Dartmoor Training Area
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Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP)
Environmental
Management
System
(EMS)
Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP)
Military Use
Military training has taken place on Dartmoor for over 200 years; regular forces and militia during the Napoleonic threat of the early 1800’s, artillery firing started in 1875 and Okehampton Camp was built in 1893. The whole of Dartmoor was used intensively for tactical exercises with live ammunition during the Second World War. In 1995 Willsworthy Camp was opened.
The five training areas of Okehampton, Willsworthy and Merrivale in the north; and Cramber and Ringmoor to the south of the moor provide a full spectrum of military traning facilities for light forces. The training area contains fixed and field firing ranges, areas for dry (blank fire) tactical training and two battle camps (Okehampton and Willsworthy).
The Dartmoor Training Areas terrain, climate and isolation provides a challenging environment to teach and practice individual skills, including navigation, fitness, survival, self-reliance, field craft, weapon marksmanship and first aid. Individual skills are developed through tactical training, which progresses through crew and team exercises up to occasional brigade exercises that can involve thousands of personnel. Live fire tactical training takes place using live ammunition against targets on the gallery and field firing ranges within the Range Danger Area and helps to develop confidence in weapons and colleagues. Dry tactical training, which allows for two-sided exercises, is conducted using blank ammunition and pyrotechnics to represent the noise and friction of battle.
The Armed Forces also carry out training, except live fire tactical training, on Cramber and Ringmoor Training Areas, both on the south moor.
Royal Marines and other light forces based in the southwest of England including territorial reserve forces and their cadet organisations are the primary users of Dartmoor Training Area. However, all three Services (Navy, Army and Air Force), including their reserve and cadet forces, train on Dartmoor Training Area.
Projectiles fired within Okehampton, Willsworthy and Merrivale Range Danger Areas include rifle and machine gun rounds, a small amount of light mortar fire and occasional heavy mortar and anti tank are also fired. Artillery is limited to firing smoke, illuminating or practice shells. A small arms round can travel 4,000 metres and allowance has to be made for ricochets in planning live fire tactical training.
All types of training on Dartmoor Training Area are supported to some extent by military transport, principally Land Rovers and four-tonne vehicles; these are restricted to tarmac roads and hard tracks other than in exceptional circumstances. A limited number of exercises are supported by soft-tracked articulated vehicles and aircraft.
In addition to training activities, there are a variety of support activities associated with training on Dartmoor Training Area. These include the provision of accommodation, messing, offices, stores etc, and making available efficient and safe training areas, ranges and training facilities.
A fuller explanation is available here.
