British Military Current Events

[jollyjacktar]

They are teflon, those two.  They'll gladly throw some poor un-politically connected bastard under the bus.  Just like they did with the RM Sgt from the sandbox.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Bloody Sunday murder inquiry 'could be derailed' after seven former soldiers launch legal action

Ex-paratroopers launch High Court bid to challenge Police Service of Northern Ireland's murder investigation into Bloody Sunday after Lance Corporal is arrested

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11989846/Bloody-Sunday-murder-inquiry-could-be-derailed-after-seven-former-soldiers-launch-legal-action.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

UK has thwarted seven Isis plots in a year, says David Cameron

Prime minister warns Paris-style attack could happen in London as he raises previously released number of foiled plots

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/16/uk-thwarts-seven-isis-plots-in-a-year-says-david-cameron

 

[daftandbarmy]

Ex-soldier insists officer wanted private 'panting like a dog', inquest hears

John Edwards tells inquest into death of Gavin Williams that Lt Col Mark Davis ordered the soldier to be marched around in alleged ‘beasting’ punishment

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/16/ex-soldier-insists-officer-wanted-private-panting-like-dog-inquest-gavin-williams

 

[daftandbarmy]

More proof that you can bribe your way to peace.... for now:

Northern Ireland power sharing saved

Five main parties in Stormont assembly strike a deal after 10 weeks of talks over paramilitary activity, welfare reform and the legacy of the Troubles

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/17/northern-ireland-power-sharing-saved

 

[CougarKing]

The RN sends one of their Daring class destroyers to join the French carrier task force headed to strike ISIS in Syria and Iraq:

Alert 5

HMS Defender to provide air defense cover for carrier Charles de Gaulle

As a French naval task force lead by aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle departs for the Mediterranean, Royal Navy warship HMS Defender will join the group of ships to provide air defense cover

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

Another name of a former RN battleship given to a future SSN:

Defence-Aerospace

£1.3Bn Contract Awarded for Latest Attack Submarine

AFP News


Both time and money are being saved on the building of Anson, the Royal Navy’s fifth Astute submarine. Savings of £50 million for the taxpayer have been achieved during negotiations with BAE Systems, and the agreed build time is to date the shortest ever for the Astute Class, with a current schedule some nine months ahead of that for Boat 3 (Artful).

Defence Minister Philip Dunne made the announcement as he visited the home of the UK’s submarine manufacturing industry based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and viewed progress already made on the new submarine.

BAE Systems employs more than 7,600 people in its Submarines business, which includes those that work on the Astute programme, with thousands more working in the 400 suppliers across the UK submarine supply chain.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[daftandbarmy]

Dramatic moment crack British troops storm a passenger ferry as fears grow of a REAL Islamist attack on UK ship

Royal Marine Commandos boarded a moving passenger ferry in Scotland during a dramatic training mission
The marines, based at HMNB Clyde scaled the side of the MV Caledonian between Ardrossan and the Isle of Arran
The navy conducts several similar ultra-realistic training missions each year using ferries and cargo vessels
Excited passengers photographed the marines as they boarded the vessel from Rigid Inflatable Boats


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3328242/Dramtic-moment-crack-British-troops-storm-passenger-ferry-fears-grow-REAL-Islamist-attack-UK-ship.html#ixzz3s8gY9wp9
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[Edward Campbell]

Changes coming, according to a report in The Telegraph, including the formation of two (new, or just reconfigured?) 5,000 strong "strike brigades" for counter-terrorist operations.

 

[MarkOttawa]

And some time ago there was "Wully" Robertson, from enlisted man to CIGS:
http://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/lunchtime-lectures/video-archive/cleverest-man-army-life-fm-sir-william-robertson

Never today in any Western service.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[daftandbarmy]

British soldiers are underpaid, overworked and taken for granted by our politicians

Unless they are paid more and listened to, they will leave the Army

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/12014337/British-soldiers-are-underpaid-overworked-and-taken-for-granted-by-our-politicians.html

 

[dimsum]

British soldiers are underpaid, overworked and taken for granted by our politicians

Unless they are paid more and listened to, they will leave the Army

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/12014337/British-soldiers-are-underpaid-overworked-and-taken-for-granted-by-our-politicians.html

Sad.

Also, is it at the point that the Brit Army has to parade in combats?  Don't they issue DEU/Service Dress?

 

[jollyjacktar]

Aren't service personnel always taken for granted by politicians?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Sad.

Also, is it at the point that the Brit Army has to parade in combats?  Don't they issue DEU/Service Dress?

