Defence News

Defence News: 31 August 2010

HMS Gloucester foils drug smugglers
British forces mentor the next Afghan military leaders
Army officer's Masters helps save money at Camp Bastion
UK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy
FAB holidays help bereaved Service families

Defence in the Media: 31 August 2010

Summary
On Saturday, the BBC reported that the Royal Air Force was flying in aid for more than 3,000 families left stranded by the devastating floods in Pakistan. | The Daily Mail reported that a farmer is suing the Ministry of Defence as he claims 4,800 of his chickens died from fright when two fighter jets roared in the sky above them. | The Daily Mirror and The Times featured articles claiming that Taliban spies have infiltrated army bases in Afghanistan. | The Independent reported on an attack on a base in Kandahar. | The Daily Telegraph reported that Russian submarines are 'hunting down British Vanguard boats on a return to Cold War tactics'. | The Sunday Express reported that the National Security Council will pave the way for the deepest defence cuts for a generation this week when it draws up a shortlist of cost savings from as many as 250 options. | The Observer reports that President Obama has said the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq means 'the war is ending' and Baghdad is in a position to chart its own future. | The Guardian claims that the Government is to introduce a wholesale change to Britain’s overseas aid budget by demanding that projects in the developing world must make the 'maximum possible contribution' to British national security, according to a leaked Whitehall paper. | Various media outlets have reported that armed men have killed five campaigners working for a female candidate in next month's parliamentary election in Afghanistan. | The Daily Telegraph reported that plans to build jump jets for the next generation of Royal Navy aircraft carriers are to be scrapped to save money. | Various media outlets have reported today that Britain and France could share their aircraft carrier capability in a co-operation pact designed to maintain military power while cutting costs. | The Times claims Ministers may scrap a £10.5bn plan to build air-refuelling tankers for the RAF after the value of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) deal was questioned. | Several media sources have reported that seven US soldiers have been killed in two separate roadside bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan. | The Guardian reports that the British Government has launched a probe into the disappearance of an injured Iraqi boy taken into care by the British Army seven years ago.

HMS Gloucester foils drug smugglers
Various media have reported that HMS Gloucester has intercepted a yacht in the mid-Atlantic smuggling cocaine with a UK street value of at least £4m. The incident happened in the early hours of Friday 27 August 2010, when a Law Enforcement Detachment from Cape Verde, embarked on HMS Gloucester, boarded the suspect yacht.

SDSR to be concluded in the autumn
There have been several different stories in the media claiming that various areas of the UK's Armed Forces are preparing to be cut. The Defence Secretary has made clear that tough decisions will need to be made but the complex process of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) will only be concluded in the autumn. Speculation at this stage about its outcome is entirely unfounded.

Parliamentary questions regarding nuclear test veterans
The Daily Mail reports that the speaker's representatives have banned MPs from asking questions or tabling debates on the nuclear test veterans' appeal for compensation. The MOD was requested to provide a letter of guidance to the House of Commons authorities on the nuclear test veterans' legal case. We advised that MPs are free to ask questions and table debates but responses will understandably be constrained by ongoing legal proceedings.

Image of the Day: 31 August 2010

The UK's most powerful attack submarine, HMS Astute, has been welcomed into the Royal Navy. In a commissioning ceremony overseen by the boat's patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, Astute officially became 'Her Majesty's Ship'. Pictured, the Guard of Honour from HMS Astute await inspection by the Duchess of Cornwall. Click here to read more. [Picture: LA(Phot) Stuart Hill, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

Defence Diary: 31 August 2010

Today, Tuesday 31 August 2010
Turkish Armed Forces Day reception in London.

Tomorrow, Wednesday 1 September 2010
Inquest in Birmingham into the death of Private Richard Hunt, from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, who died at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Selly Oak on 15 August 2009 from wounds sustained in Afghanistan.

Thursday 2 September 2010
Inquest in Gateshead into the death of Sapper David Watson, from 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), who was killed in Afghanistan on 31 December 2009.

Friday 3 September 2010
TV programme of interest: 'Sea Patrol UK', National Geographic Channel, 2100hrs. Documentary following the elite multi-agency team that includes the RAF, the Royal Navy, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Customs, who patrol the English Channel.

Saturday 4 September 2010
Battle of Britain 70th anniversary concert at Chartwell.

