British Military Current Events

[tomahawk6]

Royal Marines from 42 commando seized an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar. It was thought to be in violation of the UN sanctions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48882455

 

[tomahawk6]

The IRG tried taking a Brish tanker but were scared off by a British warship.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/iranian-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-boats-tried-failed-to-seize-british-oil-tanker-in-persian-gulf-senior-us-defense-official-says

 

[daftandbarmy]

Former paratroopers sue army over 'years of racism from soldiers'

A black former paratrooper has said he and a colleague had to endure years of racism in his army unit, with fellow soldiers decorating the barracks they shared with Nazi flags and pictures of Adolf Hitler.

Racial slurs and racist language were also regularly used by colleagues in 3 Para, according to Hani Gue, who is bringing a discrimination claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at an employment tribunal in central London.

In a statement, Gue said: “During the course of my employment I noticed that there were Nazi, Confederate and SS flags, and photographs of Hitler displayed in A Company’s accommodation, which is a stone’s throw away from the battalion headquarters.”

The former soldier said he had to walk past this “on a regular basis” and this situation was “not a single incident … it happened several times”.
 
Both Gue and L/Cpl Nkululeko Zulu, a South African, have taken the MoD to a tribunal alleging they suffered racial discrimination and harassment and no reasonable steps were taken to prevent it.

It is the latest in a series of controversies that have engulfed 3 Para. In April, four members of the battalion were seen shooting wax bullets at a poster of the Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, on a target range in Kabul. The video leaked online, prompting an investigation.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/02/former-paratroopers-sue-army-over-years-of-racism-from-soldiers

 

[The Bread Guy]

Ouch!!!!

Victims' pension: Troubles fund 'rejected if paramilitaries eligible'
By Julian Fowler & Jayne McCormack BBC News NI

The family of a former soldier left brain-damaged by a bomb 40 years ago said they will not accept a Troubles-related pension if injured ex-paramilitaries also receive one.

County Fermanagh man Grant Weir was injured when the IRA attacked his Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) patrol.

The victims' commissioner has said people badly injured in the Troubles should be able to apply for a pension.

That includes those who were hurt while carrying out attacks.

The commissioner, Judith Thompson, has advised the government on the issue and acknowledges there are political sensitivities around eligibility.

She gave her advice to the government in May, but it has only now been made public.

The legislation would help people who have been unable to work and earn their own pension due to severe and permanent physical and psychological injuries as a result of the conflict.

(...)

A victim's pension would "make a massive difference" to the family, said Mrs Palmer.

"Financially it would definitely allow us to help out with Grant a great deal," she said.

"However, if that also meant that potentially the... people responsible for blowing up Grant... would have an entitlement to that same pension... it's beyond belief.

"As a family, we would never accept a payment if it meant that the people who went out to destroy lives, destroy families, were to be put into the same category... as Grant, whose life they have destroyed." ...

More @ link

 

[FJAG]

Army trains 14,000 troops to tackle ditigal crime and propaganda on online battlefield amid Russian cyber threat
Jamming enemy signals and disrupting communications will be in their role

'The Army must remain adaptable and evolve as a fighting force,' bosses say
It is being rebalanced to deal with 'constant competition' faced by troops
In June Russian outlets spread fake stories about Brit troops in Croatia

By LARISA BROWN DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL

The Army has created a division of more than 14,000 soldiers to tackle threats such as cyber attacks and propaganda spread online.

Soldiers from the secretive 77th Brigade disinformation unit will combine forces with electronic warfare and intelligence specialists to create the new 6th Division.

Based at Upavon in Wiltshire, troops will carry out tasks such as jamming enemy signals and disrupting communications.

It will also include soldiers on computers working with GCHQ spies to take out internet trolls and wage its own offensive cyber attacks – such as erasing propaganda.

The 14,500-strong force is the first division dedicated to tackling the blurred boundaries between conventional and unconventional warfare.

Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, who in his role as Commander Field Army has responsibility for preparing for new threats, said: 'The character of warfare continues to change. The Army must remain adaptable and evolve as a fighting force.'

He said the intention was to 'rebalance' the Army's formations to meet the challenges of 'constant competition'.

