The MoD is due to begin their biannual Joint Warrior exercise at the end of this month. 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 Tiree Broadband’s 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 2019 is scheduled to run from 30th March to 11th April.
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.
Tiree Trust have previously raised this issue with both MP’s and MSP’s and unfortunately as Joint Warrior is a military exercise there is very little that can be done.
