UK forces join mass Europe exercise
More than 5,000 members of the armed forces are to take part in what is planned to be the largest military exercise in Europe this year.
Service personnel will be tested on land, at sea and in the air as part of the operation, dubbed Exercise Joint Warrior, which will take place in locations across the UK this month.
Some 5,250 UK military personnel will make up nearly 13,000 from nine countries in the exercise, which aims to test and improve the way that the Royal Navy, Army and RAF work together and with their counterparts from allied nations.
Joint Warrior, which takes place twice a year, will run from Monday April 15 until April 29 in locations across the UK.
It will include a range of exercises, including an airborne air assault and amphibious landings supported by helicopters; training for security and counter-insurgency tasks; and maritime operations, including counter-piracy, with 49 ships from the Royal Navy, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia and other allies.
It will also involve up to 40 fixed-wing aircraft, including RAF Tornados and Typhoons alongside Rafael and Super Etendard from the French carrier air group, as well as maritime patrol aircraft from partner nations such as the USA, Brazil and Canada.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Exercises of this type ensure that our armed forces are prepared to meet any challenge.
"They give us the chance to test the way the different services and different nations work together, something that is vital in a multilateral world."
Exercise Joint Warrior, co-ordinated by a core team of Royal Navy and RAF personnel who make up the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS), will involve a number of scenarios to test capabilities including counter-terrorism, counter-smuggling, counter-piracy and interstate warfare.
