Getting ready to fight them on the beaches: Royal Marines stage dramatic landing on Scottish shore as they take part in massive joint Nato exercise with over 11,000 troops from 17 countries

Britain’s elite forces are being pushed to their limits in Europe’s biggest NATO military exercise to ensure they are equipped and deployment ready.

Operation Joint Warrior in Dalbeattie, Scotland, involves more than 11,600 military personnel from 17 nations, along with 35 naval units.

The UK’s war chest has been raided as battlefield tech, ships and aircraft are sent in to showcase the nation’s military prowess over two weeks.

Royal Marines have been spotted during a dramatic beach-landing as they dive from RHIB boats and deploy onto the shore in a war zone scenario.

NATO’s bi-annual exercise is running from the 21st April to 4th May and involves forces from the US, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands.

The mission, operating out of Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde and incorporating forces from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, will see action taking place across air, land and sea.

The biannual exercise is designed, planned and delivered by the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) based at Northwood in London who deploy to HM Naval Base Clyde to coordinate events.

A Royal Navy statement said: ‘Over the fortnight participants will be faced with a period of increasing political and military tensions, along with a huge range of realistic military tasks such as: intelligence gathering and reconnaissance; anti-smuggling and counter-terrorism operations; humanitarian assistance and evacuation operations.’ 

Royal Marines move in: Elite forces land on the beach in Dundrennan, Scotland, as NATO’s biggest joint exercise in Europe gets underway

Landing on the beaches: UK war chest raided as soldiers from across NATO arrive in Scotland to take part in war games. The bi-annual exercise is running from the 21st April to 4th May

War simulations in Scotland as armed units surround buildings while testing their capability to go into battle. The exercise involves some 11,600 military personnel

Royal Marines come ashore armed with assault rifles as they take part in Exercise Joint Warrior. The SA80 A2 ACOG capable of firing single rounds or bursts, is the standard Royal Marine weapon

Armed marines masked in camouflage cream simulate a mission in Scotland as they take part in Operation Joint Warrior – the bi-annual NATO exercise designed to put troops to the test

Camo cream covered marines duck behind a hill in Scotland as they are briefed on their mission. Joint exercises are taking place on air, land and sea

Marines jump from RHIB boats manufactured by BAE Systems. The Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats are used for ship-boarding, counter-piracy and counter-narcotics

Exercise Joint Warrior is running from the 21st April to 4th May and involves 35 naval units from across 17 countries within NATO. Royal Marines are pictured entering land in Scotland

The 28 foot long RHIBs are used to transport marines to the land as they embark on a mission under the NATO Joint Warrior exercise. Marines are trained to be ready for rapid deployment at all times

Britain’s marines take part in a NATO exercise as they have the threat of Government cuts looming over their heads. The UK is currently looking to plug a huge defence budget gap

Highly trained commandos, part of the British Royal Navy, emerge from the sea as they are ordered to take part in a simulated war scenario in Scotland. Each marine carries an individual weapon and personal equipment 

A Royal Marine protects his land uniform with a high-tech waterproof bodysuit used when deploying from water to land. Getting his uniform wet will slow him down and cause serious problems on land

Dozens of Marines deploy from water to land in the joint exercises taking place off-Scotland. Ships, aircraft and tanks have been called in for the bi-annual war games

The troops in the coveted green berets must be a minimum height of 151.5cm, and minimum weight of 65kg before being able to apply to join the rigorous training to become a Royal Marine

The exercises are taking place night and day out of Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde. Elite fighting forces perch on a hill in Scotland in low light, aiming for targets as if they were at war

A British marine commando crouches behind a wall with his rifle as troops take part in targeted exercises which are based around current threats. Counter-terrorism is expected to play a large role in the war games

Royal Marines rest on the Dundrennan beach as they wait for orders to move in. Gavin Williamson said the joint exercise makes defence stronger

The troops simulated a dramatic mock-raid in which Marines opened fire in Scotland. Troops from 17 nations are taking part over a course of two weeks

After landing on the coastline the troops are tasked with taking control of the shores and carrying out patrols to regain command of the proposed zone

Marines are tasked with a rapid deployment onto Scottish shores to take over land and secure the shoreline as if they were taking part in a real conflict. The scenario is being monitored by top officers in the forces

A British Marine clutches his assault rifle as troops are brought in to take over an area of Scotland using their naval skills before deploying onto land

Exercises are taking place night and day as troops are securing land in Scotland but the simulation will move over ground as the mission culminates on Salisbury Plain

Fortified areas are involved in the mission as troops are told to regain control of important buildings and secure targets in the Dalbeattie area of Scotland 

A Green Beret holds an assault rifle helps patrol the perimeter of a secured block after marines stormed the area from the nearby coastline

Dramatic images of elite units taking control of besieged buildings in Scotland along with troops from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the US

 

Marines emerge from the freezing water as they clutch rifles and carry rounds – ready for the war on land which has been set-up by NATO chiefs

The Ministry of Defence said the training scenarios would involve counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling activity, information warfare and evacuation operations

A British Marine prepares for mock war as the world’s eyes are on the capability of troops from the UK. The Government is currently reviewing the number of Marines as cash is set to be cut from the budget

Defence secretary Gavin Williamson said Joint Warrior prepares troops ‘in the best way to meet the intensifying threats our country faces by providing a major opportunity to exercise with our allies’

Taking back the beaches: Troops rest on the pebbles as they wait for orders on their deployment on the Scottish shores 

Troops on patrol through enemy territory as Marines are ordered to secure Scottish coast before moving down the country 

Riding in on RHIBS: The boats are typically operated by Special Forces Boat Operators (SFBO) or a RHIB Team from the Maritime Manoeuvre Squadron (MMS)

Marines take aim with their rifles. Marines typically use the SA80 A2 ACOG but carry 9mm pistols for close combat operations, as well as grenades and often The Under-slung Grenade Launcher

 

Marines run onto the shore as their part in the Operation Joint Warrior exercise begins. Over a gruelling two weeks the men and women will be tasked with multiple war-zone simulations 

Marines ride on Offshore Raiding Craft is designed to be used in conflict and anti-piracy missions to protect the personnel onbaord using a gunpoint at the helm of the boat. The 9 meter-long ORC has an aluminium hull with a low enough draft to allow for safe, rapid beach insertions

A pair of Marines wade quickly through water as they head for the coast from the raider RHIBs to make their way towards their allies on the beach 

Top NATO officials and UK forces experts will be watching the performance of the Marines over the 14-day exercise taking place in Scotland 

A camo-covered Marine checks his helmet as his unit is called in to mock-battle ground in Scotland. They will be supported from the air by Apache helicopters in the coming days

Source: Read Full Article