Britain and France will lead 2,800 troops from 11 countries in a Poland-based exercise to prepare a multinational force for possible support to Ukraine after hostilities end, the UK Ministry of Defence said Tuesday.
Exercise Koalicja is scheduled for Nov. 9-22. It will be the first major field exercise for the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), the military component of the Coalition of the Willing. The drill will assess the force’s command structure and its ability to coordinate units and logistics.
Any deployment into Ukraine would require hostilities to have ended and a request from the Ukrainian government. The force is intended to help rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces and support safer conditions in the air and at sea. Its stated remit excludes peacekeeping and cease-fire monitoring.
The E5 defense ministers’ Oct. 26 statement said the Coalition would contribute to security guarantees after a cease-fire or peace agreement, a commitment covered in EconoTimes’ earlier report on the ministers’ Ukraine pledge.
Britain will contribute 300 personnel, Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons and a Voyager refueling aircraft. In Istanbul, Türkiye’s forces will rehearse mine-clearance plans for the maritime component, which are intended to help commercial vessels return to Ukrainian ports.
