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58-755: Exercise Joint Warrior is a major biannual multi-national military exercise which takes place in the United Kingdom , predominately in north west Scotland . It is the successor of the Neptune Warrior exercises and Joint Maritime Course . Joint Warrior is organised by the British Ministry of Defence and is Europe's largest military exercise and can involve up to 13,000 military personnel, from all three British Armed Forces , NATO and other allied countries. Up to 50 naval vessels, 75 aircraft and numerous ground-based units participate in

116-564: A Combined Joint Task Force . Joint Warrior also provides a package of training to each participating unit which concentrates on its specialist role, but set within a larger war scenario. The Joint Maritime Course (JMC) series of exercises started after the Second World War in order to improve co-operation between the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force in anti-submarine warfare . More recently, JMC exercises took place three times

174-605: A Ministry of Defence check-point blocks access to the cape during live firing exercises. It passes the farmsteads of Daill and Inshore, where the MoD uses the remaining house, before a track to the right links the road to the old hamlet of Kearvaig, where there is a beach and Kearvaig House which the Mountain Bothies Association have converted into a bothy . Margaret Davies, a walker, was found there dying of starvation in 2002. A minibus service operates along

232-414: A common term, adopted in many languages, especially in intellectual and institutional circles, for the anniversary of the founding ("legal or statutory birth") of an institution, such as an alma mater (college or other school). In ancient Rome, the [dies] Aquilae natalis was the "birthday of the eagle", the anniversary of the official founding of a legion. Anniversaries of nations are usually marked by

290-415: A quarter" ( de means "from"; quadrans means "quarter"). Thus for the example of 175 years, the term is a quarter century less than the next whole (bi)century or 175 = (−25 + 200). In Latin, it seems that this rule did not apply precisely for 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 . While secundus is Latin for "second", and bis for "twice", these terms are not used such as in sesqui-secundus. Instead sesqui (or ses )

348-571: A signal station to track shipping around the Cape. This closed in 1932, although the buildings were reused at the start of World War II as a coastguard station. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) owns a 59 km (23 sq mi) area of the cape, known as the Cape Wrath Training Centre. The cape was used for training exercises from the early years of the 20th century, with the first by-laws established in 1933 to allow use of

406-521: A target for a range of training operations. It is the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where NATO forces combine land, air and sea capabilities in assault mode for training manoeuvres, deploying ordnance up to 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs. Firing on the range is controlled from Faraid Head close to Balnakeil . In 2008 a heath fire was caused on the range during a period of live firing. An area of around 137 ha (340 acres)

464-460: A typical exercise. Operations include airborne assaults , amphibious landings and training in counter-insurgency , counter-piracy and interstate war. Live-fire exercises take place on various weapons ranges. Joint Warrior exercises take place in the spring and autumn and have a duration of two weeks. The exercise aims to provide a multi-threat training environment where participants take part in collective training in preparation for deployment as

522-701: A wide diversity of wildlife, including red deer , hooded crow , rock pipit , golden eagle , cormorant and gannet . An area of 1,019.2 hectares ( 2,518 + 1 ⁄ 2 acres) is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The cliffs around the cape are an internationally important nesting site for over 50000 seabirds, including colonies of puffin Fratercula arctica , razorbill Alca torda , guillemot Uria aalge , kittiwake Rissa tridactyla and fulmar Fulmarus glacialis . The SPA extends 2 km ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi) out to sea and includes

580-405: A wide range of habitats are present. These include cliff-top sand dunes at the cape itself as well as montane habitats found at sea level. An area of 123 km (47 sq mi) around the coastline is designated as a Special Landscape Area . This area extends from Oldshoremore in the south-west to Durness in the east and includes the entire coastline of the cape area. Just offshore

638-476: A year, in spring, summer and winter. In 2006 the exercise was re-branded as Neptune Warrior and in 2007 was reduced to two events per year. In 2008 the Joint Warrior name was introduced to reflect the increasing involvement of all three military branches. Each exercise is identified by the last two digits of the year it takes place and a number 1 or 2 depending on whether it is the first or second exercise of

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696-401: Is Stac Clò Kearvaig, also known as "The Cathedral" due to the appearance of two spires and a natural window created by erosion. To the east lies Garvie Island (An Garbh-eilean), one of the main targets for live firing by the military. Inland the landscape is primarily covered in peat and is often boggy with difficult terrain and a number of lochans , the largest of which, Loch Airigh na Beinne,

