Defence Training Estate

Defence Training Estates is an organisation with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. It is the operating division of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation responsible for the management of the 78% of the defence estate allocated as Training Areas and Ranges. The organisation is responsible for provision of sufficient and suitable estate to support the training requirements of the British Armed Forces whilst assuring environmental management and appropriate historical and archaeological preservation.

The organisation is headquartered at the Land Warfare Centre, Warminster and has a number of regional headquarters responsible for the management of the training estate on a regional basis.

DTE work with English Heritage, the National Trust, the Environment Agency and others to deliver the management of the estate. Practical support is outsourced to Landmarc, a Special Purpose Vehicle created to service the DTE requirement.

Public Access

DTE operate a principle of presumption of public access to the training estate. Access is limited where training and exercise activities are taking place or where the use of munitions precludes safe access.

Conservation and archaeology

As much of the training estate remains undeveloped, wither through habitation or agriculture the training estate holds considerable conservation and archaeological value.

Training Areas: England

Training areas that the DTE is responsible for include:

Salisbury Plain Training Area

The Salisbury Plain Training Area covers around half of Salisbury Plain and provides a number of facilities including:

• Trenchard Lines, Upavon - Headquarters of the Air Support Operations Centre and airfield suitable for rotary wing operations
• Everleigh - Non-designated landing area, Drop-Zone, and headquarters dispersal area supporting exercise activities
• Tidworth - Home of 1 Mechanised Brigade across a number of barracks in the town with direct access to the plain
• Perham Down - Royal Engineer Barracks and training location for the Military Stabilisation Support Group
• Bulford - Headquarters 3(UK) Division and associated force elements
• Larkhill - Home of the Artillery Centre
• Knook Camp - Accommodation centre
• Warminster
• Westdown Camp, near Tilshead - Accommodation centre, location of the Field Training Unit and the headquarters of DTE Salisbury Plain
• Imber - Ranges and Drop-Zone
• Copehill Down - Fighting in Built Up Areas training range

Barton Stacey Training Area

Land around former camps at Barton Stacey.

Warcop Training Area

Warcop Training Area (WTA) is a 24,000 acres (9,700 ha) area in the North Pennines in Cumbria. Operated by the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick Garrison, WTA has facilities for infantry and tank live-fire training.

Stanford Training Area

Stanford Training Area, known as STANTA is a large operational training area in the vicinity of Norwich used by the Operational Training and Advisory Group for pre-deployment training.

Sennybridge Training Area

Sennybridge Training Area, known as SENTA, lies to the north of the Brecon Beacons.

Dartmoor

Okehampton Camp

Training Areas: Scotland

DTE Scotland is responsible for:

Barry Buddon Training Centre, Angus.

Cape Wrath Training Centre, Sutherland.

Castlelaw Training Area and Ranges, Pentland Hills, Midlothian.

Fort George Training Area, Inverness.

Garelochhead Training Camp, Argyll and Bute - accommodation and dry training up to Battalion strength.

Kirkcudbright Training Area, Dumfries and Galloway, including the Dundrennan Range, the only open air live depleted uranium weapons test range in the British Isles.

Strone Camp, Argyll and Bute - accommodation to Company strength and FIBUA training area.

See Also

• List of British Army installations