Key facts
- About 2,800 troops from 11 nations are taking part in Exercise Koalicja in Poland, running from Nov. 9 to Nov. 22.
- The drill tests command and control, troop and equipment movement, and cooperation within the multinational force.
- Turkish forces are practicing Black Sea demining to enable commercial shipping to and from Ukrainian ports.
- Allied jets are training to secure Ukraine's skies for commercial air travel, according to the account.
- The British government said the force would deploy only at Kyiv's request and after the war ends.
A British and French-led multinational coalition began its first major exercise in Poland on Nov. 9, drilling for a deployment to Ukraine after the active phase of Russia's war ends. About 2,800 troops from 11 nations are taking part in Exercise Koalicja, which runs to Nov. 22 and is meant to test the coalition's readiness to support Ukraine and help rebuild its forces.
The force operates under the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U) framework, described as the military wing of the coalition of the willing. Besides France and the U.K., participating nations are Poland, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. The drill covers command and control, the movement of troops and equipment, and cooperation within the multinational force.
Turkish forces will practice demining in the Black Sea to enable commercial shipping to and from Ukrainian ports, and allied jets will train to secure Ukraine's skies for commercial air travel, according to the account. Once deployed, the force is to support Ukraine's security on land, in the air and at sea as part of Europe's post-war security guarantees intended to deter future Russian aggression.
U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said in a Nov. 3 press release that the exercise showed the U.K. stepping up alongside France and allies. "This isn't a hypothetical plan, it's a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops," he said.
The British government said the force would deploy in Ukraine only at Kyiv's request and after the war ends. It would not carry out peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring duties, but would support Ukraine's own military by enabling safer Ukrainian skies and seas and regenerating Ukrainian forces.