Exercise Joint Warrior
Exercise Joint Warrior | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Military exercise |
Frequency | Bi-annually |
Location(s) | UK Waters |
Country | United Kingdom |
Years active | 78 |
Established | 1946 |
Previous event | JW 22-2 (1–14 October 2022) |
Next event | JW 23-1 (3-16 March 2023) |
Participants | Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, NATO members, others |
Organised by | Joint Training & Exercise Planning Staff |
Sponsor | NATO |
Exercise Joint Warrior is a major biannual multi-national military exercise which takes place in the United Kingdom, predominately in north west Scotland. It is the successor of the Neptune Warrior exercises and Joint Maritime Course.
Joint Warrior is organised by the UK
The exercise aims to provide a multi-threat training environment where participants take part in collective training in preparation for deployment as a
Background
The Joint Maritime Course (JMC) series of exercises started after the
Throughout the
Planning
The exercise is planned and co-ordinated by the Ministry of Defence Joint Training & Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) based in HMNB Portsmouth. Traditionally Exercise Control (EXCON) was based in the Maritime Operations Centre at HMNB Clyde, but since 2022 EXCON has moved to different locations, including RAF St Mawgan and Bodin Lair in Northern Norway.
The Joint Warrior exercises use a common core scenario which is based upon the fragmentation of the fictional ‘Ryanian Empire’ into four nations in the late 1960s, and the intervening period of history up to the present day. A bespoke scenario is then re-written for each Joint Warrior by the JTEPS which includes simulated political and military tensions, resulting in hostilities.[6]
Operations
Although Joint Warrior can utilise the whole of the UK including the surrounding seas and airspace, activity is generally focused off the north and north west of Scotland,
A range of naval operations take place during Joint Warrior, including maritime task force deployment; mine countermeasures; counter-piracy, drugs and insurgency;
Up to 50 vessels have been known to take part, many of which visit UK ports such as
Air
Around 75 aircraft participate in each exercise, representing a wide variety of air power capabilities including fast jets, Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (
Each day of the exercise can see more than 100 sorties flown from various bases in Scotland and around the UK. Regular participants which operate from their home airfields within the UK include,
Foreign as well at UK aircraft forward-deploy to Scottish airfields and those in northern England.
NATO E3A Sentrys based at Geilenkirchen in Germany have also been known to participate.
Land based assets are complemented by ship based helicopters including Merlin, Lynx, Sea King and Wildcat and those of other participant nations.[7] The USS Enterprise carrier battle group took part in JMC 01/2 and JMC 02/4.[13][14]
RAF Lossiemouth
Since the transfer of RAF Kinloss to the British Army in 2012, RAF Lossiemouth, also in Morayshire, is now the primary airfield used as a base by foreign air-arms. The airfield hosts maritime patrol aircraft, with previous exercises having included
The wide variety of aircraft which are deployed to the airfield can result in large numbers of aviation enthusiasts visiting Lossiemouth during Joint Warrior exercises.[15]
RAF Leeming
BAE Systems Hawks of No. 100 Squadron based at RAF Leeming in Yorkshire simulate enemy forces in the aggressor role. The airfield has also hosted fast jets such as French Air Force Dassault Alpha Jets and German Air Force Panavia Tornados.[16][17]
MOD West Freugh
The airfield at
Ground
Ground training utilises the Defence Training Estate, commercial ranges and privately owned land. Aerial assaults take place to recapture airfields and have previously taken place at Castle Kennedy airfield, West Freugh airfield, Salisbury plain training area and Kinloss Barracks.[19] Other locations used include Edingham Castle, near Dalbeattie.[20]
Notable events
- During NW 07/1, two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 Bear aircraft were detected over the Outer Hebrides monitoring the exercise. RAF Tornado F3 fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Leuchars to escort the aircraft from UK airspace.[21]
- Live-fire exercises forming part of JW 08/1 was blamed for causing a heath fire which affected 338 acres (137 ha) of land at Cape Wrath.[22]
- The first firing of an AGM-114 Hellfire missile in the UK took place during JW 12/1 when two Army Air Corps Apaches flying from HMS Illustrious fired on targets in the sea off northern Scotland.[23]
- After suffering a mechanical failure during JW 14/1, an Army Air Corps Apache helicopter made an emergency landing in a field near Maryculter, Aberdeenshire.[24]
Controversy
Concern has been raised by marine conservation charities that military activity associated with Joint Warrior, especially the use of sonar, is adversely affecting marine mammals.
A significant decrease in the sightings of
See also
References
- ^ "Exercise Joint Warrior". Royal Navy.
- ^ "UK deploying 5,250 personnel for Exercise Joint Warrior". bbc.co.uk/news. BBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ^ "Exercise Joint Warrior". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ^ "International forces take part in Exercise Joint Warrior". gov.uk. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ^ "Fighting the battle of Britannica". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ "Joint Warrior exercise off Scotland comes to an end". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Preparations begin for Exercise Joint Warrior". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Royal Navy ready for Joint Warrior". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Warships launch Royal Marines into battle as part of exercise Joint Warrior". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Watch: NATO warships join Norwegian submarine in Aberdeen harbour - Evening Express". Evening Express. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Now, Inverclyde. "NAVY Ships Arrive For Exercise". Inverclyde Now. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "[ARCHIVED CONTENT] UK Government Web Archive – The National Archives - Exercise Joint Warrior". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Royal Navy / National Archives. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Cayless, John. "Getting the Big 'E". www.airsceneuk.org.uk. F4 Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Journalist 3rd Class Jason Thompson, USN (19 June 2004). "Enterprise Carrier Strike Group To Join NATO Exercise". NNS040618-18. USS Enterprise Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hendry, Ben (12 April 2016). "VIDEO: A dozen Nato nations and 3,400 personnel descend on RAF Lossiemouth for training - Press and Journal". Press and Journal. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Air, land and sea forces combine for Exercise Joint Warrior". www.gov.uk. Ministry of Defence. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Allison, George (16 October 2015). "Luftwaffe over Yorkshire again". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Air Assault Training". www.raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ "Joint Warrior tests Army's ability to react". www.army.mod.uk. British Army. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "40 Commando begin year's largest naval exercise". www.royalnavy.gov.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "RAF jets intercept Russian planes". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ "MoD says environment a 'priority'". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Hellfire missile gets first firing in UK". news.bbc.co.uk/news/. BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Apache helicopter grounded in Aberdeenshire takes off". news.bbc.co.uk/news. BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "The Possible Impacts of Military Activity on Cetaceans in West Scotland" (PDF). European Research on Cetaceans. 14. 2000.
- ^ "Whale survey boat shadows Nato exercise Joint Warrior". BBC News. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Campbell, Rita (14 October 2016). "Wildlife research boat surveys Joint Warrior exercise". Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Retrieved 25 October 2016.