British troops have been training for potential conflict with Russia during Exercise Viking Strike, held in Northumberland's Otterburn and Kielder Forest on 6 July. The location was chosen for its resemblance to Finnish woodland along Russia's border.
Exercise Details and Technology
The military exercise involved 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (1 R ANGLIAN), which is set to become one of the Army's first "Near Surface Infantry Battalions." These units will deploy drone and other advanced technology in combat situations. The Army stated: "The war in Ukraine has changed how modern battles are fought, and the creation of these new battalions is a direct response to those lessons. Otterburn and Kielder Forest were chosen for this exercise because they closely resemble the heavily forested landscape of Finland."
If conflict were to break out in Europe, 1 R ANGLIAN, part of the UK's 11 Brigade partnered with Finland's Kainuu Brigade, would be ready to defend Finland's 1,340km border with Russia.
Drone-Centric Tactics
Unlike conventional infantry units, these battalions will not solely depend on ground-based troop movements. Instead, they will focus on drones and other unmanned systems to locate and neutralise threats in the air and throughout the electronic spectrum—a domain referred to as the "drone zone." Every rifle platoon will feature drone operators capable of collecting intelligence directly from the front line, while a specialist company will deploy larger drones able to identify targets and launch one-way attack drones—occasionally called "kamikaze" drones—which carry explosive payloads and obliterate their intended targets upon impact.
Major Paul Machniki of the Royal Anglian Regiment commented: "We go from finding and detecting using drones to targeting and striking in a matter of minutes. We understand the battlefield more now than we ever did."
