Joint Warrior: Royal Marines Team Up With Dutch For Training

Royal Marines have teamed up with their Dutch counterparts to train in Scotland as part of an exercise involving more than 10,000 troops from 13 different countries.

3 Commando Brigade and 21st Raiding Brigade are practising amphibious raids in the Highlands, as part of Exercise Joint Warrior.

Marine Remueldo Boermans, 21st Raiding Squadron, Korps Mariniers, said:

"It's the first week for us but it's always nice to be on a ship and you see a lot of things like Scotland and England and everything like that and it's nice experience for us, so it's fun to train here."

The UK Amphibious Task Group's manoeuvres are coordinated from the Royal Navy's flagship HMS Albion.

Commodore James Parkin is Commander of the UK's Amphibious Task Group: "Something like Joint Warrior, on this scale, gets us integrated.

"It takes us to the next level.

"It's not just talking and being in the same sort of area; it's meshing into each other's task forces and learning how to fight and win alongside each other."

The exercise involves the task group taking on the role of a NATO force defending one country against the aggression of another.

Held every second year, it aims to ensure the allies are ready for co-operation in real world scenarios.

Brigadier Matt Jackson, Commander, 3 Commando Brigade commented: "It keeps the enemy guessing, is the big thing that it does because when you've got a whole pile of ships with a whole pile of Marines on board, then they're not quite sure where you are going to land, and depending on where you land influences what that enemy or adversary force could do.

"A maritime task group and an amphibious task group creates uncertainty in an adversary's mind."

The two nations were on deployment recently in Norway for polar training in the Arctic Circle, and there is strong mutual respect between them.

NATO often holds up their relationship as the best example of military integration between the two nations.

Lieutenant Roderyc Luijten, 21st Raiding Squadron, Korps Mariniers noted: "It's especially important that we learn to work together with the other NATO partners so that if we need to work together, then we know each other, and we know how to work together."

Marine Michael Ottem, 21st Raiding Squadron, Korps Mariniers, added:

"They have a really good reputation in the Netherlands.

"We also like to work together with them because, they are good at their job too - you know what I mean? 

"They are very good at their job."

The Marines will move south to continue to hone their skills in joint training for the rest of the exercise over the coming week.