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frontline our soldiers facing putin s01e01
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00:05On the ground! Oi! On the ground!
00:11Guys, Donald, they're sliding through. Yeah, roger.
00:14There's a bank here.
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.
00:56In AF 7.123!
00:59Tonight, NATO soldiers are challenged to race across Europe to support the front line.
01:06Right, so obviously the plan is to leave in the 0600.
01:09No time to leave!
01:11Get the gun up here!
01:13And we're on Estonia's vulnerable border with Russia
01:16as soldiers showcase their military might to deter Putin.
01:21Contact!
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 met 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 with 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.
02:00Fire!
02:00Fire!
02:03As forces across Europe
02:07mobilize their troops.
02:11We 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 defense.
02:24protecting our borders and stopping Putin from expanding his war in Europe.
02:54This is the very edge of Europe. Sharing over 180 miles of border with Russia, Estonia is where Western military
03:06chiefs believe Vladimir Putin could attack next, if he succeeds in Ukraine.
03:14So right now we are approximately 10 metres from Russian territory.
03:23Staring directly at the Russian threat, border guards like Peter Moran are the West's eyes and ears. They are the
03:31first line of defence.
03:38So as you can see, there is the Estonian border marker, the Russian border marker and the border line is
03:48between those two border markers.
03:53The situation has become quite a lot more tense and we are, you know, fully expecting that something will happen.
04:03Maybe a military invasion from Russia.
04:07Before dawn this morning, President 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. The moment Russia stormed through Ukrainian border posts.
04:25Now, countries bordering Russia fear history is about to repeat itself.
04:32A fear exacerbated recently by Russian fighter jets brazenly violating Estonian airspace.
04:40This is where it's feared things could suddenly explode.
04:45And right on cue, a Russian border guard appears, reminding Peter just how close danger lies.
04:53Yeah, I think we should be more discreet.
05:01Peter and all the defence forces here know that they won't be able to hold off a Russian invasion alone.
05:07But fortunately for Estonia, they are not alone.
05:15Unlike Ukraine, Estonia has been a member of NATO, the world's largest military alliance since 2004.
05:24When Russian forces seized Crimea in 2014, NATO stationed soldiers from across the world here.
05:34We saw what transpired in Ukraine.
05:37And we need to be prepared for further incursions or 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.
05:53And 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, enhanced forward presence battle groups, supporting all of Estonia's land, air and sea defences.
06:24Since 2017, the NATO battle group here in Estonia has been led by Britain, which has around 1,300 soldiers
06:33permanently based here.
06:37The deputy supreme commander of all NATO forces in Europe, at the time when these forward land forces battle groups
06:43were created, was General Richard Shereff.
06:50The enhanced forward battle groups, they were put there as a sort of tripwire force from any objective military judgment.
06:58Russia is not going to be deterred by 1,000 Allied soldiers from a military perspective.
07:04They might pause from a political perspective, because Putin would know that if he attacked Estonia, he's at war with
07:12NATO.
07:21NATO's Estonian base sits just 90 miles from the border with Russia.
07:28The soldiers stationed here trained throughout the year, in conditions which mirror that which they're likely to experience if facing
07:37an invading Russian army.
07:40Clearing towards Bravo 1 to the left-hand side, barricading to the right, we're going to start clearing to the
07:44right-hand side to Bravo 6.
07:45Roger.
07:46We're out here in Estonia, as part of the forward land forces battle group, and we're on the training area,
07:53alongside our Polish, Estonian, American and French colleagues.
08:00Contact!
08:03In the event of a Russian invasion, these infantry soldiers know that fighting will take place in networks of trenches
08:10just like this.
08:15We're on the right-hand side.
08:17We're on the right-hand side.
08:18We're on the right-hand side.
08:19We're on the right-hand side.
08:21Today, British, French and Estonian soldiers are nearing the end of a seven-day exercise deep in the forests of
08:30Northern Estonia.
08:33Practicing how to storm and clear trench corridors, metre by metre.
08:38What we are seeing today in the modern battlefield is that the trenches have not disappeared anywhere.
08:46They're still there. They're still valid. If you want to protect yourself, you kind of have to dig in.
