The Hebrides will see elements of a major military exercise when Exercise Joint Warrior gets underway this coming weekend.

Thousands of service personnel from all three branches of the UK military, and personnel from allied and partner nations, will take part in the exercise which is scheduled to begin on 26th March and run on until 6th April.

Exercise activity will include:

• Naval activity focussed off the Western and Northern coasts of Scotland with 35 naval units participating.
• Live firing activity at Cape Wrath weapons range in the North of Scotland as well as GPS denial operations at the Cape and Loch Ewe for limited periods.  Relevant authorities, including aviation and maritime communities, have been consulted and procedures are in place for unforeseen eventualities. 

One of the largest military exercises in Europe, Joint Warrior will see maritime activity from units from Denmark, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. 

The exercise is being co-ordinated by around 430 additional personnel from the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff – or JTEPS – working from HM Naval Base Clyde’s Maritime Operations Centre.

RAF Lossiemouth and HMS Gannet at Prestwick will also host aircraft during the fortnight with around 34 fixed wing and 18 rotary aircraft from France, Germany, the UK and US participating. 

Meanwhile, on land, 16 Air Assault Brigade Headquarters and the associated Battle Group, 2 PARA, will join troops from the Netherlands, Sweden and the US.  

The exercise will provide the UK, allies and partner nations the opportunity to practice the vital skills needed on the modern battlefield.

During the fortnight skills such as maritime task force training, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine counter measures training, maritime security operations, close air support, intelligence gathering, electronic warfare training, and GPS denial operations will all be practiced. 

Exercise Joint Warrior is held twice a year, in the spring and autumn, and participation is open to all NATO allies and partners, providing high quality operational training.

For more information on Exercise Joint Warrior, including notices to mariners and details of GPS denial operations, please visit Queen’s Harbour Master Clyde’s (QHM Clyde) webpage at:  www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/clyde/jw.

Pictured: HMS BLYTH & RAMSAY return to HMNB Clyde after a long deployment in the Gulf. The Sandown Class minesweepers returned to a warm welcome from the whole HMNB Clyde and thier awaiting families.

Last week saw the unveiling of a new memorial in London honouring the service and duty of those who fought in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 800 UK military personnel and civilians died in three wars between 1990 and 2015.

Her Majesty the Queen dedicated the memorial, which also recognises the contribution made by civilians in the conflicts, last Thursday.

Among those present at the ceremony was SSgt Donald Campbell CGC from Iochdar, South Uist, and his wife Amy of Griminish, Benbecula.

A member of 39 Engineer Regiment, SSgt Campbell was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) in March 2008 for his bravery in Afghanistan. Second only to the Victoria Cross, the CGC is a second level military decoration of the British Armed Forces.

SSgt Campbell was awarded his CGC for driving an unarmoured and unprotected piece of plant into an enemy killing zone and was ‘under very intense, accurate fire for a considerable amount of time’.  The then 26 year old moved his front loader vehicle towards the enemy offering a huge and vulnerable target, then, when in position, climbed out of his cab to release the fascine (large bunch of pipes) into the ditch in front of him which allowed the following armoured vehicles to cross.  He refused to seek cover even when bullets, rocket propelled grenades and mortar fire shattered the windows of his cab badly damaging his vehicle, missing him by inches.

Donald grew up in Iochdar, South Uist, while his wife Amy is from Griminish, Benbecula.  Pictured at the memorial unveiling last week, the couple live with their two young children in Forres, but maintain very strong links with the islands.

A group of pupils from Sgoil Lionacleit recently travelled to Inverness to take part in the annual regional celebration of Young Engineer’s and Science clubs in schools across the Highlands and Islands.

The pupils represented Sgoil Lionacleit at the event and showcased the work they have been doing as part of their weekly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) club. They showed off their ‘Rampaging Chariot’ and discussed progress they had made with a variety of projects in electronics, soldering, robotics and coding as well as their entry for the ‘Construct-a-Crane’ competition.

At the event, attended by primary and secondary schools from Moray, Highlands and Western Isles, each group took on a variety of STEM challenges run by a variety of companies to promote STEM in careers.

The pupils worked as a team to solve several problems, but it was with their own crane that they had constructed in the school workshop where the team shone. Having built a crane to enter the competition, the boys managed to score the first perfect score in the regional heats in record time. Sgoil Lionacleit STEM club were crowned the winners of the S1-3 category against serious competition. Having won the regional event and bringing a trophy back to Sgoil Lionacleit, the group are now hoping to build on this success in the national finals in June.

The six pupils from S1 and S3 were accompanied by Mr Fraser, Principal Teacher of Technical and Art, as well as local STEM Ambassador, Howard Manning from QinetiQ, who runs the club with the school.

Photo: Winning pupils (10317 Young Engineers 089) Kyle MacDonald, Stewart MacDonald, Jack McIlwraith, Kenny Ballantyne, Kory Shaw and Asher Kuzma pictured with representatives from Aquascot and Morrison Construction.

Alasdair Allan MSP has said Scotland must now be allowed to choose what kind of country it wants to be. This follows the First Minister’s announcement yesterday (13th March 2017) that she will ask the Scottish Parliament to back the idea of a second independence referendum.

Alasdair Allan said that despite lengthy attempts by the Scottish Government to find compromise, it was now increasingly obvious that the choice was between a Tory hard Brexit and becoming an independent country.

The move comes as the UK Government prepares to trigger ‘Article 50’ and begin the process of leaving the EU.

Alasdair Allan, who is Scotland’s Europe Minister, has said that it has become clear that the UK Government has no intention of respecting Scotland’s 62% vote to remain in the EU.

55% of people in the Western Isles voted to remain in Europe.

Alasdair Allan MSP commented: “Throughout the entire Brexit process to date, the Scottish Government has been consistent in its pursuit of a compromise with the UK Government, putting forward substantial proposals for Scotland to remain in the single market – yet the UK government has rejected these and is pursuing an ever harder line.

“It is within this context, with the UK government intent on pursuing a damaging hard Brexit, and set to trigger Article 50 without communicating with the devolved governments, that it has become ever clearer that the people of Scotland must be offered a choice over our future.

“The Scottish Government will always stand up for Scotland’s interests and we are intent on protecting Scotland’s place in the single market. The people of Scotland deserve to choose, once the terms of Brexit are clear and before it is too late to decide our own path, honouring the manifesto pledge that we were elected on last year.

“Scotland now stands at a crossroads, and we cannot drift along for two years hoping for the best. We face the real prospect of right-wing Tory governments until at least 2030, and being dragged out of the EU and Single Market, with all the damage to our economy and society that will cause.”

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