Lieutenant General Jones added: 'The speed of change is moving at a remarkable rate and it will only get faster and more complex.' The 6th Division, established today, will focus on cyber, electronic warfare, intelligence, information operations and unconventional warfare.

It will include 1st Signal Brigade, 11th Signal Brigade, 1st Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade, 77th Brigade and the Specialist Infantry Group.

Army chiefs were disturbed in June when Russian outlets spread fake information about British troops behaving badly during airborne exercises in Croatia.

Under the changes, the 1st Division will take on responsibility for national contingencies, including the evacuation of British nationals from war-torn areas. The 3rd Division will remain the Army's primary armoured fighting force. 

See article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7308377/Army-bosses-launch-unit-14-000-troops-tackle-cyber-crime-online-propaganda.html

6th (UK) Division Wikipedia page here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_(United_Kingdom)_Division

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

See article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7308377/Army-bosses-launch-unit-14-000-troops-tackle-cyber-crime-online-propaganda.html

6th (UK) Division Wikipedia page here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_(United_Kingdom)_Division

:cheers:

The Neo-Chindits....

I hope they have another crazy commander. Character counts for alot.

 

[tomahawk6]

Jet suit can go 60mph.

https://youtu.be/9AouOf3hHqg

 

[FJAG]

British Army recruitment crisis leaves regiments up to 40% below optimum strength, shock figures reveal
By HANNAH DAWSON FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 20:33 EDT, 9 August 2019 | UPDATED: 21:29 EDT, 9 August 2019

The Army has been hit by a recruitment crisis – with a shortfall of more than 2,500 frontline soldiers compared with troop numbers in 2015.

There was a deficit of 7.6 per cent across the Army on January 1, according to figures published by the Ministry of Defence.

But for troops on the front line the lack of personnel is much more dramatic.

As tensions around the world hot up, frontline combat units are operating at as much as 40 per cent below their optimum strength, it has been reported.

The number of soldiers in the infantry regiments has steadily declined over the past five years, prompting criticism of the outsourcing company Capita, which has managed recruitment in the Armed Forces since 2012.

Nine of the 16 infantry regiments are operating a fifth or more below the number of personnel needed – and four are operating at a quarter or more below their strength.

However, all 16 regular regiments have shortfalls, the Guardian reported.

The Scots Guards, formed in 1642, has been worst affected.

The regiment, which has fought in almost every significant conflict since the reign of Charles I, is 257 soldiers – or 37 per cent – below its target strength of 697. If its supporting unit, F company, is removed from the figures, the shortfall increases to 42 per cent.

Labour defence spokesman Nia Griffith called on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to get to grips with the recruitment crisis as a matter of urgency.

She said: ‘Several of his Conservative predecessors have talked a good game, but all have failed to turn this shocking trend around.

‘At a time when our country faces an increasing number of threats, it is simply unacceptable for numbers to be falling year after year.’

Conservative MP Bob Seely, a former Army reservist, said the outsourcing of troop recruitment had failed, adding: ‘I’m afraid to say that Capita have not been a success. If you talk to people who are wanting to go into the Army, the most common way they describe it is shambolic and chaotic.’

The Ministry of Defence figures show there were more than 2,580 fewer soldiers in infantry regiments than nearly five years ago. At the start of 2015, there were 15,880 personnel serving in regimental roles – 6 per cent fewer than the 16,847 needed.

But as of January 1 there were 13,300 people serving – 17 per cent below the current target strength of 15,940.

Some officials have criticised the ten-year contract the Ministry of Defence signed with Capita in 2012.

The National Audit Office found in December that Capita had consistently missed the Army’s recruitment targets, with a shortfall of 21 per cent to 45 per cent each year.

Meanwhile, the Commons public accounts committee said in March that the Capita contract had ‘failed dismally’.

Experts have cited various factors for recruitment difficulties, including low unemployment in Britain in recent years and the absence of any major conflicts involving the Army.

There have also been problems with retention of personnel, with under-employed soldiers having to carry out repetitive training exercises just to keep busy.

There was a net outflow of 2,130 personnel in the year to March 31.

