Armed forces test readiness to support NATO allies

Hundreds of paratroopers have been mobilising to practise the UK armed forces' response to an emergency war-like scenario.

Exercise Totemic is a week-long operation testing the country's readiness if called upon to support a NATO ally threatened with invasion.

The operation draws from barracks in Woodbridge in Suffolk, Catterick in North Yorkshire, Larkhill in Wiltshire, Thorney Island in West Sussex, and Cawdor Barracks in Pembrokeshire.

However, Merville Barracks in Colchester provides the largest proportion of troops with more than 750 soldiers and 350 vehicles.

This is the first time the Essex base has given media access to the operation, despite it being an annual drill.

The 16 Air Assault Brigade is the British Army's instant response force.

Its commander, Brig Ed Cartwright, 46, was at the barracks overseeing the exercise, which he said applied to both combat and humanitarian missions.

"In this instance... we're deploying elements of the brigade to Estonia to reinforce the first Estonian Brigade in a deterrent role against Russia, so stopping Russia conducting an act of aggression against Estonia."

In a real scenario, the brigade would travel to South Cerney, Gloucestershire, from where it would fly to its destination and deploy.

Brig Cartwright said being "ready" was both a physical and mental thing.

"It's about having your bags packed, your documentation in order. You've had your your jabs, your inoculations, you've had your dental tests in your medical, you're medically fit to deploy."

Maj Aaron Nunkoosing, 37, said: "(The) guys will drop everything, drop what they're doing, wherever they may be."

He said the brigade's speed and efficiency was on display during Operation Pitting in 2021, the evacuation from Kabul.

Maj Nunkoosing said he was looking after his son at the time of the call to join the operation.

"We had to drop everything... put him in a cab with my parents and his stepmother and then that was me on the way to the airport," he said.

"Twenty-four hours later I was in Afghanistan."

L/Cpl Kierin Clark, 28, is in charge of personnel administration.

"With my job, everybody thinks I'm used to sitting by a computer - I'm not," she said.

"We are also known as combat clerks as well, so we operate in the field, whether that's by someone's side or sitting in a command post doing who knows what.

"My step count is around 18,000 a day, so that just shows I'm not just sitting at a computer desk."

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