Monday 6 September 2010
Inquest in Walthamstow into the death of Rifleman Martin Kinggett, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, who was killed in Afghanistan on 25 February 2010.
6 Squadron stand up at RAF Leuchars.

Tuesday 7 September 2010
Battle of Britain City of London salute to RAF veterans of the Second World War at St Paul's Cathedral.

Defence News: 27 August 2010

Brothers battle Taliban to uncover IED factory
UK and US Service personnel to run across America for injured colleagues
Royal Navy wows the crowds at Bournemouth Air Festival
RAF Gunners prepare for Afghanistan
Royal Navy mine countermeasures flotilla sails for exercise in the Gulf

Defence in the Media: 27 August 2010

Summary
ITV News has featured an interview with Lance Corporal Matthew Wilson, a single amputee who was injured in Afghanistan, who is worried about the growing rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among his colleagues. | Various media outlets have reported that senior military figures have expressed concern about the security arrangements for a recent trip by Prime Minister David Cameron to Afghanistan. | Several media sources have reported that defence manufacturers have asked David Cameron to clear up confusion over how the replacement for Britain's nuclear deterrent will be funded. | BBC Radio 4's Today programme features coverage of the support that the RAF has been providing Pakistan in the wake of the floods, including the deployment of helicopters and Bailey bridges. | The Sun reports that Prince William has passed a gruelling RAF helicopter test called Yellow Scorpion. | The Times features an article by former Deputy Commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, who has defended the war against Saddam Hussein's regime. | The Guardian and The Independent report that campaigners have claimed that the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War had paid only 'derisory' attention to Iraqi casualties in the conflict. | The Daily Telegraph claims large numbers of Army commanders face the sack after new figures show that the Service is overmanned by more than 800 officers, costing Defence more than £85m a year; and the Daily Mirror reports that dozens of SAS troops are facing the sack because of MOD spending cuts. | The Sun features an article about Andy Reid, a triple amputee who serves with 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, who will ride a trike across Britain to raise money for charity Help for Heroes.

Image of the Day: 27 August 2010

Royal Marines Commandos thrilled the crowds at the Bournemouth Air Festival last weekend. The Royal Marines alongside their Royal Navy counterparts demonstrated elements of an amphibious beach assault every day of the festival. Their display featured guns, explosives, fast offshore raiding craft and helicopters - all in a day's work for the Royal Marines and their Reservists. Also, each evening Royal Marines fought hand-to-hand in an unarmed combat display. Pictured, Royal Marines take part in an amphibious demonstration during the festival. Click here to read more. [Picture: Alex Sheppard, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

Defence Diary: 27 August 2010

Today, Friday 27 August 2010
Repatriation to RAF Lyneham of Lance Corporal Jordan Dean Bancroft, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday 21 August 2010.
Commissioning of the Royal Navy's new submarine Astute.

Monday 30 August 2010
Bank Holiday in England and Wales.

Wednesday 1 September 2010
Inquest in Birmingham into the death of Private Richard Hunt, from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, who died at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Selly Oak on 15 August 2009 from wounds sustained in Afghanistan.

Thursday 2 September 2010
Inquest in Gateshead into the death of Sapper David Watson, from 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), who was killed in Afghanistan on 31 December 2009.

Defence News: 26 August 2010

Poppy eradication in Helmand gains momentum
Latest UK Armed Forces manning figures released
Selling Pot Noodles on Afghanistan's front line
Pakistan flood relief update
New batteries lighten load for troops in Afghanistan

Defence in the Media: 26 August 2010

Summary
The BBC has reported that Taliban militants have killed eight Afghan police officers in the northern province of Kunduz. | Sky News has featured interviews with two Royal Marines who will be among a team of four British Service personnel and one American who will spend eight weeks running across America. | The Daily Mail reports that retired servicemen face losing hundreds of thousands of pounds from their pensions because of a Government decision to link pensions to the Consumer Price Index, instead of the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. | The Daily Telegraph reports that NATO supplies to Afghanistan have been disrupted by flooding in Pakistan that has washed away bridges and closed major roads. | The Guardian features an article about how a total of 46 students and nine teachers were treated in hospital after an apparent poison attack on a Kabul school blamed on militants who oppose the education of girls. | Various media outlets have reported that Winston Churchill's Battle of Britain speech is to be set to music and released on an album, after the Central Band of the RAF signed a recording deal.