An Army spokesman said: ‘The Army continues to meet all its operational commitments to keep Britain safe. Applications to join are at a five-year high, with around 77,000 applications to join as a regular soldier alone in 2018-19.’

A Capita spokesperson said: 'The partnership is in the middle of a well-publicised re-set, which started last year but is already seeing excellent results. This includes the busiest quarter since the partnership started seven years ago, with 1,000 more enlistments in January to March than the same three months last year; a successful trial to halve the amount of time to get recruits from application to basic training; and increasingly high proportions of applicants getting an offer of basic training, which is substantially better than pre-2012.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7343205/British-Army-recruitment-crisis-leaves-regiments-40-optimum-strength-figures-show.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7343205/British-Army-recruitment-crisis-leaves-regiments-40-optimum-strength-figures-show.html

Seems the US Army has similar issues: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/01/29/after-a-rough-2018-army-recruiting-is-trying-to-turn-around-both-its-strategies-and-its-notorious-culture/

When I was in London last month, a city of about 10 million people, I rode the tube alot and wandered around in various public areas. Not one sign of any recruiting media or activities, apart from the changing of the guard at Buck House. In contrast, there was alot of posters etc advertising various music and other large acle social events, which are well attended.

Maybe they need to contract with the roadies for various bands instead of a big marketing firm?

 

[FJAG]

Actually the part that got me was the fact that applications are at a five-year high of 77,000. That seems more indicative of a problem with predicting vacancies and properly administering/training the flow of replacements.

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Meanwhile, from the desk of yet another angry, retired Army Officer:

The Army has been taken over by PC dreamers who are putting lives at risk
Tim Collins

Members of the armed forces are being told to avoid gendered language like "mankind" and "sportsmanship" in favour of neutral terms.

Guidelines are displayed in the toilets of a base which trains members of the Amy, Navy and RAF.
Among the suggestions is to use "ancestors" or "forebears" instead of forefathers.

It also offers "people, folks, friends" as alternatives to "chap".
Instead of "man in the street", it is suggested that military ranks might use "average citizen/person", and for "housewife" the guidance gives "shopper, homemaker".

"Sportsmanship" and "mankind" are to be replaced with "fairness, good humour" and "humanity, humankind, human race, people" respectively.

One soldier said the sign was "politically-correct". "It's the daftest thing ever," he told the Sun newspaper.

The guide was authored by the Joint Equality Diversity and Inclusion unit, or Jedi, as it is known to troops.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “We are continuously promoting a modern, inclusive, working environment to ensure individuals are recognised and feel valued.”

It comes after the Army backtracked over plans to drop the 'Be the Best' slogan. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson blocked the rebranding proposal, after a leaked document described the slogan as "elitist".

"The Defence Secretary believes that the British Army is the best of the best and has put these proposals on hold," a spokesman for the MoD said on Sunday.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/27/armed-forces-told-use-gender-neutral-language/

 

[Cloud Cover]

“JEDI”- the main protagonists in the Star Wars universe.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Prince Harry made an unannounced royal appearance at Sandhurst to give a lecture on mental health at an Army conference

    Prince Harry, 35, attended an army conference at Sandhurst yesterday
    Joined former footballer Rio Ferdinand and Olympic rower Heather Stanning
    Royal is believed to have given a 'full briefing on mental health' for soldiers
    Glenn Haughton OBA MBA shared a snap alongside the royal on Twitter
    The royal looked relaxed as he pointed at a hashtag #TimeToTalk sign 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7434607/Prince-Harry-attends-Army-conference-physical-mental-soldiers.html

 

[Cloud Cover]

the link says it all....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1527391/Blinded-soldier-thanks-girl-fundraising-triathlon.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Child Soldiers of the British Army

"Well, let me tell you, as an uneducated teen recruit from a poorer background on the edge of a northern English city, I am unfathomably thankful that I was figuratively captured and bundled into the back of a khaki green Bedford truck on the 10th January 2000, the first day of the rest of my life."

Isaac Newton’s third law sums it up best. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Newton’s third law applies to physics of course; specifically to action/reaction force pairs. However, the third law should also be applied in a wider context too.

