January
Exercise Hammer Fist
Yuma, AZ USA to
Wittering, UK
Fg Off Kane, FS Doug Betambeau, SACs Hartley & Mansfield. Recovery of 4
Squadron (Harriers) from Arizona to Wittering
Operation Lodestar
Teeside, UK to Split,
Bosnia and return
Flt Lt Arnold, FS Pete Polidano, Cpl Blythe, SAC Dax Mellor. Rotation of UK troops
from Teeside (Catterick Garrison) to Bosnia
February
Operation Bolton
UK to Ali Al Salem AB,
Kuwait
Flt Lt Damien Alexander, FSgts Tim Pyne, Steve Gelder, Floyd Patterson, Jim
Buchanan, Sgts Neil Baldock, Ian Noakes, Steve Burke, Cpls Blythe, Clarke,
Butcher, Lishman, Hallatt, Padam, SACs Spara Brooksby, Hartley, Brunell,
Holtam, Rainer, Tobin & Whitworth. Deployment of Tornado Squadron to Kuwait in
support of Southern “No-Fly” Zone in Iraq
 
Exercise Strong Resolve
Beja, Portugal to UK
Flt Lt Ling, FS Jim Buchanan, Sgt Mick Cocker, SAC Walke. Recovery of 12
Squadron (Tornados) and Fleet Clearance Diving team  from Portugal to UK
March
Exercise Strong Resolve
Tromso, Norway
Flt Lt Gary Norman, FS Tim Pyne, Sgt Martin Hughes, Cpl Clarke. Redeployment
of SF Units within Norway
 
Exercise Tartan Eagle
UK to Norfolk NAS, VA,
USA and return
Flt Lt Curry, Cpl MacDowell, SAC Baldy (RAuxAF). Deploy elements of 40 Cdo RM
to USA and recovery of USMC to Edinburgh as part of unit exchange
April
Special
Curacao, Dutch Antilles
FS Al Salisbury, Cpls Thomson & Southwood. Recovery of antenna to UK from
HMS Newcastle in Dutch Antilles
 
Exercise Roving Sands
UK to El Paso, TX, USA
Sgt Hoss Wall, Cpls Thomson & Blythe. Deployment of elements of 22 Regt RA to
Fort Biggs, Texas
May
Exercise Mouflon Hop
Akrotiri to Kingsfield,
Cyprus and return
Flt Lt Pete Arnold, FS Pete Polidano, Sgt Steve Duke, Cpls Skinner & Steve Bell,
SAC Jane Holtam. Engine running offload/onload to rotate 1Bn Light Infantry and
2Bn Royal Anglian between Akrotiri and Dhekelia
 
Operation Stanway
Dubai, UAE to UK
FS Jim Buchanan & Steve Gelder, Sgt Hoss Wall, Cpl Paul Padam, JT Reynolds.
Recovery of a u/s periscope
June
Operation Defiant
Falcon
Gioia Del Colle, Italy
Air support for Peacekeeping in former Republic of Yugoslavia
 
Special
UK to Genoa, Italy
Flt Lt Crabtree, SACs Walker & Poat. Deployment of towed array equipment for
HMS Spartan
 
Operation Jural
UK to Al Kharj, Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait to UK
FS Mick Maybery, SACs Edmunds, Pask & Worgan. Deployment of 2 Tornado Sun
Shelters and recovery of 34 Squadron RAF Regt from Kuwait
 
Exercises Green River
and Native Trail
UK to Timehri, Guyana
and Belize to UK
Fg Off Grant, FS John Purkis, Sgt Hughes, SAC Hudson. Deployment of Royal
Marines to Guyana and recovery of 1Bn RGR (Ghurkas) from Belize to UK
 
Volant Rodeo 98
McChord AFB, WA, USA
Flt Lt Rich Pratley, Sgt Viv Neary-Phillips, Cpl Craig Fitches, SACs Paul Crake,
Richie Collins, Spara Brooksby. UK Team competing in Air Mobility Rodeo
Competition
July
Exercise Iban Brave
Fiji, Samoa and Hawaii
to UK
Flt Lt Rich Pratley, FS Mick Mylchreest, Sgt Hoss Wall, Cpl Mal Paton, SACs Dax
Mellor & Sparra Brooksby. Recovery of SF pax and helicopter from Pacific region to
UK
 
Special
Bodo, Norway to
Marham, UK
FS Taff Isaac, Cpl Gareth Beynon and SAC Jane Holtam. Recovery of pax and
equipment of 39 Squadron (Canberras) from Norway to Marham
 
Exercise High Rider
Nellis AFB, NV, USA to
UK
Sgt Alec Ross, Cpl Thomson, SAC Marshall. Recovery of personnel and equipment
of the F3 Tornado OEU from USA to UK
 
Exercise Co-op Chance
Sliac, Slovakia to
Leeming, UK
FS Steve Gelder, Cpl Sanderson, SAC Jupp. Recovery of support equipment of 25
Squadron (Tornados) from Slovakia to Leeming
August
Operation Ladbrook
Brazzaville, Congo
Evacuation of British nationals as a result of the Congo civil war
 
Exercise Cooperative
Assembly
UK to Rinas, Albania
Sgts Al Stacey & Viv Neary-Phillips, Cpls Craig Fitches & Sandy Sanderson, SACs
Sparra Brooksby & Geordie Hudson. Deployment of 2Bn Para Regt to Albania
 