08:52A platoon company of around 30 soldiers methodically make their way through one of the trench networks that could soon
09:00litter this entire border area, just as they've scarred the front line in Ukraine.
09:10It looks like something from the First World War.
09:14But trench combat is a massive part of the conflict in Ukraine.
09:22The Donbas region alone has over 250 miles of front line, marked 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 in exactly the same way the
09:51Romans 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, understanding how the conditions are in these Baltic states if anything wants to happen.
10:19Not just understanding surviving in these conditions.
10:22If something did happen, we are ready and the conditions are set for us to go.
10:28Despite the British-led presence here, in reality, NATO simply does not have enough troops stationed in Estonia to hold
10:38off Russia.
10:40Major military reinforcements from across the alliance are going to need to arrive fast if Russian President Vladimir Putin were
10:48to launch another invasion.
10:50I would imagine it might be at least a couple of weeks before any external forces that got up into
10:58Estonia, depending on the amount of warning we had.
11:03If you're in Estonia, you could be two weeks without any additional reinforcements.
11:10And this is why, throughout 2025, NATO has been testing its brand new Allied Reaction Force.
11:18A rapidly deployable major land army, able to respond to crises within days anywhere in Europe.
11:24And show Moscow that aggression against any member state will meet an immediate, heavy response.
11:32not only any other things.
11:37Coming up...
11:38Starting up!
11:40We're with the British army mechanics, keeping NATO's new Allied Reaction Force on the move.
11:47Come on, said. It's your time to shine!
11:49and a major escalation in tensions between NATO and Russia
11:59on the Baltic Sea.
12:13In 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, but it's like a right turn, right turn, right turn.
12:54Now we're going to make the next step to the operational command
12:56where 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.
13:11Meet Commander Carl Harwood.
13:1336 years in the Navy,
13:15he plays a key role in NATO's military deterrence across Europe,
13:19heading the Media Ops team.
13:23The Headquarters is about 950 people,
13:28from about 25 of the 32 NATO nations,
13:32and of the 950, around about 100 Brits.
13:37To enter this building requires high-level security clearance.
13:43Cameras are rarely allowed inside.
13:49Since the war in Ukraine,
13:51headquarters like this one have overseen a significant increase
13:56in the number and scale of military exercises NATO runs
14:00in regions right up against the Alliance's border with Russia.
14:06So this floor is logistics.
14:08So we talk about that big machine that move people,
14:12machines, armour, ammunition, food.
14:16So they sustain and maintain that fleet of personnel,
14:21that fleet of vehicles, in order to support those operations.
14:24At the heart of JFC Naples are the Ops Centres.
14:29Highly secure command hubs, manned 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 is exercise Steadfast Dart.
14:52So it's the biggest exercise for the NATO Alliance for 2025.
14:59Steadfast Dart is an exercise designed to test just how fast an army of thousands of reinforcements
15:05can get across Europe to support frontline soldiers on NATO's eastern borders.
15:1110,000 troops, 1,500 fighting vehicles, 2,000 miles to cover.
15:18A land and sea force big enough to send a strong deterrence message to Putin.
15:24This is not for fun.
15:26It's a race against time.
15:29Every minute crucial to defending Europe.
15:35We had the British contingent headed up by the Yorks, so they're based in York,
15:40transiting across to the ports, across to Netherlands through Germany.
15:44At the same time with vehicles loaded down at Marchwood,
15:47and we had the strategic roll-on, roll-off ferries going around,
15:52transiting through the Mediterranean into Greece where they're offloaded.
16:02The starting gun for Steadfast Dart has been fired.
16:07First stop is this Greek port.
16:10The British Army is arriving from Southampton
16:13to face the challenge of offloading hundreds of fighting vehicles at speed.
16:18Something they'll have to do for real if Putin attacks a NATO country.
16:29I think so.
16:32I think so.
16:33My name is Sergeant Paul Heap.
16:37At the moment we have 256 vehicles, different variants of vehicles,
16:41plus three containers that are coming off.
16:47My role is to ensure that the kit that's coming off,
16:50or the cargo gets off safely enough,
16:52and without any damage or anything,
16:55I don't know anything at all.
