The actor, martial artist, and internet meme Chuck Norris has warned of a federal government plot to take over the state of Texas.

Writing on the right-wing website WND, or WorldNetDaily, Norris discussed the potential for Jade Helm 15, a US military training exercise planned for July and August, to turn into a full-scale occupation of his home state.

Exercises will be held in Texas and six other states during Jade Helm 15, across public and private land. The training has been the focus of rightwing conspiracy theories since a map published for the purpose of the simulation labelled Texas, Utah and California as "hostile".

"The US government says, 'It's just a training exercise'," wrote Norris, 75. "But I'm not sure the term 'just' has any reference to reality when the government uses it."