754-454: Is around 0.6 square kilometres ( 1 ⁄ 4  sq mi) in area. The area has been described as one of the few coastal wildernesses in Britain. Plant species include heather Calluna vulgaris , juniper Juniperus communis and ferns. The lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was staffed until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by

812-532: Is based upon the fragmentation of the fictional ‘Ryanian Empire’ into four nations in the late 1960s, and the intervening period of history up to the present day. A bespoke scenario is then re-written for each Joint Warrior by the JTEPS which includes simulated political and military tensions, resulting in hostilities. Although Joint Warrior can utilise the whole of the UK including the surrounding seas and airspace, activity

870-606: Is comparable to those recorded in Shetland , the Hebrides and the Scilly Isles of England. A slight föhn effect can also occur with the right angle of southerly winds, exemplified by the record December high of 17.7 °C (63.9 °F). Strong winds can be a feature of weather conditions at the cape, with gusts of 140 mph (230 km/h) recorded. Because its landscape is largely untouched by man, Cape Wrath has

928-473: Is especially pronounced due to its western coastal location. Its exposed northerly position can give rise to some exceptionally low winter sunshine levels: in January 1983 it recorded just 38 minutes of sunshine, a record low for Scotland. This exposed position, however, also means severe frost is rare compared to inland locations such as Altnaharra or Kinbrace . The record low of −6.9 °C (19.6 °F)

986-871: Is generally focused off the north and north west of Scotland, Irish Sea and Moray Firth , where a freedom to manoeuvre in both deep and shallow water, a limited civilian population and low air and sea traffic provides ideal training conditions. The close proximity of air and sea weapons ranges such as Cape Wrath , Tain and Spadeadam is also beneficial. A range of naval operations take place during Joint Warrior, including maritime task force deployment; mine countermeasures; counter-piracy, drugs and insurgency; electronic warfare , anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare , logistics and support training and air-land integration and air maritime integration. In order to replicate real-world operations as closely as possible, global positioning system (GPS) jamming takes place within remote areas. Prior to jamming taking place, consultation

1044-680: Is held each year as the final event of a week of races, the Cape Wrath Challenge . The sole inhabitants of the Cape are the Ure family, renting the main building. They converted it into a three-bedroomed home, and opened what is claimed to be Britain's most remote cafe, the Ozone Cafe , in 2009. The cafe was opened by the Princess Royal , and seats eight people. The Durness Development Group has made proposals, assisted by

1102-465: Is located in the traditional county of Sutherland within Highland Region . Durness is the closest village, 10 mi (16 km) southeast with Inverness around 120 mi (200 km) to the south. The sea cliffs around the cape are composed of Torridonian sandstone and Lewisian gneiss . These rise to 281 m (922 ft) above sea level and include the highest sea cliffs on

1160-572: Is marked with milestones and crosses the Allt na Guaille and Kearvaig River on contemporary arched bridges. The original slipway on the Kyle of Durness was built north of Daill with an associated storehouse similar to that at Clais Charnach. This was linked by a rough track with the road being extended south the slipway at Ferry House during the 1830s. The road, the U70, passes the hamlet of Achiemore where

1218-731: Is planned and co-ordinated by the Ministry of Defence Joint Training & Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) based in HMNB Portsmouth . Traditionally Exercise Control (EXCON) was based in the Maritime Operations Centre at HMNB Clyde , but since 2022 EXCON has moved to different locations, including RAF St Mawgan and Bodin Lair in Northern Norway . The Joint Warrior exercises use a common core scenario which

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1276-564: Is undertaken with aviation and maritime communities to ensure disruption to civilians is minimised. Aerial and amphibious landings carried out by marines, typically occur at Luce Bay in Galloway and are launched from helicopter carriers and amphibious assault ships which aim to get as close to shore as possible without detection. Up to 50 vessels have been known to take part, many of which visit UK ports such as Aberdeen , Port Glasgow , Greenock and Faslane (HMNB Clyde) before and after

1334-430: Is used as a military training area, including as live firing range. Areas of it are also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest , a Special Protection Area , a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Landscape Area . The name Cape Wrath is derived from Old Norse hvarf ("turning point"), accordingly, wrath is pronounced / ˈ r æ θ / ( a as in cat ), Vikings are believed to have used

1392-605: Is used by itself. Many anniversaries have special names. Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home by Emily Post , published in 1922, contained suggestions for wedding anniversary gifts for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, and 75 years. Wedding anniversary gift suggestions for other years were added in later editions and publications; they now comprise what is referred to as the "traditional" list. Generally speaking,

