The UK will take part in an international counter terrorism exercise with the US and Canada from April 4 to 8, the Home Office has announced.
The exercise, referred to as ‘Atlantic Blue’ in the UK, is part of the Home Office’s national exercise programme and has been designed to test simultaneous responses to internationally linked terrorist incidents. The Metropolitan Police are UK host.
There will be no visible ‘on the ground’ activity within the UK exercise, allowing players to focus at a strategic level on communication issues across international borders.
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said: "The threat from international terrorism remains real and serious, and is a worldwide concern. It is vital we make every effort to enhance and develop our resilience to this threat by working closely with our international colleagues. Exercise Atlantic Blue provides an excellent opportunity to do this, through sharing best practice on emergency planning and response procedures. Training exercises are an important part of countering terrorism. The UK programme of exercises is among the best in the world and a vital part of our work in resilience and contingency planning, ensuring that we are prepared to respond to any kind of terrorist attack and that our counter-terrorism arrangements are tried and tested. As with all exercises, the lessons learnt from international exercises will be incorporated in future contingency planning arrangements."
