Posted on Friday, 10 February 2012 at 01:00 PM in Defence news | Permalink | Comments (0)
Summary
BBC Online reports that Argentina's Foreign Minister is to lodge a protest at the UN today against the UK's 'militarisation' of the Falklands. | Various papers report that US Marines posed with a flag emblazoned with the SS emblem while on duty in Afghanistan. | The Times reports that eight children were killed in a NATO air strike in Kapisa province. | The Daily Mirror reports that an inquest has heard that Royal Marine Sergeant Barry Weston, who went to Afghanistan to replace a fallen colleague, was killed after he ventured outside a safety zone. | The Daily Star reports on soldiers from the Parachute Regiment who have been awarded the Military Cross for their bravery in Afghanistan. | The Times reports that Britain has told India that it is willing to lower its price on the Eurofighter Typhoon in an attempt to win back a £13bn contract from France. | The Financial Times reports that Rolls-Royce has received a £60m payment from the MOD for cancelling contracts following the Strategic Defence and Security Review. | The Telegraph reports that Prime Minister David Cameron says that Argentina should be in no doubt that Britain will 'defend the Falkland Islands properly'. | The Daily Express reports that a gang of Muslim extremists who planned to target British soldiers as they returned from Afghanistan were jailed for a total of 95 years yesterday. | Various media outlets report that Taliban members say Prince Harry should use his royal position to help people rather than kill them, adding that its fighters would try to kill the prince if he returns to Afghanistan.
UK forces are not 'growing weaker by the day'
Today's Daily Telegraph includes a comment piece by Con Coughlin entitled 'Prince Harry's in the firing line - but Britain's Armed Forces grow weaker by the day'.
Arguing that Britain is 'no longer taken seriously' on the foreign stage, the article states: 'when the Obama administration announced that it was to end US combat operations in Afghanistan in the summer of 2013 - a year earlier than agreed - it did so without bothering to inform its British counterpart'.
The US has however made no such announcement and there has been no change to the strategy agreed by ISAF nations in Lisbon in 2010. The process of security transition will continue, with international forces gradually handing over responsibility to the Afghan National Security Forces through to the end of 2014. As the US Defence Secretary confirmed just last week: "We've got to stick to the Lisbon strategy. The United States has a very strong commitment to Lisbon and to the strategy that was laid out there."
Con Coughlin's article goes on to state that the British Government 'had to plead with the United States to take part in the flotilla that confronted Iran over its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf', because American commanders had overlooked the Royal Navy. This is not true.
Following discussions with our allies, the US welcomed both HMS Argyll and a French vessel to transit the Strait alongside the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Group, sending a clear signal to Iran that the arteries of global trade are being kept free, open and running. The aim of this was to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law. Furthermore, the Royal Navy has had a constant presence in the Gulf since 1980 and UK frigates regularly pass through the Strait of Hormuz, operating as part of the Combined Maritime Forces.
Equipment programme
Various media report that according to the Public Accounts Commitee, the UK's 15 largest defence projects are expected to cost £6bn more than first estimated and will be delayed by a combined total of 26 years.
Responding to the report, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Through a radical reform programme we have taken firm steps to grip the equipment programme and halt the trend of vast cost increases of the past.
"We are now close to eliminating the black hole in the MOD's finances and will soon set out an affordable, deliverable programme. This will see us invest more than £150bn in the right equipment for our Armed Forces while achieving value for money for UK taxpayers.
"Scrapping the ill-fated Nimrod MRA4 was one of many tough but necessary decisions we had to take to deal with an equipment programme that was out of control. The aircraft were more than eight years late, almost £800m over budget, and the unit cost of each aircraft had soared by 200 per cent, with no guarantee they would ever be fit to fly. The Astute programme is now on a much firmer footing with the first boat in service and the second due to leave Barrow soon."
Posted on Friday, 10 February 2012 at 12:47 PM in Defence in the media | Permalink | Comments (0)
Members of the Queen's Royal Hussars extract under the cover of a Jackal armoured vehicle during Operation ZAMARY TAKHTA, or 'Lion's Rage'. The Queen's Royal Hussars launched the operation with their Afghan police partners to destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Lashkar Gah district. The operation resulted in a two-day fight with the Taliban, the destruction of seven IEDs and the capture of an IED layer. Click here to read more. [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]
Posted on Friday, 10 February 2012 at 11:47 AM in Image of the day | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday 13 February
TV programme of interest - Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan, Channel 5, 2100hrs. Episode 3 of 6.
Wednesday 15 February
Inquest in Trowbridge into the death of Ranger David Dalzell, from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan on 4 February 2011.
Thursday 16 February
Inquest in York into the death of Marine David Hart, from 40 Commando Royal Marines, who was killed in Afghanistan on 8 July 2010.
International Institute for Strategic Studies discussion - Preventng Iranian nuclear weaponisation: the state of the debate.
TV programme of interest: 'Bullets, Boots and Bandages', BBC4, 2100hrs. Exploring how logistic support to the battlefield has changed over time. Episode 3 of 3.
