British-French Combined Joint Expeditionary Force conducts exercise

The Anglo-French Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) has demonstrated its capabilities in the recently concluded Exercise Griffin Strike off the coast of Scotland.

The Royal Navy said that the two-week-long high-intensity maritime warfare training exercise marks a significant milestone in the development of the CJEF.

Exercise Griffin Strike has tested the readiness of forces to deploy worldwide for a range of missions.

This year’s exercise was held as part of a wider Nato exercise known as Joint Warrior.

A combined headquarters was created aboard French amphibious assault ship FS Tonnerre.

Task Force commander Royal Navy Rear Admiral Andrew Burns said: “Exercise Griffin Strike has built on the successes of similar exercises since the Lancaster House Treaty and taken the CJEF capability to the next level.

“This year we have delivered a degree of complexity that leaves the maritime component of CJEF ready to take its place in full joint and combined operations.”

The CJEF had its genesis in the Lancaster House Treaty between the UK and France in 2010.

Through the treaty, the two governments envisaged the creation of a deployable military force capable of supporting high-intensity combat operations.

The countries aim to make the CJEF fully operational by mid-2020.

During the exercise, the CJEF had to navigate minefields and avoid detection from submarines.

Griffin Strike also included the UK’s Amphibious Task Group and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships.