Forces will unite in simulation of modern conflicts

EXERCISE Joint Warrior is a UK-wide operation based at Faslane. It is planned by the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff, based in London, but during the exercise staff are deployed to an operations centre at the Navy base on the Clyde.

In all, 21 warships, headed by the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, are taking part, along with five submarines and 50 aircraft, flying 75 sorties per day.

Much of the activity centres on the west coast, the waters around the Western Isles and Cape Wrath in north west Sutherland, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence.

The exercise features a broad range of crisis and conflict scenarios, including counter-insurgency, state-sponsored terrorism, counter-narcotics and state-on-state conflict, all designed to train military personnel on land, sea and air in the varied skills required of the modern armed forces.

The operations include aircraft flying from varied locations, both on land and at sea, to combine into one force; Nimrods and multinational Maritime Patrol Aircraft combining to take part in anti-submarine warfare and surveillance and reconnaissance missions and testing of live weapons at test ranges.