1450-416: Is usually open for public access during the summer period and there is rarely firing on Sundays. The MoD owns a number of the surviving buildings in the area and operates observation posts and sentry posts during training. It is used for naval gunfire practice and for army artillery and mortar range firing. Disused military vehicles are often used as targets. The RAF uses An Garbh-eilean (Garvie Island) as

1508-586: The Balkans , the Gulf and Afghanistan . Prior to the current core scenario, exercises were based on a civil war which broke out in Britannica in 1972, with the country then splitting into five smaller nations ( Brownia , Mustardia , Cyanica , Ginger and Emeraldia ). In order to represent the threat posed by al-Qaeda , the fictional terrorist group an-Quaich was introduced to exercises in 2003. The exercise

1566-595: The Defence Training Estate , commercial ranges and privately owned land. Aerial assaults take place to recapture airfields and have previously taken place at Castle Kennedy airfield, West Freugh airfield , Salisbury Plain Training Area and Kinloss Barracks . Other locations used include Edingham Castle , near Dalbeattie . Concern has been raised by marine conservation charities that military activity associated with Joint Warrior, especially

1624-461: The Highlands and Islands Social Enterprise Zone , to develop Cape Wrath as a visitor location. These may see the number of visitors rise to 10,000 and facilities at the Cape developed. From the south, the only route to the Cape is on foot from Sandwood Bay and Kinlochbervie . Access is restricted at times by military operations on the Cape. A rough road of around 11 mi (18 km) links

1682-510: The Northern Lighthouse Board . The lighthouse, which is a Category A listed building , is a 20 m (66 ft) tall white-washed tower built of granite with a single storey semi-circular base building. The light, which is 122 m (400 ft) above sea level, is visible for 22 nautical miles (41 kilometres). A complex of buildings close to the lighthouse were built by Lloyd's of London between 1894 and 1903 as

1740-536: The aggressor role . The airfield has also hosted fast jets such as French Air Force Dassault Alpha Jets and German Air Force Panavia Tornados . The airfield at MOD West Freugh in Dumfries and Galloway was temporarily re-activated by the RAF's Tactical Supply Wing during JW 14/1. Forward arming and refuelling facilities were established to support the helicopters of 16 Air Assault Brigade . Ground training utilises

1798-451: The date of independence of the nation or the adoption of a new constitution or form of government. There is no definite method for determining the date of establishment of an institution, and it is generally decided within the institution by convention . The important dates in a sitting monarch's reign may also be commemorated, an event often referred to as a "jubilee". The Latin phrase dies natalis (literally "birth day") has become

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1856-410: The 18th century. The Cape has few archaeological remains which can be dated to earlier than this, although a promontory fort at Eilean nan Caorach to the east of the headland may date to the late prehistoric age. Much of the area has been used for sheep grazing, a use which continues today, and shielings , shelters built for shepherds, can be found across the Cape. The area declined in population in

1914-704: The British mainland at Clò Mòr around 4 mi (6.4 km) to the east of the headland. Sea stacks , such as Stac an Dùnain at the cape itself and Stac Clò Kearvaig to the east, rise out of the sea off the coastline, with Duslic, a reef, 5 ⁄ 8  mi (1.0 km) north of the cape. The cape is part of the North West Highlands Geopark , a 2,000 km (770 sq mi) area with UNESCO geopark status. Crofting townships of two or three houses with associated enclosures existed at Daill, Achiemore , Kearvaig and Inshore into

1972-500: The English words inch and ounce ) and from 9 ⁄ 12 to 11 ⁄ 12 they were expressed as multiple twelfths less than the next whole unit—i.e. a whole unit less 3 ⁄ 12 , 2 ⁄ 12 or 1 ⁄ 12 respectively. There were also special terms for quarter ( quadrans ), half ( semis ), and three-quarters ( dodrans ). Dodrans is a Latin contraction of de-quadrans which means "a whole unit less

2030-460: The Latin word(s) for the respective number of years. When anniversaries relate to fractions of centuries (125, 150, 175, 225, 250, 275 years—i.e. 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.25, 2.5, and 2.75 centuries), the situation is not as simple. Roman fractions were based on a duodecimal system . From 1 ⁄ 12 to 8 ⁄ 12 they were expressed as multiples of twelfths ( uncia "twelfth"; the source of

