British Military Current Events
- Thread starter daftandbarmy
- Start date
FJAG
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 13,215
- Points
- 1,160
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
British Army soldier under investigation after threatening MP with ‘civil war’ over Brexit
Serviceman posted tweet reading: ‘C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming’
Daniel Goshawk called Labour’s Angela Rayner a “stupid b****”, adding: “C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming. 17.4 million people are gunning for blood if we don’t leave.”
He was replying to a tweet where Ms Rayner criticised the attorney general’s response to a Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of parliament was unlawful
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/daniel-goshawk-soldier-brexit-civil-war-mp-angela-rayner-a9123921.html
Serviceman posted tweet reading: ‘C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming’
Daniel Goshawk called Labour’s Angela Rayner a “stupid b****”, adding: “C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming. 17.4 million people are gunning for blood if we don’t leave.”
He was replying to a tweet where Ms Rayner criticised the attorney general’s response to a Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of parliament was unlawful
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/daniel-goshawk-soldier-brexit-civil-war-mp-angela-rayner-a9123921.html
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
Thousands of military veterans 'let down by medical discharge failures'
Many veterans forced to leave without proper diagnosis or medical support, says charity
Military veterans are being “seriously failed” by the existing medical discharge process, which has led to tens of thousands being forced to leave the armed forces without a proper diagnosis or long-term medical support.
The veterans charity Help for Heroes said the experiences of those seriously wounded, with mental health problems or otherwise unable to serve could be vastly improved with the introduction of some basic medical practices.
At the launch of a campaign, Mel Waters, the Help for Heroes chief executive, said forces personnel should be given a proper medical assessment before being discharged and a full diagnosis should be shared with the NHS to ensure continuity of care.
“The medical discharge process is seriously failing those who are let down by major inconsistencies in support, so we’re calling on the government to commission an independent review,” Waters said.
A total of 36,696 people have been medically discharged over the past 20 years, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), including 1,869 in 2018-19, mostly from musculoskeletal injuries and mental and behavioural disorders.
Seven out of 10 veterans surveyed by Help for Heroes said they had had a negative or very negative experience of their transition out of the armed forces, with some reporting feeling abandoned almost overnight once their health deteriorated.
Tommy Lowther, from Darlington, was abruptly discharged from the army in 2001 while he was on compassionate leave, after having been raped by three men, who were not soldiers, while he was in Gibraltar on military exercises.
“I went from being a confident young man bursting with pride to be in the armed forces to feeling broken,” Lowther said. “They didn’t believe me at first, and I had to undergo a medical examination. Even after that, people bullied me, were saying I brought it on.”
Lowther continued as a soldier but said he increasingly struggled – “I was drinking and getting involved in fights” – to the point where he was sent home on compassionate leave, where he thought he would be given time to recover.
“One day a letter came, and it said I was medically discharged. I was so young and impressionable that I took it as gospel; I hadn’t been diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health issues and tried to carry on as normal,” he told the Guardian.
The veteran said he took a job with the Metropolitan police, then with the drugs company GlaxoSmithKline, but had problems with alcohol and violence before finding in 2014 he was suddenly and intensely “driven to contemplating suicide”.
Lowther said he found he was unable to cope with his entire experience of being in the army – including a tour in Northern Ireland in 2000 – as well as the police. His health only began to recover after contacting Help for Heroes and taking part in its Pathfinder recovery programme.
Mental health-related discharges have been on the rise over the past five years in the aftermath of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, official figures show. Recent studies show symptoms can occur several years after the original events.
Lowther said his experience demonstrated that “you need a proper diagnosis before you leave, and that there should be clear notice periods; so they can’t legally force people out while they are on compassionate leave as I was”.
The MoD said fewer than 2% of personnel who had served in the armed forces over the past 20 years were medically discharged, and said the tens of thousands who had been followed a long period of military conflict. “The 36,696 personnel medically discharged over 20 years reflects a period of high operational tempo, including conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” a spokesman said.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/08/thousands-british-military-veterans-let-down-medical-discharge-failures
Many veterans forced to leave without proper diagnosis or medical support, says charity
Military veterans are being “seriously failed” by the existing medical discharge process, which has led to tens of thousands being forced to leave the armed forces without a proper diagnosis or long-term medical support.
