Rapid deployment is very important for NATO. It demonstrates NATO Allies’ ability to react quickly and to defend each other against any threat from any direction.
In this video, the former British Army General who oversaw Operation Tractable in 2019, a mass deployment of UK soldiers and vehicles from the United Kingdom to Estonia, explains what it takes to move an army across Europe quickly.
Footage includes soundbites from Ivan Jones, Former Commander Field Army, British Army, and shots of UK troops, tanks and vehicles on the move.
Filming took place prior to COVID-19 restrictions.
Transcript
TEXT ON SCREEN – WHY IS RAPID DEPLOYMENT IMPORTANT FOR NATO?
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“If you’re responding to crisis, you need to move an army at speed.”
TEXT ON SCREEN - LT GEN IVAN JONES (RETD.), FORMER COMMANDER FIELD ARMY, BRITISH ARMY
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“Rapid deployment is essential to deterring any threat to the NATO Alliance by demonstrating that we can move swiftly should a crisis arise, but also essential to reassuring our Allies that we are there to support them.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“Deploying overseas can be achieved by a range of means: by sea, by road, by rail or by air.”
TEXT ON SCREEN –
SEA
ROAD
RAIL
AIR
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“The challenges are multiple. Scale of manpower that we’re moving, the scale of the vehicles, the nature of the road, changing rail gauges from narrow to wide, going through borders and customs posts.
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“A move like this demands detailed planning, flexibility, remarkable staff across multiple nations providing liaison.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“The values that I expect from my soldiers are the values that we hold dear in the British Army: integrity, courage. But in an activity when you’re moving across multiple nations, respect for others.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Former Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander Field Army, British Army
“International cooperation is absolutely critical and what we’ve demonstrated is the importance of the NATO Alliance and the relationship between the nations.”
TEXT ON SCREEN – Filming took place prior to COVID-19 restrictions.
