Sitting on the dock of the Clyde
Eagle-eyed residents should keep an eye on the River Clyde next week as frigates from around the world take part in a massive military exercise.
One of the largest military exercises of its kind in Europe, Joint Warrior will run from October 4 to 15 with several vessels making their way past Renfrewshire along the River Clyde to the King George V dock next to Ikea at Braehead.
Eight frigates from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France and Portugal will arrive at the dock between next Wednesday and Sunday along with two UK vessels and one from the US.
A total of 11 nations will take part in Joint Warrior, bringing 28 warships, two submarines, 81 aircraft and over 6,000 military personnel, including 130 ground troops, to military ranges across the country and to maritime exercise areas off the east,west and north coasts of Scotland.
Scenarios will mirror crisis and conflict situations which personnel could experience in real-world operations.
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.
Joint Warrior takes place twice a year, in the spring and autumn.
It brings together all three UK Armed Forces – the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air force – along with the other participating countries, to provide high quality training opportunities and improve joint operations between the UK and its allies.
All units involved will observe current Covid-19 guidelines and a wide range of mitigation measures to reduce the impact and risks have been put in place, including limited port visits by UK and allied units.