A cross-party group of 12 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) learned more about Europe’s largest military exercise when they visited HM Naval Base Clyde…
The purpose of the visit was to help MSPs to better understand the range of social and welfare issues relevant to Scots-based armed forces personnel, and their families.
Launched by the Parliament’s Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh MSP and the Ministry of Defence in April 2017, the Armed Forces Visit Programme has already had successful fact-finding visits to the Army’s Glencorse Barracks, Penicuik, RAF Lossiemouth, Moray and Royal Marine Condor, Arbroath.
The MSPs found out how HMNB Clyde and military training areas across Scotland are used by the Royal Navy, Army and RAF to train together across air, land, sea and cyber domains, practicing “high-end” war-fighting between near-peer adversaries.
The Joint Warrior training scenarios involve multiple sovereign nations disputing resources and territories; counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling activity; information warfare; and evacuation operations. This year it is running from 21 April until 4 May.
The group also found out more about the developments at HMNB Clyde which will see it be the sole home of the UK Submarine Service from 2020 and their visit included time in a submarine control room simulator.