16:56I've gone now 34 years.
17:00It will be military.
17:01Yes, I start serving the Queen, Her Majesty,
17:04and from then I've been doing military service since then.
17:09These British Army vehicles are rolling off the ship
17:12as part of the first ever deployment of NATO's new Allied Reaction Force.
17:20Steadfast Dart is challenging this new high-readiness force to deploy to the Eastern Fronts of Europe,
17:26in support of countries bordering Russia within ten days or fewer.
17:33In command of these land forces for this first major trial are the British.
17:41The Allied Reaction Force is designed to respond to crisis on behalf of NATO.
17:46We've sent hundreds of vehicles and troops all the way across Europe,
17:502,000 miles, driving from Germany into Romania.
17:54We've sent thousands of troops in by air,
17:56hundreds of vehicles by ship into both Germany and here in Greece.
18:01We're really demonstrating our capability to go exactly where NATO needs us at very short notice.
18:09With the kit finally off the ship,
18:11it's time for the vehicles to get a proper once-over.
18:15Waiting in the wings, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
18:21Their job, check over every engine in a matter of hours,
18:25as they would have to do in a real war.
18:30Morning, Corporal Casper.
18:33Meet Craftsman Peters.
18:35She's an army vehicle mechanic.
18:37It's her first deployment,
18:39and her job is to make sure all these vehicles are battle-ready.
18:45The team's got just 24 hours to inspect all 256 warfighter machines that rolled off the ship.
18:52It's a race against the clock.
18:54Can they pull it off?
18:58The guys have been doing their first parade on the vehicles to make sure that everything is good,
19:02and the vehicles are prepped and ready for the road.
19:06There have been a few issues with the trucks, where the trans oil has been overflow,
19:10and we've been draining that oil and making sure that it's at the correct level.
19:15Starting up!
19:21Craftsman Peters' job is a vital part of a warfighting army.
19:28So if there's not enough air pressure, which is her, then you'll hear a beeping sound.
19:38She's checking these heavy transporters, as well as the lightweight protected Foxhound,
19:45and more heavily armoured Mastiff patrol vehicles.
19:50Leave it rolling, come here. Switch!
19:56And she needs to fix any faults fast, here on the side of the port,
20:00without having a garage full of high-tech equipment at her disposal.
20:07Being a vehicle mechanic, it's hard work and a lot of dedication towards it,
20:14because the vehicles basically stay in non-task warden.
20:25We're looking to see the level of the trans oil at the moment,
20:29to make sure it's not overflow, so once he revved up the engine a bit,
20:34he get it warm, all the circulation of the oil will go through,
20:37and then we'll check the level of the oil to make sure it's not overflow.
20:44Oh, a few years? Yeah? Grab the master switch, put it in.
20:47In fact, it's done.
20:48I think it's on. Yeah, it's on.
20:51Winton! Do you need to go up?
20:52Come on, son. It's your time to shine.
20:57So we probably might need a breaker bar.
20:59Got it. Got it. Got it.
21:02I wouldn't say I think I would have ended up as an army mechanic,
21:06but I always wanted a job where I can wear a uniform.
21:1117 years ago, I was probably running around thinking that I'm going to be a accountant in some bank,
21:19and walking in heels and all that bits, but it never happened.
21:25Right, well, go and start her up. Do the gearbox check again.
21:28Starting up!
21:32My stepfather is a vehicle mechanic. My dad is also a vehicle mechanic.
21:37My dad, he hasn't trust me since...
21:39He doesn't believe I'm actually a vehicle mechanic, to be fair.
21:43Just let him know what he's got,
21:45and then potentially just stick that two litres straight into Saudi's truck.
21:50It's the basics of what we do in the army.
21:54Some of those vehicle checks are things that we would be doing wherever we are,
21:57in whatever part of the world.
21:58We need to make sure that our capability is ready for whatever eventuality we could be rolling into.
22:04The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the criticality of logistics and sustainment of the force.
22:13Testing how fast troops and firepower can reach the front line to reinforce national defences
22:19is what Exercise Steadfast Dart is all about.
22:24It's not just training. It's preparing for war.
22:29They are going to need reinforcement really quickly.