2088-522: The airfield have included Royal Navy Westland Sea Kings in the airborne early warning role and United States Air Force Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawks used for combat search and rescue . The wide variety of aircraft which are deployed to the airfield can result in large numbers of aviation enthusiasts visiting Lossiemouth during Joint Warrior exercises. BAE Systems Hawks of No. 100 Squadron based at RAF Leeming in Yorkshire simulate enemy forces in

2146-441: The airfield, such as French Dassault Mirage 2000Ns and Dassault Rafales during NW 07/2, Swedish SAAB Gripens during JW 14/2 and Portuguese General Dynamics F-16 Falcons during JW 16/2. Lossiemouth has also been home to civilian-registered Dassault Falcon 20s of Cobham Aviation which operate alongside Royal Navy 736 Squadron BAE Systems Hawks in the simulated ship-attack role. Rotary wing aircraft which have operated from

2204-524: The area as a firing range. The area was used originally as a naval gunnery range and was bought by the MoD in 1999. Since 2005 the area has been used as a multi-services training area and is one of the sites used in the Joint Warrior exercises, Europe's largest military exercise, and by other NATO operations. Training is allowed on up to 120 days a year, usually taking place in the spring and autumn, although times can be unpredictable. The range

2262-515: The cape as a navigation point where they would turn their ships. Cape Wrath was once the home of a series of small crofting communities, although by 1845 the only families remaining on the Parph were those of shepherds. In the 1930s it supported a population of 30 to 40 people, including a small side school at Achiemore which had up to ten pupils in the 1930s but closed in 1947. Building remains at locations such as Kearvaig have been dated to

2320-571: The day of the week, month, or astrological sign corresponding to the recipient's birthday . Cape Wrath Cape Wrath / ˈ r æ θ / ( Scottish Gaelic : Am Parbh , known as An Carbh in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in Great Britain. The cape is separated from

2378-511: The economy of the local area around Durness. The Cape is the northern trail head of two trails. Cape Wrath is also the turning point for the Cape Wrath Marathon. It runs for 11 mi (18 km) to the lighthouse and the same distance back to the ferry dock on the Cape side. The final 4 mi (6.5 km) leg of the race is run from the mainland side from the ferry dock and finishes at Durness Community Centre. The marathon

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2436-1019: The exercise can see more than 100 sorties flown from various bases in Scotland and around the UK. Regular participants which operate from their home airfields within the UK include, Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth ; C-130 Hercules and Voyagers based at RAF Brize Norton ; E-3D Sentrys and Sentinel R1s based at RAF Waddington and United States Air Force F-15 Eagles from RAF Lakenheath . Foreign as well at UK aircraft forward-deploy to Scottish airfields and those in northern England. NATO E-3A Sentrys based at Geilenkirchen air base in Germany have also been known to participate. Land based assets are complemented by ship based helicopters including Merlin , Lynx , Sea King and Wildcat and those of other participant nations. The USS  Enterprise carrier battle group took part in JMC 01/2 and JMC 02/4. Since

2494-479: The exercises. For navies who do not regularly participate in Joint Warrior, a period of formal Operational Sea Training is normally required prior to the exercise. Around 75 aircraft participate in each exercise, representing a wide variety of air power capabilities including fast jets, Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance ( ISTAR ), Maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), Command and Control (C2) and attack and support helicopters. Each day of

2552-451: The land using community right to buy legislation and a petition opposing the sale attracted thousands of signatures. In May 2013, the MoD announced that it would not be continuing with the purchase. The cape is visited by between 2,000 and 6,000 tourists a year, attracted by the lack of settlements, plants, animals, cliffs, mountain backdrop and lighthouse . The tourist industry is estimated to be worth between £400,000 and £620,000 to

2610-472: The lighthouse with the Kyle of Durness which is crossed by a passenger ferry service operating between May and September. The road was built as part of the lighthouse construction in 1828 and, in places, uses a series of rock causeways to cross peat bogs and revetments to maintain a route along steep slopes. Materials for the road were quarried locally and there are a number of quarrying sites along it. The road

2668-413: The longer the period, the more precious or durable the material associated with it. There are variations according to some national traditions. There exist numerous partially overlapping, partially contradictory lists of anniversary gifts (such as wedding stones), separate from the "traditional" names. The concepts of a person's birthday stone and zodiac stone, by contrast, are fixed for life according to

2726-591: The mid-20th century and is now almost entirely unpopulated, although military and tourism use continues. The Cape Wrath Lighthouse was built in 1828 and the access road from the Kyle of Durness dates from the same period. A Lloyd's of London signal station was built close to the lighthouse at the end of the 19th century to track shipping around the Cape. On 27 September 1915, while sailing for Scapa Flow , HMS Caribbean , known as RMS  Dunottar Castle before being requisitioned for wartime service, foundered off Cape Wrath in bad weather. A tow by HMS Birkenhead