Posted on Friday, 10 February 2012 at 11:41 AM in Defence diary | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 12:22 PM in Defence news | Permalink | Comments (0)
Summary
Various media outlets report that the Arab League may resume their mission in Syria, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has accused the Assad regime of making too many broken promises and says the 'disastrous' failure of the UN to get a resolution has encouraged Damascus to 'step up its war against its own people'. | The Times reports that the US is considering arming the Syrian rebels or establishing a humanitarian corridor, but the paper makes clear that no such plans are under discussion in Whitehall. | There is extensive media coverage of Prince Harry completing his Apache helicopter training and his award for being the top gunner on his course. | The Daily Telegraph reports that an official in Afghanistan has revealed that America's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan has met with Taliban leaders in Qatar. | The Independent reports that the Pakistani Army has met with NATO and Afghan forces to improve co-ordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. | The Financial Times reports that the UK has stepped up its diplomatic effort to win a $20bn contract to supply Typhoon jets to India. | The Daily Star and Independent report that the MOD is to buy another C-17 aircraft. | Various media outlets report that Downing Street has rejected the Argentine President's claims that Britain is militarising the South Atlantic and fuelling tensions by deploying Prince William and HMS Dauntless to the Falklands. | The Daily Telegraph and Daily Express report that the campaign to build a memorial to Bomber Command has received a boost after Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Government would provide a grant to cover the project's tax bill. | The Daily Telegraph, Guardian and Sun report that according to a report by the National Audit Office, deep cuts in military personnel are undermining morale, and will cause long-term harm because they are leaving the MOD short of vital skills.
Posted on Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 12:08 PM in Defence in the media | Permalink | Comments (0)
Prince Harry, or Captain Wales, prepares his Apache helicopter for a mission during Exercise Crimson Eagle, the final conversion training for Army Air Corps Apache pilots, in America. Captain Wales has now completed his training on the Apache and has been awarded a prize for being the best co-pilot gunner. Click here to read more. [Picture: Sergeant Russ Nolan RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Posted on Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 11:55 AM in Image of the day | Permalink | Comments (0)
Today, Thursday 9 February
Inquest in Plymouth into the death of Sergeant Barry Weston, from 42 Commando Royal Marines, who was killed in Afghanistan on 30 August 2011.
TV programme of interest: 'Bullets, Boots and Bandages', BBC4, 2100hrs. Exploring how logistic support to the battlefield has changed over time. Episode 2 of 3.
TV programme of interest: 'Question Time', BBC1, 2235hrs. The Defence Secretary will be a panellist.
Monday 13 February
TV programme of interest - Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan, Channel 5, 2100hrs. Episode 3 of 6.
Wednesday 15 February
Inquest in Trowbridge into the death of Ranger David Dalzell, from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan on 4 February 2011.
Thursday 16 February
Inquest in York into the death of Marine David Hart, from 40 Commando Royal Marines, who was killed in Afghanistan on 8 July 2010.
TV programme of interest: 'Bullets, Boots and Bandages', BBC4, 2100hrs. Exploring how logistic support to the battlefield has changed over time. Episode 3 of 3.
Posted on Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 11:50 AM in Defence diary | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 at 01:12 PM in Defence news | Permalink | Comments (0)
Summary
Various media outlets continue to cover the worsening security situation in Syria along with the Russian Foreign Minister's visit. | There is also various media coverage of the decision to release from prison radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada. | Sky News reports that Argentina is to make a formal complaint to the UN Security Council after accusing Britain of 'militarising' the dispute over the Falkland Islands. | The Daily Mirror reports on the inquest into the death of Trooper James Leverett who died when his Viking vehicle triggered a low-metal improvised explosive device. | The Guardian highlights a report claiming the MOD tried repeatedly to hide the truth of how Tanik Mahmud died in 2003 while being transported to a secret Iraq detention camp. | There is widespread coverage of the death of Britain's last First World War veteran Florence Green. Mrs Green, aged 110, served as a mess steward at RAF bases in Marham and Narborough.
Sustaining military operations
Various papers report that the Defence Select Committee has warned that Britain will face 'significantly greater challenges' sustaining a military operation on the scale of last year's mission over Libya.
The Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, said: "This report highlights the success of our Armed Forces in saving thousands of civilian lives in Libya by taking action against the Gaddafi regime. I welcome the Committee's praise of the courage, dedication and professionalism of our Service personnel and the quality of the equipment available to them.
"The Libyan campaign shows that we retain the contingent capability to conduct operations in addition to our commitments in Afghanistan, counter-piracy off the Horn of Africa, Gulf security, and standing tasks such as the Falklands and defence of the UK.
"Conducted against the backdrop of a multi-billion pound black hole in the Defence Budget, the SDSR [Strategic Defence and Security Review] required tough decisions whose underpinning logic the Committee has previously agreed with. We retain the capability to project power abroad and meet our NATO obligations, supported by what is the world's fourth largest defence budget."
Posted on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 at 01:00 PM in Defence in the media | Permalink | Comments (0)