22:33And it's a simple equation. The readier you are, the less time they're going to have to hold on.
22:40The less ready, that thin line is going to crack pretty quickly.
22:47Coming up...
22:50We go inside the cockpit of NATO's state-of-the-art intelligence-gathering aircraft.
22:56NATO 06, prepare for take-off on it.
22:59Great. Go pilot, we can clear for take-off. Perfect.
23:04And can a makeshift kitchen in a freezing tent feed 400 famished fighters?
23:11My oven is literally just a metal box with a door on it.
23:14So yeah, literally 400 out of that, it's hard going. It's not...
23:27We're on the road with the British Army.
23:31Right, so obviously the plan is to leave in the 0600.
23:36Hauling troops and tons of war-fighting kit thousands of miles across Europe.
23:44It's certainly the largest deployment in a NATO context and certainly from the British Army in the last 20 years.
23:49With over 1,500 vehicles deploying from the UK and over 10,000 personnel.
23:57This is NATO's biggest war game of 2025.
24:02Exercise Steadfast Dart.
24:05The mission, to test if this was a real war.
24:10How quickly NATO's new Allied reaction force can reach and support frontline troops in the event of a Russian attack.
24:18Steadfast Dart is a very important proof of concept for that deployment of troops and equipment to the eastern flank.
24:26A 2,000 mile journey to the eastern borders of Europe requires a series of pit stops to rest and
24:32refuel.
24:35Today the British are arriving at their final transit camp.
24:39Still 100 miles from their destination.
24:49This is Camp Konstanta, a former Soviet Red Army barracks.
24:56Over 1,000 British soldiers have passed through this camp in the last week.
25:00They eat, sleep and move on in a matter of hours.
25:07I don't care if your friends are in other rooms, okay, you're just going to go into them two rooms
25:10because the building's nearly clean to hand over tomorrow.
25:12Scots tonight is a meat feast with like chips, burgers, there's loads of stuff going on.
25:17Turn around, follow me, we'll go that way, we'll go to the accommodation.
25:23Meet Sergeant Hayes in charge of Camp Konstanta.
25:29It's known as a convoy support centre, or CSC.
25:35The purpose of the CSCs is to give the soldiers the amount of rest before they deploy.
25:39They've been driving a long way to fix any of their vehicle problems they've got.
25:44Allow them to eat, okay, so one of the main things we do here would be feed them, so the
25:49cookhouse is just behind.
25:52The biggest thing for them to do now is they are in forced rest.
25:56Cool, find it, find a bed space, both bed spaces, we'll top up, bottom of the air.
26:01We got the odd question, can we leave camp, can we go and do this or the other, but most
26:04of the time it was no, you're here to rest, you're going on exercise tomorrow, you're going to do more
26:09driving.
26:09It didn't sit well with some people, but most people just understood what they were meant to do.
26:16It's not just shut-eye the troops need at camps like this.
26:20Keeping them fuelled with hot grub is a mission all of its own.
26:23This is the cookhouse, this is where the soldiers got their meals, they had two meals with us, so they
26:29had dinner and breakfast.
26:33So we've got the chef in action here, so we've got Corporal Spencer on the burgers.
26:38We've got Private Goodacre over there, and then you've got Corporal Brooks, Corporal Brooks is the head chef.
26:44This is Corporal Brooks, Army chef extraordinaire.
26:48With 23 years service.
26:52Well, we've fed about one and a half thousand people within this week, so we've literally gone through probably about
26:59two tonne of potatoes, gone through about 2,000 burgers, hot dogs, probably about the same.
27:08Today, Corporal Brooks has just four hours to rustle up dinner for several hundred freshly arrived soldiers.
27:17And he's got to have it on the table for 6pm sharp, so the troops can rack up the rest
27:22they need to hit the road again at first light.
27:26So today we're doing some breaded prawns for the guys' dinner tonight, so we're literally just panning in it, from
27:34the prawns into the flour, into the eggs, into the breadcrumbs.
27:39It is the same, an army can't move on its empty stomach, so yeah, so the morale's low, they come
27:47in, they get a nice hot scarf, they come in, they move straight up again.