2784-627: The mid-20th century. The land originally formed part of the Sutherland estates owned by the Duke of Sutherland . An area of 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares), covering almost all of the northern part of the peninsula, is owned by the Ministry of Defence for use as a military training area. As with the rest of the British Isles, Cape Wrath has an Oceanic ( Köppen Cfb ) climate. This

2842-594: The mouth of Loch Eriboll and around 1 mi (2 km) from houses. The MoD expressed an interest in extending its land holdings on the Cape in 2012 after being given the opportunity to purchase 24 ha (59 acres) surrounding Cape Wrath Lighthouse by the Northern Lighthouse Board . The plans were opposed by the Durness Development Group which cited concerns that historic buildings might be destroyed and that visitors may be unable to access cliff top paths. The group registered an interest in

2900-412: The number of years elapsed, expressed with Latin words or Roman numerals . Latin terms for anniversaries are mostly straightforward, particularly those relating to the first thirty years (1–30), or multiples of ten years (30, 40, 50, 60, 70 etc.), or multiples of centuries or millenniums (100, 200, 300, 1000, 2000, 3000, etc.). In these instances, the name of the anniversary is generally derived from

2958-468: The rest of the mainland by the Kyle of Durness and consists of 107 square miles (280 square kilometres) of moorland wilderness known as the Parph. The first road was built in 1828 by the lighthouse commission across the Parph/Durness. This road connects a passenger ferry that crosses the Kyle of Durness with the buildings on the peninsula. Much of the cape is owned by the Ministry of Defence and

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3016-613: The sea bed and marine environment which is a source of food for the bird population of the area. Numbers of seabirds in the area saw significant declines in the early 21st century with puffin numbers falling by 50%. An area of 1,015.2 hectares ( 2,508 + 5 ⁄ 8 acres) is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation . Marine species present in the area include harbour porpoise , common seal and bottle-nosed dolphin as well as species such as sea squirts and sponges . The cliff-top vegetation at sites such as Clò Mòr includes common scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis and

3074-580: The transfer of RAF Kinloss to the British Army in 2012, RAF Lossiemouth, also in Morayshire, is now the primary airfield used as a base by foreign air-arms. The airfield hosts maritime patrol aircraft, with previous exercises having included RCAF CP-140 Auroras , United States Navy P-3 Orions and P-8 Poseidons , French and Italian Atlantiques and German and New Zealand P-3 Orions. A variety of fast jets from foreign nations have also deployed to

3132-469: The use of sonar , is adversely affecting marine mammals. A significant decrease in the sightings of cetaceans in West Scotland, particularly during the 1998 series of JMCs, led to the formation of a joint discussion forum consisting of the Ministry of Defence, Scottish Natural Heritage , environmental NGOs and concerned wildlife tour operators. As result, a code of conduct for naval operators

3190-534: The year. For example, JMC 98/1 was the first Joint Maritime Course of 1998 and JW 15/2 was the second Joint Warrior exercise of 2015. Throughout the Cold War the exercises focused on the anti-submarine warfare threat and utilised a NATO vs. Warsaw Pact scenario. Mustardia (red forces) represented a communist dictatorship and Cyanica (blue forces) a stable democracy. Since the late 1980s exercises have changed to reflect modern threats and theatres of war such as

3248-410: Was affected. Scottish Natural Heritage estimated that the area would take 10 years to return to its normal environmental conditions. Concern has also been raised of the effects of military exercises on nesting birds, on sheep during lambing season and the effects of noise on local residents. A shell fired during exercises caused concern in 2002 when it landed 8 mi (13 km) off-target near

3306-548: Was developed and areas where known cetacean activity is taking place are avoided during the exercises. However concerns continue to exist and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust vessel Silurian has been used during 2015 and 2016 exercises to monitor naval activity and any changes in marine-life behaviour. biannual Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days . These could be

3364-422: Was unsuccessful, and 15 died. An inquiry later blamed the ship's carpenter for being insufficiently familiar with the ship and for failing to shut all the scuttles. Like most of the crew, he had joined the ship just 10 days earlier. The wreck was found in 2004, 35 mi (56 km; 30 nmi) off Cape Wrath, in 96 metres (315 ft; 52 fathoms) of water and undisturbed except for fishing nets. Cape Wrath

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