Approximately 1400 British army soldiers, including troops known as the Desert Rats, departed from the UK on a passenger ferry for a significant military exercise in Europe. The soldiers from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade and the Scots Guards, who recently served in Oman, boarded a DFDS vessel in North Tyneside. The brigade, dubbed the Desert Rats, enjoyed karaoke, cinema, and bingo onboard as they made their way to Sennelager, Germany, for a NATO exercise lasting 6-8 weeks.
The Ministry of Defence clarified that the decision to use a civilian vessel was unrelated to a shortage of navy ships. The exercise aims to test the UK’s capability to utilize civilian transport infrastructure in the event of NATO’s Article Five activation, which states an attack on one ally is an attack on all members. This foundational agreement was invoked only once following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
This deployment marked the first instance of troops utilizing a passenger ferry for a military exercise since the Gulf War. Company Commander Charlie Gilmore highlighted the exercise’s purpose of demonstrating NATO’s ability to rapidly deploy a substantial force into Eastern Europe. The use of civilian transport, though unconventional, showcases the UK’s flexibility in transportation methods.
The MoD emphasized that transporting such a large troop contingent by air would necessitate multiple RAF Voyager aircraft, underscoring the strategic significance of utilizing civilian ferries for military operations.