Exercise Atap Hurdle
Brunei to UK
FS Doug Betambeau, Cpls Stu Slee & Thomas, SAC Tobin. Deployment of SF
personnel and recovery of 2Bn RIR from Brunei
 
Exercise Pitch Black
UK to Darwin, NT,
Australia
FS Paddy Power, SACs Byatt & Caven. Deployment of elements of 8 Squadron (E3
AWACS) from Waddington to Australia
September
Exercises Hard Flint and
Haze Fire
UK to Norfolk NAS, VA
and North Island NAS,
CA, USA to Prestwick,
UK
WO Graham Fitzgerald, FS Walke & Sgt Hughes. Deployment of 1 Squadron
(Harrier) equipment to Norfolk and collection of 4 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles from
San Diego for delivery to Prestwick
 
Exercise Ulan Eagle
Munster, Germany to
Oleszno, Poland
Flt Lt Roofe, Sgt Eddy Sundarajoo, Cpl Craig Fitches & SAC Matt Rainer. TALO
assault into Poland from Munster
 
Exercise Coop Best
Effort
Riga, Latvia to Skopje,
Macedonia
Flt Lt Crabtree, Sgt Alec Ross, SAC Andy Hartley. Deployment of Latvian and
Estonian Special Forces from Latvia to Skopje, Macedonia
October
Exercise Nomad’s Dawn
Marakesh, Morocco and
Mauritania to UK
Flt Lt Arnold, Cpls Harrison & Thomas. Recovery of elements of SF from Mauritania
to Marakesh and then recover pax and freight of 7 Squadron (Chinooks) from
Marakesh to UK
 
Special
San Diego, CA, USA to
Prestwick, Scotland
Sgt Steve Duke, Cpl Dinger Bell, SACs Bruce and Whittingham. Collection of
Tomahawk (TLAM) missiles from North Island Naval Base, San Diego, and delivery
to Prestwick
 
Exercise Curry Trail
UK to Brunei and return
Fg Off Duncan Grant, WO Terry Roberts (RAuxAF), FS Steve Walker and Cpl Mark
Butcher. Deployment of RM to Brunei and recovery of SAS to UK
 
Exercise Alabama Star
Atlanta, GA, USA to UK
Fg Off Kingston, Sgt Neil Baldock, Cpl James, SAC Whittingham. Recovery of 128
Royal Yeomanry (TAVR) from Georgia to UK
November
IALCE
Maribor, Slovenia
Sqn Ldr Jeff Green, Flt Lt Florey, FS Floyd Paterson, Sgt Viv Neary-Phillips, Cpls
Sandy Sanderson, Craig Fitches, SACs Ed Hewitt, Simon Jupp, Matt Rainer and
Hartley. UK Movs Det in support of IALCE exercise in Slovenia.
 
Exercise Saffron Sands
Aqaba, Jordan to UK
Flt Lt Andy Crabtree, FS John Purkis, Sgt Gonz Burke, Cpls Adie Tew and Nixon,
SAC Andy Westgate. Recovery of 1Bn Light Infantry from Jordan to UK
 
Exercise Black Horse
Ontario, CA, USA to UK
FS Tony Geerah and Nigel Robinson, Cpl Adie Tew, SAC Matt Rainer. Recovery of
40 Cdo RM from California to UK. (n.b. Ontario used to be Norton AFB)
 
SF Recovery
Ellington Field, TX, USA
to UK
Flt Lts Arnold & Gary Norman, FS Doug Betambeau, Cpls Steph O’Donnell &
Bishop (RAuxAF). Recovery of 7 Squadron (Chinook) and 845 Squadron RNAS
(SeaKing) from Houston, Texas to UK
 
Special
UK to Tampere, Finland
Flt Lt Hubbick & SAC Rainer. Deployment of support equipment and personnel of
899 RNAS (Sea Harrier) to Finland
December
Exercise Georgian
Cormorant
UK to Atlanta, Georgia,
USA
FS Douggie Betambeau and Andy Hartley, Cpl Tabs Mackayand SAC Caven.
Deployment of Staff College to Georgia.
 
Exercises Red Flag and
Computex
Goose Bay, NL, Canada
to Nellis AFB, NV, then
Roosevelt Roads, Puerto
Rico to UK
FS John Purkis, Sgt Neil Baldock, Cpl Brown, SAC Davies. Deployment of Tornado
GSE from Goose Bay to Nevada and recovery of E3 Sentry GSE from Puerto Rico to
UK.
 
Exercise Cadence Break
UK to Bardufoss, Norway
Flt Lt Ellie Pook, FS Mick Maybery and SAC Caven. Deployment of Royal Marines
to Bardufoss for Arctic driver training.
 
Operations Bolton and
Desert Fox
Waddington, UK
FS Tim Pyne, Cpl Whatty Campbell, SACs Brunell & Lucy Crafts. Deployment of
support equipment and Paveway II bombs to Kuwait in support of operations
against Iraq
 
Operations Bolton and
Desert Fox
UK to Kuwait City
Flt Lt Knight, Sgt Hughes, SACs Saunders & Mansfield. Resupply of Paveway II
Missiles to Kuwait
 
Special
North Island NAS, CA,
USA to UK
Flt Lt Wilson, FS Taff Isaac, Cpl Hughes, SAC Byatt. Collection of TLAMs
(Tomahawks) from San Diego and deliver to Prestwick