As such I make no apologies for interrupting those who are busying themselves with the sharpening of their pitchforks, and the lighting of their paraffin coated torches. Once again we are hearing the cat calls to abolish the recruitment of 16 year olds into the British Military. And once again the evidence is stacked highly on one side only, ignoring Newton and his third law completely.

In August 2019, The Guardian wrote about how the British Army is ‘leaning on’ under 18s to help fill recruitment gaps. The article airs the moot views of the Child Rights International Network’s (CIRN) stance on the situation, which is, that “the army is leaning on teenagers from the most deprived backgrounds to fix its recruitment crises, using them to fill the riskiest roles because it can’t persuade enough adults to enlist.” Well hang on a minute, is this a bad thing? And are the CIRN aware that no soldiers are exposed to real risk until such time that they are legally classed as adults? Are we to believe that the army employs a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang like child catcher to stuff unwilling children into the back of a military vehicle, before whisking them off to fight and die on a foreign field of battle?

Apparently these children who are recruited/kidnapped, hail “from poorer backgrounds, such as on the edges of cities in the north of England”, so, if you have children in that area, be on the look for military personnel attempting to lure them away; be warned though, spotting them is typically difficult, as these military child catchers are experts in the art of camouflage and concealment!

In February 2019, The Guardian, wrote how the “irresponsible policy of recruiting 16 year –olds put their (the recruits) health at risk”. It isn’t just The Guardian who publish this one sided propaganda though. No, we are seeing it from the Independent, from BMJ, child-soldiers.org, inews.co.uk, any many more.

Well, let me tell you, as an uneducated teen recruit from a poorer background on the edge of a northern English city, I am unfathomably thankful that I was figuratively captured and bundled into the back of a khaki green Bedford truck on the 10th January 2000, the first day of the rest of my life

The argument will have us believe that the military is some sort of cultish organisation that preys on the impressionable minds of children, brain washing them to its purpose, and then casting them aside once they are damaged beyond repair. Do the naysayers realise that those below the age of 18 are to receive parental/legal guardian consent to join the military? This being a procedure that has always been in place, in order to ensure that the decision to join the military is not taken lightly. Those opposed to minors joining the military argue that other than the obvious dangers of military life, those joining are more susceptible to mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety, than their civilian counterparts. It is indeed substantiated that military personnel have suffered from ill mental health in large numbers in recent years. This is nothing to do with age so much as it is to do with operational tempo and exposure to traumatic situations in Afghanistan and the like. As previously stated, nobody under the age of 18 will set foot in such hostile environments whilst serving in the British military. So really, what is the argument?

Let’s put the shoe on the other foot shall we? Let’s look at what would likely happen if we did put a stop to under 18s joining the military.

As previously stated, I, like many others, am one such example that they speak of. I come from a town called Oswaldtwistle, a small town in Lancashire in the north of England, not too far from the city of Manchester. Oswaldtwistle is stereotypically your classic dead end town. Don’t get me wrong, they are not my words. I like Oswaldtwistle, and I love my family and friends who live there. What I mean to say is that Oswaldtwistle is of the lower class demographic, has average to poor schools, cheap housing, little in terms of work and career prospects, and a fair amount of violence, crime, drugs, and alcohol.

There are many successful people in that small town, and there are many successes yet to come. Now although one can never know for sure, we can always rely on probability. The probability of me ever doing anything purposeful with my life within the confines of Oswaldtwistle was pretty bloody slim.

I left school in 1999 without so much as a C grade in any subject that I had taken. With little work ethic, a less than ideal home life, zero reputable school grades, and zero direction in life, I was on a collision course for a miserable existence… until I joined the army that is.

Fast forward 20 years and the story is rather different. As I type this I sit in my home in Sydney, Australia. I moved here recently when I joined the Australian Military. I received permanent residency for my entire family and I, before ever stepping foot on the dusty orange soil down here. We are now awaiting the granting of our citizenship that we are now eligible for, despite being here only 10 months, thanks to the army.

