Baltics
35:01you have long-range strikes into close air support scenarios
35:04you've got defensive air-to-air scenarios as well
35:11missions start with the F-18 locked into the carrier's launch system
35:15once the flight deck is clear
35:19it's hurled from zero to 150 miles per hour in under three seconds
35:28now the mission shifts from speed to stamina
35:33anytime that we're going over a certain distance
35:35typically that involves a lot of air-to-air refueling
35:40you can refuel multiple times in a flight
35:42upwards of three four times that would extend to the range of the F-18
35:52after a final refuel the F-18 can begin its bombing run
36:02in wartime even long-range missions like this will be flown multiple times a day
36:09but it's no easy ride
36:11sometimes we're limited by how long we're sat in the seat of the aircraft
36:14I can get pretty painful sat on the seat of an ejection seat for a long time
36:17in a war
36:21sorties like these will provide essential air cover for the troops on the ground
36:26now the exercise steadfast start the land battle can commence
36:34coming up British soldiers storm the trenches
36:39training to take on the Russians day and night
37:0413 miles from the Ukrainian border
37:08NATO's largest exercise of the year steadfast start is moving into the final act
37:15for three weeks 1,500 vehicles and 10,000 troops including 2,600 Brits
37:22relentlessly advanced across Europe
37:27now it's time for the combat stage to begin
37:33NATO through its exercising will always be prepared
37:36this is the east of land this is about as far east as we can can come
37:40and this sends a message to Russia and our other adversaries
37:50our troops supported by forces from eight allied nations
37:54will launch a coordinated assault on an enemy held trench system
38:00mission success will be achieved
38:03when they're completely cleared
38:08if you are to evict an enemy from land that he has occupied
38:12the only way you evict them is to get your soldiers into a position
38:16where they can kill them
38:18force them to retreat
38:20or force them to surrender
38:27within days of arriving at the training base
38:31the battle starts with airstrikes on enemy positions
38:38followed by artillery
38:41having six L-118 light guns firing in conjunction with one another
38:48and lays down that suppressing fire that's required to support the close combat elements
38:54come on fire
39:08after 30 minutes of softening targets
39:12the deadliest part of the exercise commences
39:15the infantry's going in
39:27they're firing live rounds at simulated Russian targets in the trenches
39:33injury or death from friendly fire is a real possibility
39:38but it's a type of warfare they must master
39:56now it's into the trenches
40:09coordination here is essential
40:16yes it keeps us tight into the right
40:32we'll get a bunker
40:32there's a bunker position
40:36do you want to breathe there
40:39can't they close in
40:40bunker
40:40go in to take a bunker position
40:50all right get on him
40:51let's go push forward
40:53right on back
40:54an hour into the fight
40:56they take the trench
40:58but in a war with Russia
41:00this would be just the first section of a trench network
41:03that could stretch hundreds of miles
41:08it's going to be a war of absolute utmost brutality
41:12warfare on a scale not seen in Europe since 1945
41:17stop that gun
41:18rotate it yeah
41:20why don't you have a stoppage you
41:21get it down
41:22on a modern battlefield
41:27many of these soldiers could be wounded
41:29or killed
41:31in steadfast dart
41:33NATO's medics begin taking in simulated casualties
41:37injury sustained is a penetrating chest wound
41:40symptoms his air weight is clear
41:42breathing rate is 30
41:45Josh any pain on your legs
41:46so the kind of medical scenarios that we'd be expecting would be
41:49things like gunshot wounds
41:53crush injuries
41:54okay wiggle your toes up and down for me
41:56which could be from vehicle rolls
41:57that you would expect from that point of wounding towards the front line
42:01any pain in your tummy at all Josh
42:02it hurts
42:04it hurts up there doesn't it
42:05we can hold patients for up to 72 hours in our ward
42:09but essentially our aim is just to get them to a state where they can be moved on
42:13and put into next level of surgery to properly fix them up
42:16right upper quadrant
42:18got lungs sliding
42:19okay large amount of blood
42:20so confirmed left haemoneumor thorax
42:22let's get the chest straight
42:29reaching in 10 seconds
42:31outside
42:32the battle continues into the night
42:35taking into account the drone warfare tactics seen in ukraine
42:46there's multiple levels you've got threats to your front
42:49to the sides and outside the trench itself
43:00we've got to train at night because as technology has improved
43:03as the equipment's improved
43:04on the battlefields in ukraine at the moment
43:06it now comes down to the individual skills and drills of our infanteers
43:09getting hard fast and aggressive to deliver the effect to the enemy
43:22as dawn breaks
43:24the last trench is finally secured
43:27NATO's biggest battle of the year is over
43:30we've definitely achieved the objective we wanted to
43:32it's been a great demonstration of the force that we have
43:35projecting the power that we have at our disposal
43:37against a common adversary
43:40we've certainly understood our allied nations within the ARF
43:45much better than i think we may have done before deploying here
43:51we're stronger together friends are good on the day of battle is the regiment's gaelic motto
43:55and that's definitely that's definitely true and i think the ARF represents that
44:05we've traveled over a thousand kilometers to get here
44:08certainly looking forward to getting home to society of all the climates though
44:17at steadfast darts hq in naples commander karl and the team who helped plan the exercise
44:23are reviewing its success
44:29i believe in the nato alliance i believe in deterrence through 32 nations
44:35after steadfast darts i'll personally say now that we're we are stronger than ever
44:42were we planning 20 years ago for russia incursion onto a nato territory we probably weren't
44:47we're looking at middle east we're looking at iran the threat changes all the time so we have to be
44:52ready and we do that by training and working together and exercising our regional plans to
44:57make sure that we don't have vulnerabilities to make sure we are a credible deterrence force
45:03to be able to move so many soldiers supplies fuel ammunition large machinery across many different
45:11nations across many different borders if we can't do it at peacetime how are we going to do it in
45:18conflict so just rehearsing that in itself was of the utmost importance and the ability to actually
45:25do it smoothly for the most part proved our ability to respond quickly to a threat
45:34we are definitely deterring russia and they know it
45:39but putin wants to achieve his aims he continues to build up his industrial capacity
45:48his military capacity and we need to be prepared for that
45:55military leaders believe this has been the year that nato rose to the challenge posed by putin
46:02but to be truly battle ready nato's going to need more troops and more firepower to deter and to defend
46:13i think the message about the need to be ready for the worst case is beginning to
46:22be understood more widely i don't think we're where we need to be yet though
46:27how do we generate the force numbers needed because take the size of the british army
46:32for example an army of 70 000 is nothing like big enough we need to prepare for war
46:38in order to keep the peace that is what deterrence is about
46:48the storm may have passed but now he's got all that angry arctic air to deal with stream or watch
46:53the
46:53great icelandic swim with ross edgley tomorrow at eight here on channel four and at nine hope
46:58she's got a rail card alice roberts travels 1300 miles exploring the roman empire by train
47:04if you can't catch it stream it next tonight new google box
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