Summary
There has been extensive media coverage of General Sir Peter Wall's appointment as the new Chief of the General Staff. | Various news outlets have reported that the Taliban have said they are studying the WikiLeaks website carefully and will be 'taking action' against the Afghans named in documents for providing help to the NATO forces in the country. | The Guardian features the diary of a reporter who was embedded with a US helicopter ambulance crew. | The Daily Telegraph reports that the Taliban has praised the Dutch Government for pulling its troops out of Afghanistan. | The Times and The Independent report that a leaked document on the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) claims to show that the Tornado and Harrier fleets could be grounded as a cost-saving measure, with the Tornado cuts saving more than the Harrier cuts. | Various media report that the Chancellor George Osborne has told the MOD that the Department will have to shoulder the cost of replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent from its budget. | In an interview with the Metro, Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said the financial backdrop of the SDSR was appalling and blamed the Labour Government for the financial mess. | Channel 4 News reported that General Sir David Richards took officer cadets to see a theatre production called 'The Great Game', about foreign incursions into Afghanistan, to help them understand the people, the culture and the history of the country.
British and Afghan forces launch operation in central Helmand
British and Afghan forces, led by 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, launched an operation this morning to continue the momentum generated by Operation MOSHTARAK and further squeeze insurgents in central Helmand. Operation TOR SHEZADA - Black Prince - has been planned and is being executed by ISAF forces working hand-in-hand with their Afghan counterparts. The operation involves British troops partnering Afghan forces from 3rd Brigade, 215 Corps, to clear insurgents from Sayedabad to the south of Nad 'Ali in Helmand province and prevent them from being able to use the area as a base from which to launch attacks. Click here to read more.
Use of bearskin in ceremonial caps
An article in The Times has been critical of the use of bearskin in the ceremonial caps worn by the British Army's Guards regiments, saying a synthetic replacement should be used. No bears are killed specifically for bearskin hats for the British Army. All bearskins used in the UK are sourced from Canada where bears are culled under the direction of the Canadian Government to keep the bear population under control. The MOD remains open to testing material that industry might offer us to assess whether a faux fur meets the requirements for a replacement bearskin hat material. So far industry has not been able to produce a suitable material to meet the Guards' requirements.
Troops were not 'sitting ducks'
The Financial Times today makes reference to comments by General Sir Peter Wall at the Iraq Inquiry in January 2010. Sir Roderic Lyne asked General Wall whether or not he thought that British troops in Basra were 'sitting ducks' and General Wall's response was reported on at the time by the Guardian. As the Guardian explained in their article, which was corrected after publication, General Wall himself did not use the expression 'sitting ducks' or agree with it; he merely acknowledged that that expression had been used in the past. The Guardian also reported his fuller response to the question from Sir Roderic Lyne.