27:53Corporal Brooks has multiple different dishes to cook and hundreds of soldiers to feed, all with just a single gas
28:00stove, which also heats his only oven.
28:05My oven is literally just a metal box with a door on it, so literally you're in and out that
28:10oven every couple of minutes.
28:13So literally I've got two number 5 cook sets, which are designed for 50 people per cook set, so we've
28:20only got two, so yeah, literally 400 out of that, it's hard going, it's long.
28:29The hours do rack up, like the other night I did 25 hours straight, and that's called the Spence as
28:34well, he done 20 hours the other night.
28:37So it depends on the mission, you know, if you need to be in, you'll have to be in, because
28:43it's literally just you.
28:46Hey guys, you're going to have two burgers, this chicken prawns, and this beef fillet, but it's one choice out.
28:54With the troops filing in for dinner, it's mission accomplished for Corporal Brooks and his chefs.
29:02Corporal Brooks has been unbelievable, fillets and prawns, some lights, some of the stuff he's made in literally two little
29:09cook sets over there in a small oven, he'd put Gordon Ramsay to shame, honestly, wouldn't you, Brooksie?
29:15It's only Michelin star only in here, isn't it?
29:17Yeah.
29:18Are you the best for the boys or not?
29:24In a war situation, transit camps like this serve a vital purpose, ensuring troops en route to the front line
29:32arrive having had sufficient rest, medical care and food to be in the best possible shape to fight.
29:41We've got about 2,500 UK service personnel here, all the things that you need to survive, food, water, medical
29:49treatment, but it's also the fuel for the vehicles, it's the spare parts for when things break down, it's the
29:54ammunition for our weapons, and all of the other bits that sort of go with that.
29:59While these well fed soldiers now bed down for some kit before pushing further east,
30:09Our cameras are allowed inside a live operational classified briefing, this one at a NATO airfield in northern Germany.
30:19Circling counterclockwise over to the Baltic back here, 25 knots as an average.
30:26Listening in, the crew of one of NATO's most important intelligence gathering assets.
30:32There might be some more laws on HF, UHF frequencies, especially during the night.
30:40Meet the AWACS, NATO's flying radar station, providing surveillance, command, control and communication capabilities across allied countries.
30:55From 30,000 feet, the AWACS's giant spinning radar dome allows NATO to watch an area the size of Poland,
31:03tracking 300 targets at once.
31:09NATO, 06, quick for takeoff 120 seconds.
31:120, stand by.
31:14OK.
31:15We're ready.
31:16Last five.
31:16Yes, last five.
31:18Ready to go by, let's make it clear.
31:19More takeoff.
31:20Perfect.
31:26Each plane can monitor troop movements from up to 500 kilometres away.
31:45The AWACS serves as a flying air traffic control and battle management centre.
31:51Today, it's on a live operation, keeping a close watch on Russian activity in the Baltic Sea.
31:59Russia's long been suspected of damaging and destroying vital infrastructure cables deep underwater.
32:07And that's what today's mission is all about.
32:12If you would have said, like, half a year ago, like, oh, we're going to sabotage all that internet cables
32:17and whatever,
32:17everybody would have said, ah, you're crazy, that's not going to happen.
32:21But it is actually happening that somebody thinks it's a good action to lower an anchor and plow through the
32:28cables.
32:29I mean, all of a sudden, it's a reality and we have to do our job not to prevent that.
32:36The moment the crew spots a suspicious ship, they're straight on the radio, calling in the local Navy and Air
32:43Force to check it out.
32:47What we are trying to do is first detect if there are vessels of interest.
32:51Are they performing any suspicious behaviour?
32:54A ship going from port A to port B and that starts loitering somewhere in the specific area, why would
33:01you do that?
33:01That kind of stuff is what we're specifically looking for.
33:08There are warnings of a possible serious escalation between NATO and Russia after an aerial confrontation over the Baltic Sea
33:16and accusations Russia violated NATO's airspace.
33:21The importance of these ongoing AWACS operations became clear when an oil tanker, suspected of being part of Russia's Shadow
33:29Fleet, entered Estonian territorial waters.
33:33Sanctioned by Britain, the Estonian Navy immediately attempted to seize the vessel.
