Poland might have been an age-old training venue of choice for Nato – but with the way world events are currently moving, there is now a tangible feeling of a transformation from exercise zone to operational area.

The war in neighbouring Ukraine has changed perspectives in the last four years. With drones from Russian forces straying across the border and scores of fleeing refugees arriving in country, it is impossible to ignore the close proximity of this conflict.

If the Kremlin’s leadership should ever expand their ambitions towards alliance territory, then the soldiers holding the line at Op Cabrit’s eastern flank would be first to meet the incursion.

And given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it is near-impossible to judge where events might lead.

The latest escalation might be thousands of miles away, but Iran’s hardline theocracy, now under attack from America and Israel, has been a lavish supplier of Shahed one-way drone tech to Vladimir Putin. Issues with oil supply and closure of the Straits of Hormuz in the Gulf have led to concerns over the availability of fuel – and the ramifications of a war well outside of the UK’s remit could yet impact Europe.

Uncertainty, however, has always been par for the course in soldiering – and there has been a calm business as usual for personnel on the ground at the Bemowo Piskie training area, a two-and-a half hour drive from the capital Warsaw.

While the focus of Nato’s Eastern European deterrence mission might squarely be on Estonia, where a battlegroup under British command is leading the charge, UK troops in Poland have been playing an equally critical role.

And the latest personnel on the scene – infanteers from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment – have been making their presence felt in support of the Americans.