Europe
Coalition of the Willing: first major exercise in Poland, Koalicja, with 2,800 troops from 11 countries
Britain and France announced that the exercise Koalicja will take place in Poland from November 9 to 22, the first major exercise of the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), with 2,800 troops from 11 countries including Turkey.
The Coalition of the Willing is moving for the first time from plans to the field. Britain and France announced on Tuesday, November 3, that from November 9 to 22 the exercise Koalicja (“Coalition” in Polish) will be held in Poland, the first major exercise of the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U). This is the military arm of the 37-country format preparing security guarantees for Kyiv in case fighting with Russia stops.
The drills will take place near Nowa Dęba in south-eastern Poland, about 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. In total 2,800 troops from 11 countries will train on land, in the air and at sea: Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Poland’s Defence Ministry told state agency PAP that a further 2,000 Polish soldiers will take part, and a Ukrainian military delegation will be there as an observer. NATO has been informed but is not directly involved.
Who sends what to Nowa Dęba
France sends the largest force, with about 1,100 troops. Britain takes part with 300 personnel. Soldiers of the British Army’s 7th Brigade, the “Desert Rats”, will practise the critical movements of personnel and supplies. RAF Typhoon fighters and a Voyager tanker will fly over the field, simulating how they could inspire confidence in commercial flights once Ukraine’s airspace reopens. Turkey will set up in Istanbul the naval component of the force, centred on mine clearance so that commercial shipping can safely return to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
The programme includes tests of the command and control structure, movement of troops and equipment through Europe, as well as air-defence and counter-drone operations. AFP writes that mainly light equipment will be used, with drones instead of tanks and heavy weapons. The exercise is overseen by French General Armel Dirou and British Lieutenant General Tom Bateman, commander of MNF-U, whose headquarters will move from Paris to London during the year. The US is not taking part with troops.
“This is not a hypothetical plan, it is a real force, ready to help Ukraine as soon as the fighting stops,” British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. The force would enter Ukraine only after hostilities cease and if Kyiv requests it, and Bateman made clear it will have no peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring role. “It is not designed for offensive operations. Its purpose is to reassure and to support the regeneration of the Ukrainian armed forces, strengthening their ability to deter and, if necessary, defend against future Russian aggression,” he said.
“A military operation in search of a mission”
The exercise takes place without a ceasefire and while Moscow remains opposed to any Western troop presence on Ukrainian soil. Vladimir Putin said last year that foreign soldiers in Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets”. On Monday, November 2, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced a new round of trilateral Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11.
Some analysts express reservations. Ed Arnold, a senior fellow at the UK’s RUSI, told the Associated Press that the chances of the force ever being deployed in Ukraine are almost nil, calling it a “military operation in search of a mission”. In his view any deployment would have to be a combat force able to protect itself. Next year’s French presidential election is also an open question, since Marine Le Pen, seen as the favourite, opposes sending troops to Ukraine, as does Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party.