33:40This is Estonian warship Papa 6732. Your request will be denied. Follow my instructions.
33:52Altern your course to 105 immediately. Over.
33:57The Russians film from the tanker's bridge as the Estonians attempt to redirect the vessel to a nearby port for
34:03an inspection.
34:07The ship is refusing to follow the Navy's instructions.
34:31This is exactly the kind of flashpoint that could easily spiral into full-scale war.
34:45Out of nowhere, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet suddenly appears, crossing into NATO airspace.
34:53Its purpose, it would seem, is to intimidate the Estonian military to back down from seizing the tanker.
35:02Estonian authorities said that it violated NATO airspace for close to a minute.
35:07It was then escorted back to Russian waters by the Estonian Navy.
35:17Russia looks to be probing NATO's nerve.
35:21Testing whether the Alliance really will stand by every member.
35:25With its shadowy campaign of undersea sabotage in the Baltic Sea.
35:33Coming up, Steadfast Dark gets serious as Marines storm the beaches in a show of force.
35:40Right on the edge of the heavily contested Black Sea region.
35:44Dozens of ships, dozens of aircraft, thousands of soldiers.
35:49We were able to demonstrate our capability across huge geographic spans of land.
36:05Today I'm heading off to Mount Whitney to meet the Captain.
36:09The Mount Whitney, or the USS Mount Whitney has just come back from the Baltic operations as a NATO exercise.
36:17USS Mount Whitney has a command and control platform controlling a whole multitude of ships and forces across the NATO
36:27Alliance.
36:29We're with Royal Navy Commander Carl Harwood.
36:32And today, we've been invited on board the US Navy's Europe-based 6th Fleet Command Ship.
36:39Should our forces go to war with Russia, it's this ship that will command NATO's operations at sea.
36:51Permission to come on board?
36:52Hello, please, come forward, how are we doing?
36:55Hey, how are you doing, Captain Price, Commandant Officer, welcome aboard.
36:57Sir, nice to meet you, I'm Carl Harwood, Command Harwood.
37:01While the British land component of the Allied Reaction Force grinds its way across Europe,
37:07the ARF's amphibious units are running drills to see how fast they can hit the front lines from the sea.
37:14As well as showcasing their naval power as a deterrent to Russia.
37:20One of the unique capabilities and why Mount Whitney is probably the most capable command and control ship in the
37:25world
37:26is because we have that capability and the ability to support both the US and NATO forces here on Mount
37:32Whitney.
37:33We are just there as a command and control platform working to practice command and controlling amphibious forces.
37:40And we need to be ready to go day one, and so every time we do this exercise,
37:43as far as tactics and techniques, procedures change, we want to be up to date.
37:47So when something happens on day one, we are ready to go, enter and operate together, you know, seamlessly, with
37:53no problems.
37:56Around the Mediterranean coast from Naples and up into the Aegean,
38:00this immediate response from NATO's naval forces to any Russian provocation is about to be put to the ultimate test.
38:14This is exercise Steadfast Dart from the Sea.
38:18NATO's biggest, most complex live exercise of 2025.
38:26Our cameras have been invited onto the Spanish commanding aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I
38:32to witness a trial seaborn assault and storming of an enemy-held beach firsthand.
38:38If we do go to war, this will be the D-Day landings of the modern age.
38:48On deck, Harrier jump jets stand by.
38:54Below deck, Marines from across the Alliance are poised, ready and waiting to board dozens of landing craft and Zodiac
39:03ribboats.
39:06From the flight deck, we have multiple aircrafts, so we operate Seahawks.
39:11We have also Harriers on board.
39:13And the Harriers, they do also protection against any threats coming from the land inside.
39:23An abuse operation is normally the most difficult type of military operation that can exist.
39:28So we have to coordinate many, many aspects of it, like air operations, and we also had an integration of
39:38a special ops team.
39:39We had a landing force, which is like the core of amphibious operations.
39:44In the event of a Russian invasion, this type of full-scale amphibious landing
39:50could be how NATO forces seek to rapidly reclaim land lost to Russia.
39:58The first wave of this operation, hundreds of heavily armed Spanish and Greek Marines launched to attack the shoreline on
40:07Zodiac ribboats.
