British Army STDT25 Trench Clearing in Romania

Soldiers from 4 SCOTS engaging targets outside the trenches during live firing tactic training (LFTT) on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Cpl Aaron J Stone]

British Army troops from 4 SCOTS conducted trench clearing live fire and night training at Smârdan Camp in Romania during Exercise STDT25.

During Exercise STDT25 (STEADFAST DART 2025) in Romania in February troops from 4 SCOTS (4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) conducted trench clearing live fire and night training at Smârdan Camp, Romania.

17 Port & Maritime Regiment soldiers unload British Army Mastiffs from MV Eddystone at the port of Alexandroúpoli in Greece [Crown Copyright: Sgt Sam Terry]

UK service personnel from the 6th Regiment Royal Logistics Corps and the 2 Rifles – Light Infantry Battalion, arrived at, and moved from, the port of Alexandroúpoli in Greece to training areas throughout Romania, during the Strategic Deployment portion of NATO Exercise STEADFAST DART 2025. Alexandroúpoli Air and Sea Ports of Departure (A/SPOD) served as a strategic location to demonstrate deployment capabilities and interoperability between participating nations. Concurrently, a second UK contingent shipped to Emden in Germany travelled overland to Romania.

¤ A soldier from 4 SCOTS delivers a capability brief on the Foxhound armoured vehicle to Greek soldiers attached to the STDT25 battle group [Crown Copyright: Cpl Aaron J Stone]
¤ A Greek Army captain checks his British counterpart’s EOD equipment on STDT25 25
[Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]

¤ 4 SCOTS Foxhound vehicles on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]
¤ Romanian Army T-55AM tanks on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]

¤ A camouflaged artillery position (L118 105mm, Light Gun) on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Cpl Daryll Knott]
¤ Royal Artillery gunners manning an L118 105mm Light Gun on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]
¤ L118 105mm Light Gun fires from a camouflaged position on STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Cpl Daryll Knott]

¤ Soldiers from 4 SCOTS Mortar Platoon in action during STDT25 [Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]
¤ Soldiers from 12 Regiment RA manning a Starstreak LML surface-to-air missile system on STDT25
[Crown Copyright: Sgt Anil Gurung]

Exercise STEADFAST DART 2025 was intended to test and train the operational deployment of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) to NATO Vigilance Area South-East, focusing on the planning and execution of a pre-crisis multi-domain activity that aims to reinforce the Allied forces located in Romania and Bulgaria. Throughout January and February 2025, personnel and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Türkiye and the United Kingdom have manoeuvred to NATO’s eastern flank via road, sea and air. This included over 17 naval assets, 20 aircraft, 1,500 military vehicles and 10,000 personnel – making it the largest NATO exercise of 2025.