I earn a wage well beyond the national average of the UK and of Australia, thanks to the army. I re-sat and passed my school exams at a time that I was more mature, and ready to do so, thanks to the army. I am half way through a BA Hons History degree, and am about to start a fully paid up sponsored degree in leadership, thanks to the army. I have a civilian trade, thanks to the army. I am an experienced commercial diver, thanks to the army. I have a true morale compass and a real sense of right and wrong, underpinned by a host of core values and principles, thanks to the army. I have been to 33 countries, and have banked inexplicably unique experiences and memories for life, thanks to the army. I have a wonderful wife, and 3 beautiful children; a wife and children I would not have had, had I not lived in a certain part of the UK at a certain time of my life. I lived in that part of the UK at that exact time with thanks to the army. I now have prospects for success outside of the military based entirely upon the experiences I have gained from my life in the military. I am so fiercely thankful for the opportunity that was afforded to me at a time that was so undeniably crucial to the rest of my life.

Do we get the point? Do you think that my circumstances are unique? Before the army educated me, I would have had to remove my shoes and socks to count the amount of people that I personally know who share my experience. There are literally tens of thousands of people who owe their happiness to their life in the military. What becomes of the 16 year olds who do not join the military? What do they do with their misguided time whilst waiting to turn 18? How many will be sucked in to a life of dead end jobs, crime, addiction, and ill mental health. I know that I was heading that way for sure. Thankfully we do not hold the statistics to answer that question. The reason we don’t hold the statistics is because in the here and now, the British military still offers a real future to those of us who need it the most. Those of us who were/are otherwise on a road to nowhere.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6576537305270534144/?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A6576537305270534144%2C6579556772028178432%29&midToken=AQHMT_vMK3VMqQ&trk=eml-email_notification_single_commented_on_your_update_01-notifications-1-hero%7Ecard%7Efeed&trkEmail=eml-email_notification_single_commented_on_your_update_01-notifications-1-hero%7Ecard%7Efeed-null-9rgy9%7Ek0n99f62%7Eli-null-voyagerOffline

 

[daftandbarmy]

SAS hero with shotgun 'kills five ISIS fighters including two wearing suicide vests in just seven seconds during raid on jihadi bomb factory in Iraq'

    A 12-man SAS team were observing suspected IS bomb factory in Iraq
    Performed a dawn raid on the property when they expected attack was imminent
    Officer armed with shotgun took down five 'heavily armed men' in quick succession, before several others surrendered

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7465523/SAS-hero-shotgun-kills-five-ISIS-fighters-just-seven-seconds.html?ito=social-facebook

 

[FJAG]

SAS hero with shotgun 'kills five ISIS fighters including two wearing suicide vests in just seven seconds during raid on jihadi bomb factory in Iraq'

    A 12-man SAS team were observing suspected IS bomb factory in Iraq
    Performed a dawn raid on the property when they expected attack was imminent
    Officer armed with shotgun took down five 'heavily armed men' in quick succession, before several others surrendered

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7465523/SAS-hero-shotgun-kills-five-ISIS-fighters-just-seven-seconds.html?ito=social-facebook

So when does the public inquiry/prosecution start about how the SAS man took down three local businessmen right after prayers before they had an opportunity to defend themselves and get a shot off? Clearly an example of excessive use of force. (An yes, that's  :sarcasm: folks)

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

So when does the public inquiry/prosecution start about how the SAS man took down three local businessmen right after prayers before they had an opportunity to defend themselves and get a shot off? Clearly an example of excessive use of force. (An yes, that's  :sarcasm: folks)

:cheers:

If it was the SAS.

Alot of the other 'sneaky peekies' enjoy having the SAS around because they take the rap for a bunch of stuff

 

[FJAG]

If it was the SAS.

Alot of the other 'sneaky peekies' enjoy having the SAS around because they take the rap for a bunch of stuff

But! But! The Daily Mail said SAS six times in the article. When has the Daily Mail ever been wrong?

;D

 

[daftandbarmy]

UK would obey court order to repay Iran £400m, says Hunt

Ex-foreign secretary adds debt would not form deal for release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe


He accused the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, of explicitly linking the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe to the UK payment of a historical debt owed by the UK. The debt relates to a deal in the 1980s over the UK’s non-delivery of Chieftain tanks for which a previous Iranian regime had paid.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/24/uk-would-obey-court-order-to-pay-iran-over-400m-says-jeremy-hunt