Over two-thirds of the 240,000 hectares of land owned by the MOD is held solely for the purpose of training the Armed Forces. This land is known as the Defence Training Estate.
The Defence Training Estate comprises 16 major Armed Forces training areas, and 104 other minor training areas, ranges and camps.
There are nine regional training areas covering the whole of the UK:
- DTE East
- DTE Home Counties
- DTE North
- DTE Otterburn & Northern Ireland
- DTE Salisbury Plain
- DTE Scotland
- DTE South East
- DTE South West
- DTE Wales & West
There are also training areas of varying size and complexity used by the MOD overseas, including:
- Belize - 5 training areas
- Brunei - 2 Jungle training areas
- Kenya - 13 training areas
- Canada - 1 training area (three times the size of Salisbury Plain Training Area)
Troops undertaking pre-deployment training at the Afghan village at STANTA.
Crown Copyright/MOD 2009
Military use
The Defence Training Estate is managed to ensure that it delivers military training facilities which prepare the Armed Forces for operations worldwide.
There is an average daily throughput of 9,000 Service personnel on the Defence Training Estate.
Private and Commercial Use
Not all parts of the Defence Training Estate are required for training purposes every day of the week.
As long as proposed activities do not interfere with any of the Armed Forces’ vital training activities, this spare capacity can be hired out for private or commercial use. The income generated helps to reduce the financial burden on the taxpayer.
The Defence Training Estate has been used for many purposes, from filming to falconry, motor sports to model aircraft flying and corporate training events to concerts.
Defence Training Estate
Building 99, Rm 50
HQ DTE
Land Warfare Centre
Warminster
Wiltshire
BA12 0DJ
Tel: 01985 222854