Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the manpower requirements that will be required for the UK's enhanced forward presence in Estonia.

The requirement for the UK's enhanced Forward Presence is based on capabilities, not personnel numbers. As agreed at the NATO summit in Madrid, the UK has pledged a number of contributions to enhance our enduring commitment to Estonia. The UK's future force posture in Estonia will be comprised of a rotational permanent Battlegroup, an enhanced Headquarters, and surge deployments of additional personnel and capabilities throughout the year, including on exercise SPRING STORM in May. As the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup is a rotational deployment, the number of people associated with the tasking will increase and decrease throughout the year. It is currently comprised of 994 UK personnel, and will rise to c.1020 when the Battlegroup rotates in March. Our eFP HQ will be enhanced in 2023, bringing the total number of personnel deployed in the HQ to around 35. In addition to the Force Elements deployed forward to Estonia, the UK will hold the balance of a brigade at high readiness in the UK, ready to reinforce in the region as required by SACEUR.