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Military Exercises

Volume 481: debated on Tuesday 28 October 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of training exercises have been cancelled in 2008; and for what reason each exercise was cancelled. (230169)

Of the 584 training exercises scheduled to take place in 2008, 55 have been cancelled (9.4 per cent.); reasons for each cancellation are listed as follows.

Ser

Exercise name

Start

End

Reason for cancellation

1.

Lion Sun 12—07/08

1 January 20008

29 February 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Lion Sun 13—07/08

1 January 2008

29 February 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Snow Falcon 08

10 January 2008

25 January 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Red Flag 08-2.1

13 January2008

26 January 2008

Alternative exercise opportunity pursued

1.

Oak Apple

24 January 2008

5 April 2008

Kenyan domestic instability

1.

Grand Prix 3—07/08

28 January 2008

20 March 2008

Kenyan domestic instability

1.

Lion Sun 14—07/08

1 February 2008

31 March 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Red Flag 08-2.2

2 February 2008

15 February 2008

Alternative exercise opportunity pursued

1.

Noble Midas

4 February 2008

16 February 2008

Airframe availability

1.

Druids Dance 9—07/08

18 February 2008

9 March 2008

Re-programming removed need for exercise

1.

Green Flag West 08-4

20 February 2008-

7 March 2008

Alternative exercise opportunity pursued

1.

Lone Fin 08

5 March 2008

16 March 2008

Savings measure

1.

Grand Prix 1—08/09

10 March 2008

26 April 2008

Kenyan domestic instability

1.

Spontex 08-1

12 March 2008

23 March 2008

No aircraft availability

1.

Makran Osprey

31 March 2008

11 April 2008

Political instability in Pakistan forced withdrawal of the AIR component and made the Ex untenable

1.

Bald Eagle 08/09

1 April 2008

1 May 2008

No unit available

l.

Lion Sun 1—08/09

18 April 2008

16 May 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Sphinx

21 April 2008

30 April 2008

No AAR available

1.

Lion Sun 2—08/09

25 April 2008

23 May 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Bass Rock 08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Exchange. Cancelled at Canadian request

1.

Fingals Cave 08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Exchange. Cancelled at Canadian request

1.

Flying Rose 2—08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Exchange. Cancelled at US request

1.

Mulberry Tree/Prickly Pear 08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Exchange with US. Cancelled by mutual agreement due to lack of available forces on either side

1.

Stoney Run 08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Exchange ex—UK leg went ahead but US leg cancelled due to unavailability of AT

1.

Winged Star 08/09

1 May 2008

1 October 2008

Airborne focused exchange. Neither UK nor US airborne forces available due to ops

1.

Lion Sun 3—08/09

30 May 2008

27 June 2008

Savings Measure

1.

150 Tpt Regt(V) Obua Trg

31 May 2008

1 June2008

Trg area unavailable

1.

Frukus

1 June 2008

28 June 2008

Russia/Georgia dispute resulted in cancellation

1.

Blue Flag

2 June 2008

13 June 2008

Cancelled by host nation (USA)

1.

Elite

2 June 2008

18 June 2008

Savings measure

1.

Loyal Arrow

16 June 2008

27 June 2008

Ex cancelled by NATO

1.

Coop Mako 08

19 June 2008

30 June 2008

Cancelled by sponsor

1.

Lion Sun 4—08/09

20 June 2008

18 July 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Batus Run

23 June 2008

29 June 2008

Change to dates prevented Air participation

1.

Lion Sun 5—08/09

27 June 2008

25 July 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Uhlan Eagle 08/09

1 July 2008

30 July 2008

Re-programming removed need for exercise

1.

Trg weekend 150 Tpt Regt (V)

14 July 2008

15 July 2008

Trg area unavailable

1.

First Jog

15 July 2008

17 July 2008

Ex Objs reached in an earlier exercise

1.

Lion Sun 6—08/09

18 July 2008

15 August 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Lion Sun 7—08/09

25 July 2008

22 August 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Lion Sun 8—08/09

15 August 2008

12 September 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Lion Sun 9—08/09

22 August 2008

19 September 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Outreach 4—Georgian Express

1 September 2008

1 October 2008

Russian-Georgian hostilities

1.

Slovak Hawk

1 September 2008

8 September 2008

Budget cuts

1.

Tricolour 3—08/09

1 September 2008

1 October 2008

No unit available

1.

Lion Sun 10—08/09

12 September 2008

10 October 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Lion Sun 11—08/09

19 September 2008

17 October 2008

Savings Measure

1.

Log Provider 08

22 September 2008

3 October 0208

Operational Commitments

1.

Sapper Sands

29 September 2008

10 October 2008

Unit unavailable

1.

Trg Ex—75 Engr Regt (V)

11 October 2008

12 October 2008

Operational Commitments

1.

Trg Ex—75 Engr Regt (V)

25 October 20-08

26 October 2008

Operational Commitments

1.

Trg Ex—75 Engr Regt (V)

30 October 2008

31 October 2008

Operational Commitments

1.

Uhlan Barbara 08/09

1 November 2008

25 November 2008

Re-programming removed need for exercise

1.

Flotex Silver

24 November 2008

5 December 2008

Host nation reduced scale of Ex to National only, cancelling INVITEX component

1.

White Phoenix

1 December 2008

5 December 2008

Training moved to early 2009