Britain will send thousands of troops to Eastern Europe over the next 15 months as part of a significant push by Nato to bolster its eastern flank after Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The head of the alliance said the plan, the most significant shift in posture by Nato since the end of the Cold War, sent a clear message to Moscow.
“We are strong and determined to take all steps necessary to provide effective protection and defence of our allies,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting of Nato leaders at a summit in Wales.
Russia immediately responded to the announcement by accusing Nato of using Ukraine as an excuse to increase the presence of its forces in the east.
The Nato secretary-general dismissed the suggestion: “All this has been provoked by Russia’s illegal military actions in Ukraine. This is... why we have to take necessary steps to provide effective defence of our eastern allies.”
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As part of a host of measures, Britain will send a total of 3,500 soldiers, airmen, sailors and Royal Marines to the Baltic and Poland between now and the end of 2015 to take part in various different military exercises as well as an air-policing mission, involving fighter jets.
David Cameron, who hosted the two-day summit at Celtic Manor, said that he would also allocate 1,000 combat-ready troops to play a leading role in a new, emergency Nato force of up to 5,000 military personnel, supported by aircraft, ships and special forces.
The high-readiness force, to be headquartered in Poland, will be on 48-hour notice to move in the event of a crisis, such as any attempt by President Putin to threaten Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia, all Nato members with minority, Russian-speaking populations that have been unnerved by events in Ukraine.
“No one will leave here with any doubt that our collective security is as strong as it has ever been,” Mr Cameron said, speaking at the close of the summit. “The alliance is firmly committed to providing ongoing reassurance to our eastern allies.”
All 28 member states agreed to adopt the so-called readiness action plan, which will create the new, high-readiness “spearhead” force that could be partly operational within months.
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Other measures included the expansion and improvement of a number of military bases across the Baltic, Poland and Romania as well as moving weapons, ammunition and other pieces of military equipment to its eastern front.
This would enable troops to be flown in at short notice and be immediately ready to fight. There is also discussion about placing a missile defence capability in the Baltic to protect countries from any Russian threat from the skies.
Such a move would be particularly provocative for Russia, which has opposed any kind of Nato missile defence shield close to its border.
In reality, Britain’s contribution of 3,500 military personnel to the reassurance effort means an increase in short training exercises involving British forces in the east of Europe. In addition, Britain will continue to contribute to a rotating mission by Nato to police the skies above the Baltic, on the lookout for Russian planes.
Britain has already pledged to send 1,350 military personnel to take part in a training exercise in Poland next month, a number that was included in the 3,500-figure cited by Mr Cameron.
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The British government is desperate to send a strong signal to other allies, such as Germany, Spain, Italy and France, to contribute more troops to the reassurance mission.
The alliance has had to strike a difficult balancing act between adopting new measures to demonstrate a tough stance towards Russia, while at the same time stopping short of establishing permanent bases in the Baltic.