Of course they issue Service Dress (No. 2 Dress). I assume that, because this is a photo of the Black Watch, they didn't want to inflame the Scottish Rebels again by showing that evil government tartan any more than necessary  ;D

 

[Cloud Cover]

Changes coming, according to a report in The Telegraph, including the formation of two (new, or just reconfigured?) 5,000 strong "strike brigades" for counter-terrorist operations.

- there are no changes to Force 2025, so these 2 brigades will be formed from existing units.
- HMS Ocean will be retired in 2018 "having reached its 20 year life span". In Canada, this would still be considered a "new" ship.  The UK will have a flight deck deficit until CV QE becomes operational
- the RAF seemed to do alright on paper, but that is a an illusion- by 2020 they will still have less aircraft with less combat power than the day before the 2010 SDSR;
- The RN got the worst of it again, the cutback in acquisition numbers of the Type 26, together with scaling back it's strike capabilities, makes the vessel and the RN less capable and with smaller numbers. Further, the supposed acquisition of smaller ships to make up for numbers is just a plan, there is no ship on the drawing board. I doubt these ships will materialize.
-GCHQ will plug away, doing what they do.

 
       

 

[Kirkhill]

- there are no changes to Force 2025, so these 2 brigades will be formed from existing units.
- HMS Ocean will be retired in 2018 "having reached its 20 year life span". In Canada, this would still be considered a "new" ship.  The UK will have a flight deck deficit until CV QE becomes operational
- the RAF seemed to do alright on paper, but that is a an illusion- by 2020 they will still have less aircraft with less combat power than the day before the 2010 SDSR;
- The RN got the worst of it again, the cutback in acquisition numbers of the Type 26, together with scaling back it's strike capabilities, makes the vessel and the RN less capable and with smaller numbers. Further, the supposed acquisition of smaller ships to make up for numbers is just a plan, there is no ship on the drawing board. I doubt these ships will materialize.
-GCHQ will plug away, doing what they do
 
     

I only take issue with this comment.  I believe there is a ship "on the drawing board".  The Type 26 was originally configured as two  variants.  C1 and C2.

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/08/the-type-26-global-combat-ship-2/

C1 was called the Task Group Enabled Surface Combatant that would undertake high intensity combat tasks such as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)

C2 was called the Stabilisation and General Purpose Combatant that would follow the C1, providing less capability than the C1 but at a lower cost.

...

Following the 2010 SDSR two distinct changes took place; the first was to emphasise economies of scale in delivering the FSC requirement via single acoustically quiet hull, thus collapsing the previously different C1 and C2 designs into a single common hull.

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/08/the-type-26-global-combat-ship-2/

 

[daftandbarmy]

Relatives lose fight for inquiry into 1948 Batang Kali 'massacre'

UK court ruling over shooting of Malayan villagers by British soldiers will affect inquiries into Northern Ireland’s Troubles

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/nov/25/relatives-lose-fight-for-inquiry-into-1948-batang-kali-massacre

 

[Cloud Cover]

IHS Janes reports 24 November 2015:

•Strategic review unveiled plans for a new class of smaller, cheaper general purpose frigate that will allow the RN to increase frigate/destroyer numbers by 2030
•Type 26 numbers reduced from 13 to eight

The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) has re-cast plans for the future size and shape of the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) surface fleet, announcing an intention to increase frigate/destroyer numbers over the long term through the introduction of a new class of general purpose frigate, but trimming the Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) programme back to just eight vessels.

In addition, two more offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are to be built - on top of the three Batch 2 River-class OPVs already on order - as part of a new national shipbuilding strategy tied into the wider fleet recapitalisation.

 

[Cloud Cover]

... and from the SDSR itself at section 4.7:

" We will maintain one of the most capable anti-submarine fleets in the world with the introduction of eight advanced Type 26 Global Combat Ships, which will start to replace our current Type 23 frigates in their anti-submarine role. We will maintain our fleet of 19 frigates and destroyers. We will also launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general
purpose frigates so that by the 2030s we can further increase the total number of frigates and destroyers. These general purpose frigates are also likely to offer increased export potentia


- the UK, like Canada, has a long history of announcing naval programs and then under delivering or not delivering at all. 

 

[daftandbarmy]

... and from the SDSR itself at section 4.7:

" We will maintain one of the most capable anti-submarine fleets in the world with the introduction of eight advanced Type 26 Global Combat Ships, which will start to replace our current Type 23 frigates in their anti-submarine role. We will maintain our fleet of 19 frigates and destroyers. We will also launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general
purpose frigates so that by the 2030s we can further increase the total number of frigates and destroyers. These general purpose frigates are also likely to offer increased export potentia


- the UK, like Canada, has a long history of announcing naval programs and then under delivering or not delivering at all.

Or delivering 'light, fast' ships that burst into flames when hit with missiles  :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sheffield_(D80)