40:09Once the operation starts, we should get a lot of excitement and tension.
40:20In a real war, these Marines are sitting ducks on the water, reaching the beach en masse and at speed
40:27is their mission.
40:29For this exercise, they are racing the clock.
40:33Own the beach as fast as possible and then move inland.
40:38The second assault wave follows close behind.
40:41Dozens of landing craft carrying armoured vehicles.
40:45The Marines on board are already at the wheel, primed to storm the beach the moment they touch land.
40:53The third wave, Chinook helicopters, Marines hanging off the back, jumping directly into the sea.
41:03These Marines are the first boots on the ground securing the area
41:07and to make sure that the other parties following them with the landing craft and all the equipment and the
41:13vehicles can arrive safely at the beach.
41:17With F-16 fighter jets capable of flying 1,500 miles an hour, twice the speed of sound,
41:25and Harrier jump jets providing air support for the landing force,
41:28the armoured vehicles are able to touch down and roll off.
41:34The landing area here is located to a Greece air base.
41:39They operate the F-16 here and you can hear them.
41:46The sound of freedom, it's nice.
41:50The final wave is the most dangerous.
41:53Marines fast roping down from Seahawk helicopters within seconds to avoid being picked off by enemy fire.
42:01In a war situation, both the pilots and the attacking Marines are at huge risk.
42:13Everything went well. All the personnel worked perfectly.
42:19There's a purpose that we do this on the south-eastern flank of NATO here.
42:23It's a clear signal to the east that NATO is ready to defend its territory.
42:29The message is clear, yeah, don't mess with us.
42:32Don't mess with NATO.
42:36For the generals in charge of the deployment of NATO's new Allied Reaction Force on both land and sea,
42:43Steadfast Dart is going according to plan.
42:46So far.
42:49We demonstrated our ability to move large quantity of forces, land, sea and air across vast expanses of territory.
43:01Soldiers, supplies, fuel, ammunition, aircraft, large machinery across many different nations, across many different borders,
43:13proved our ability to respond quickly to a threat.
43:21But with the war in Ukraine grinding on, no one here needs a briefing on why these exercises, in this
43:29region, matter.
43:32All of us are trying to gauge what happens if Ukraine fails.
43:39Russia may see weakness and opportunity.
43:42And they talk openly about reclaiming Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
43:47I could imagine a scenario where they would launch an attack against NATO country.
43:54Senior political and military figures inside NATO, including the Secretary General,
44:01now speak frankly about Russia posing a credible threat to member states within a few years.
44:07Recent border provocations in Poland, Romania and Estonia highlight the dangers Russia poses to our peace and security.
44:18We assess in NATO that Russia could attack within five to seven years.
44:22Only by preparing for the worst case, which is war with Russia, do we deter war with Russia.
44:29We are at a crossroads in history today.
44:32This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act.
44:38The one thing our history tells us is that if there is conflict in Europe, it will wash up on
44:45our shores.
44:49We've witnessed NATO stress testing its ability to hurl manpower and firepower at its borders with Russia.
44:57At breakneck speed, as both a defence and a deterrence.
45:03But exercises alone won't stop Putin from probing the West's resolve.
45:09Ultimately, more men and women may soon have to stand ready to risk everything to hold Europe's front line.
45:22Armies have to expand to fight wars of national survival.
45:27What we've got to ensure is that the armed forces of this country reflect properly the political statements about the
45:36first duty of government being to protect the country.
45:39And we've got to hold our political leaders' feet firmly to the fire to ensure that happens.
45:49Next time, after almost a month on the road, the British finally arrive at their front line base.
45:57And the full scale war games begin.
46:01Come on!
46:03Six L-118 light guns lays down that suppressing fire to support the close combat elements.
46:11And we join the Americans defending the Polish border.
46:15Come on in!
46:18First team comes in, closes these two rooms.
46:22We're not at war, but we're definitely not at peace.
46:28We're somewhere in between.
46:29Once we're on.
46:31Amen.
46:50Thank you for listening.
46:58I'm Peter ох deer right there, but there's a special guest featuring heroes of Harry Laitley.
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