The United Kingdom and Royal Navy are set to host 14 nations for a major two-week drill off its coasts next week.
Starting on October 1, exercise Joint Warrior will see ships, aircraft and troops carry out maneuvers at military ranges across the country and in maritime exercise areas off the west and north coast of Scotland
Exercise Joint Warrior will also incorporate elements of another exercise known as Formidable Shield, running from September 21 to October 18.
As part of Formidable Shield, 13 ships from eight countries, the majority of which are also taking part in Joint Warrior, will conduct the air and missile defense exercise on the Hebrides Range west of Benbecula.
According to the Royal Navy, the broader Joint Warrior will see the participation of overall 35 naval units from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the US, supported by 11 rotary wing aircraft.
Exercise Joint Warrior is linked directly with the NATO Military Training Exercise Programme, enabling the organisation to exploit the training opportunities provided by the exercise and to practice the skills needed for collective defense.
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.
The scenario of the exercise will mirror a broad range of crisis and conflict situations which could realistically be experienced 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.