Summary
ITV and Channel 4 News have reported that following the inquest into the death of Lieutenant Mark Evison of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, his mother has voiced her concerns that a helicopter sent to evacuate him when he was injured was delayed. | There have been several newspaper articles about how hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Wooton Bassett yesterday, as the bodies of Marine Jonathan David Thomas Crookes, from 40 Commando Royal Marines, Senior Aircraftman Kinikki "Griff" Griffiths, from the RAF Regiment, Sergeant David Thomas Monkhouse, from The Royal Dragoon Guards, and Staff Sergeant Brett George Linley, from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, who all died within a 24-hour period, were brought home from Afghanistan. | The Daily Mirror claims that the Government is buying its way out of Afghanistan ahead of the next general election. | The Guardian features an opinion piece suggesting that it is time for the Government to admit that Iraq was an illegal war. | Various media outlets have reported that The Prince of Wales presenting Afghanistan campaign medals to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps who were given the Honorary Freedom of St Edmundsbury yesterday.
Corporal Matthew James Stenton and Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse killed in Afghanistan
It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Corporal Matthew James Stenton from the Royal Dragoon Guards and Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse from 1st Battalion Scots Guards were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 21 July 2010. Click here to read more.
Future of UK military capability
The Daily Telegraph reports that in an interview in the paper, Dr Liam Fox says that the dire state of the public finances mean the Armed Forces could no longer be equipped to cover every conceivable danger.
The ongoing Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) will ensure the UK has the military capability to deal with the realistic threats we may face as a country.
The starting point of the SDSR has always been to establish the baseline of threat which would then inform issues such as the force generation, structure and equipment across the Armed Forces.
It is of course the case that the review will consider all of these issues in the context of a post-Cold War world, the UK's membership of NATO, the United Nations and the European Union and the requirement of all of Government, including Defence, to play its role in rebuilding a strong UK economy.
Laptop losses
Several newspapers have reported the loss of laptop computers from Government departments over the past two years, including the Ministry of Defence. The MOD takes any loss of media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place. New processes, instructions and technological aids have also been implemented to mitigate human errors and raise awareness of every individual in the Department. Investigations are undertaken into every loss or theft, and appropriate disciplinary action taken.
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