The MoD is due to begin the Autumn session of their biannual Joint Warrior exercise on Sunday 4th October (this Sunday). In the past these exercises have had an impact on the Tiree Broadband Network. Joint Warrior involves a significant number of UK and NATO warships, aircraft and personnel in operational simulations around the West Coast of Scotland. The exercise includes the use of radio frequency detection and jamming. This can significantly interfere with the operation of our broadband distribution equipment which uses 5.8GHz radio frequencies. There is very little we can do to protect the network from the power and technology available to a warship engaged in missile tracking or radar jamming.
Joint Warrior Autumn 2020 is scheduled to run from 4-15 October. Based on previous experience we can expect one or 2 periods of major disruption lasting several hours, most likely in the first few days of the exercise. Although other disruption may occur even before the formal exercises’ start.
Tiree Broadband and Tiree Trust have previously raised this at government level, however as it is a military exercise there is little that can be done.
See www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/clyde/joint-warrior for further details.