Britain’s statement on JEF nuclear umbrella sparks debate in Estonia — ERR News
Estonia is discussing a statement by the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom, Gwyn Jenkins, about a so-called nuclear umbrella for partners in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). Experts surveyed by ERR News believe that the statement does not mean separate new security guarantees, while conventional military capabilities are of key importance for the region.
Nuclear policy without new guarantees
The JEF is a UK-led defense cooperation format for Nordic and Baltic countries. One of its main tasks is to strengthen deterrence in the Baltic region. Joint crisis-response measures complement NATO, and the JEF is intended to be a first-response force in the event of a threat. The United Kingdom is the only nuclear power among the format’s ten participants.
Jenkins previously told the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti that the JEF offers its partners a nuclear umbrella. At the same time, security expert Meelis Oidsalu noted that Britain is not changing its nuclear policy. According to him, British doctrine already provides for the protection of NATO allies and does not stipulate that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty must necessarily be invoked for this purpose.
Questions over conventional forces
Oidsalu stressed that the threshold for using nuclear weapons in a war of attrition or a limited war to seize territory is very high. In his view, the United Kingdom should pay more attention to developing conventional land and naval capabilities, including in the area of unmanned systems.
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Reserve Major General Neeme Väli also stated that Britain’s shortage of military resources has already affected plans for deploying forces in Estonia. According to him, plans for stationing a British brigade changed only a few months ago: initially, it concerned an armored brigade, but other capabilities are now being discussed.
Former Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur called for British capabilities not to be underestimated. There are currently 900 British servicemen in Estonia, and the next contingent, which will arrive next year, will be approximately 300 personnel larger. The deployment of British ground forces in Estonia for several years has been the United Kingdom’s largest anywhere in the world.
Last month, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal also said that the country is holding talks with France on joining its enhanced nuclear deterrence initiative.
