Defender Europe 20 involves the participation of allies and partners from 18 countries, and support objectives defined by NATO to build readiness within the alliance and deter potential adversaries. The exercise is defensive in nature and designed to build readiness.

This deployment forms part enablement of the largest deployment of US-based Army forces to Europe for an exercise in the last 25 years. The ability to rapidly surge combat ready forces into and across Europe is critical to projecting forces at a moment’s notice to support the alliance and respond to crisis. The UK stands ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with its NATO allies and partners and its commitment to European security is unconditional. The transatlantic bond has made NATO the strongest alliance in world history.