Exercise ARRCADE ARCHER 2017

HEBRIDES, Scotland - The second evolution of Exercise ARRCADE ARCHER was held in the remote location of the Benbecula firing range in the Hebrides archipelago, North West of Scotland, 14-16 March.

Representatives from Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania and the US (from Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) joined the UK Joint Ground Based Air Defence HQ and HQ ARRC Air and Missile Defence personnel on the island to attend the Rapier weapon system live fire exercise, delivered by 16th Regiment Royal Artillery (UK).

In addition, the conference aimed to gather experts from the partner nations’ Ground Based Air Defence formations in order to increase the collective interoperability across the NATO Air Defence community.

With a proposed ARRC 2018 re-issue of Command and Control Technical Arrangements (C2TA), exercise ARRCADE ARCHER was a deliberate focus on increased C2 arrangements, including the integration of the various weapon systems in a joint, multi-national environment. The discussion and output provided some useful and timely considerations for HQ ARRC’s Corps recalibration and the forthcoming exercises ARRCADE THOR and ARRCADE FUSION 17.

"The activity has been a success” said Group Captain Mullen, ARRC’s Chief Air and Aviation, "with the aim of gathering Air Defence experts from a number of NATO nations to discuss the challenges we all face with integration and interoperability being fully achieved”.

Story by Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Public Affairs Office