24 NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2010


INTEROPERABILITY. Horrible word.


concept.


Practice makes per Difficult But there are hundreds of men


and women who can vouch for the principle of international teamwork, having achieved just that off the coast of Scotland. The vehicle for all that co-operation was our old friend Joint Warrior, which this autumn brought together an impressive flotilla of ships as well as air and land assets to provide tactical training which will pay off in less benign scenarios. Less benign? Let’s face it, a ship standing well out to sea off North- West Scotland is unlikely to enjoy smooth conditions, and there were the usual rough seas and high winds to contend with. But the attacks are simulated


so that if you get it wrong you can learn, and make sure you get it right when the bullets are flying for real or the pressure is on, whether in Afghanistan or off the Horn of Africa. The training value of Joint Warrior is enormous.


Individual ships hone their own skills, whether hunting


a


submarine, watching for incoming missiles, bombarding a shore target or simply carrying out a personnel transfer. Battle staff get the opportunity


to control a task group with well- defined objectives. And scores of reservists are brought in to augment the JTEPS (Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff) staff who decamp from Northwood to a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) at Faslane for the


duration of the exercise. Take the UK Maritime Battle Staff, for example.


After 18 months chasing pirates, the team returned to command at sea under the command of Rear Admiral Peter Hudson, the Commander UK Maritime Force and the Royal Navy’s two-star Maritime Component Commander. With a year and a half in charge of Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy mission off Somalia, commanded from Northwood, his return to sea in HMS Ark Royal was the first step on the road to assuming responsibility as NATO’s higher readiness maritime commander in early 2011. Rear Admiral Hudson said:


“Joint Warrior has given the core staff and its augmentees the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to command a task force at sea for the first time since spring 2007.


different countries, including two of NATO’s standing forces, Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). Capt Paul Chivers, Maritime


Battle Staff Chief of Staff, said: “This demonstrated our ability to command multiple subordinate task groups at sea, from sea, in a realistic environment. “The Joint Warrior format has enabled us to practise our battle rhythm and validate the NATO staffs while preparing us for our own validation later in the year.” The battle staff will deploy


later this month to the NATO Joint Warfare Centre in Ulsnes, Norway, to participate in Exercise Steadfast Juno 10, a large-scale war game commanded by the Joint Force HQ Naples. But let’s stick to the cooler climes of Joint Warrior. Some 15 British ships took part


though, and we will continue to refine our processes prior to assuming NATO Readiness Forces duties.” The permanent battle staff of


“This was just the first hurdle


in various stages of the exercise, led by flagship Ark Royal. HM ships York and Monmouth


80 Servicemen and women rises with augmentation to just under 130, with additional bodies from the Royal Naval Reserve, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and New Zealand as well as contingents from the Army and RAF. Capt Richard Allen, Director


JTEPS, said: “This has been the most complex Joint Warrior in many years.”


The multinational force comprised 22 units from ten


provided escort and protection duties, with both peeling off to crash away at the rock of Cape Wrath with their 4.5in guns (see pages 20-21). And as well as the warry stuff there was a chance to practise other maritime skills, such as replenishing at sea. York took that one step further


by undertaking the transfer of a Sea Dart missile while at sea – those in the know think the last time that happened was almost 20 years ago. This particular RAS took place


with one-stop supply ship RFA Fort George in the Minches between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides early one morning.


on their


And just to keep everyone toes, Fort George was


refuelling the German frigate FGS Bremen at the same time. But you would expect the


sailors of York – the Fastest 42 – to be up to scratch in such a situation; the ship’s tight turn- around programme has seen her conducting weapons training in the South Coast Exercise Areas in readiness for a Sea Dart High Seas Firing, as well as slotting into Joint Warrior.


She is in the hands of Flag Officer Sea Training next, followed by pre-deployment maintenance and Christmas leave. So who else did the Navy send


to the big show? The other big hull was RFA


Largs Bay, while T-boats Triumph and Turbulent harried the flotilla, with


the help


submarine HNoMS Ula. The minehunting


of Norwegian element


consisted of HM ships Shoreham, Walney, Brocklesby, Cattistock, Ledbury and Penzance,


while


HMS Echo and Archer-class HMS Biter completed the picture. Indeed, Echo was a good example of the way units are stretched beyond their normal role – on this exercise, in “challenging” conditions, the survey ship not only provided her usual stream of useful data for the task group, but also provided a launch platform for Royal Marines beach landings and air protection for Largs Bay. For the record, the other ships taking part were: HS Themistocles (Greece),


ITS Aviere (Italy),


HNLMS De Zeven Provincien and Zierikzee (Netherlands), TCG Barbaros


(Turkey), US


ships Bainbridge, Stout and Nitze, and USNS Leroy Grumman (United States), HDMS Absalon (Denmark), ORPs Kontradmiral X Czernicki and Mewa (Poland), FGS Rottweil (Germany), BNS Crocus (Belgium), Hinnøy


(Norway) and


HNoMS EML


Admiral Cowan (Estonia). Air power came in the form of


British Tornados, Hawks, Merlins, Lynx, Apaches, AWACs Sentry and Pumas, while the Swedes, Germans, Norwegians, Canadians and Americans chipped in with Gripen, F15s, Orions and Auroras. The complex scenario upon which Joint Warrior is based involves a territorial dispute between the two main protagonists, Caledonia and Dragonia, with the


Joint Warrior task group


deployed to the fictional Wallian Archipelago to defuse tensions and bring stability. Virtually every military skill could be found at some point, including electronic warfare, close air support,


reconnaissance and surveillance. But once again it is not just the


combatants who benefit from this sprawling, complicated two-week exercise. Logisticians are part of the


scenario, but also need to ensure ships


are supplied, personnel


transferred and other assets placed where they are needed, when they are needed – teams deploy to


● Clockwise from top left: HDMS Absalon arrives on the Clyde; HMS York transfers a Sea Dart missile from RFA Fort George; HMS Ark Royal replenishes at sea with RFA Fort George; HNoMS Ula leaves Faslane for the exercise; Ark Royal’s 20mm gun is used to take on an attacking Hawk aircraft; Ark Royal alongside at Faslane; Ark Royal replenishes from Fort George; Ark Royal off the coast of Scotland during Joint Warrior; USS Bainbridge arrives on the Clyde


Pictures: PO(Phot) Ray Jones and LA(Phot) Abbie Gadd (Ark Royal); LA(Phot) AJ MacLeod (Clyde Naval Base); LS(EW) ‘Joe’ Fraser (HMS York)


joint firing,


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