The veterans charity Help for Heroes said the experiences of those seriously wounded, with mental health problems or otherwise unable to serve could be vastly improved with the introduction of some basic medical practices.
At the launch of a campaign, Mel Waters, the Help for Heroes chief executive, said forces personnel should be given a proper medical assessment before being discharged and a full diagnosis should be shared with the NHS to ensure continuity of care.
“The medical discharge process is seriously failing those who are let down by major inconsistencies in support, so we’re calling on the government to commission an independent review,” Waters said.
A total of 36,696 people have been medically discharged over the past 20 years, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), including 1,869 in 2018-19, mostly from musculoskeletal injuries and mental and behavioural disorders.
Seven out of 10 veterans surveyed by Help for Heroes said they had had a negative or very negative experience of their transition out of the armed forces, with some reporting feeling abandoned almost overnight once their health deteriorated.
Tommy Lowther, from Darlington, was abruptly discharged from the army in 2001 while he was on compassionate leave, after having been raped by three men, who were not soldiers, while he was in Gibraltar on military exercises.
“I went from being a confident young man bursting with pride to be in the armed forces to feeling broken,” Lowther said. “They didn’t believe me at first, and I had to undergo a medical examination. Even after that, people bullied me, were saying I brought it on.”
Lowther continued as a soldier but said he increasingly struggled – “I was drinking and getting involved in fights” – to the point where he was sent home on compassionate leave, where he thought he would be given time to recover.
“One day a letter came, and it said I was medically discharged. I was so young and impressionable that I took it as gospel; I hadn’t been diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health issues and tried to carry on as normal,” he told the Guardian.
The veteran said he took a job with the Metropolitan police, then with the drugs company GlaxoSmithKline, but had problems with alcohol and violence before finding in 2014 he was suddenly and intensely “driven to contemplating suicide”.
Lowther said he found he was unable to cope with his entire experience of being in the army – including a tour in Northern Ireland in 2000 – as well as the police. His health only began to recover after contacting Help for Heroes and taking part in its Pathfinder recovery programme.
Mental health-related discharges have been on the rise over the past five years in the aftermath of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, official figures show. Recent studies show symptoms can occur several years after the original events.
Lowther said his experience demonstrated that “you need a proper diagnosis before you leave, and that there should be clear notice periods; so they can’t legally force people out while they are on compassionate leave as I was”.
The MoD said fewer than 2% of personnel who had served in the armed forces over the past 20 years were medically discharged, and said the tens of thousands who had been followed a long period of military conflict. “The 36,696 personnel medically discharged over 20 years reflects a period of high operational tempo, including conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” a spokesman said.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/08/thousands-british-military-veterans-let-down-medical-discharge-failures
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
EU Army outrage as British troops risk being forced into EU defence force after Brexit
BORIS JOHNSON was last night facing a revolt by Tory MPs over fears that British troops could be dragooned into an EU defence force after Brexit. Members of the European Research Group of backbenchers will today meet senior figures from the Veterans for Britain pressure group that is campaigning against close military ties with Brussels.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1187721/eu-army-british-army-troops-brexit-boris-johnson-military-eu-defence-force
BORIS JOHNSON was last night facing a revolt by Tory MPs over fears that British troops could be dragooned into an EU defence force after Brexit. Members of the European Research Group of backbenchers will today meet senior figures from the Veterans for Britain pressure group that is campaigning against close military ties with Brussels.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1187721/eu-army-british-army-troops-brexit-boris-johnson-military-eu-defence-force
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
First Harris T7 bomb disposal robots sent to British army
The British army accepted the first four of 56 bomb disposal robots it ordered from Harris Corporation, the U.K. government announced.
The T7 ground vehicles, manufactured by Florida-based Harris, are equipped with high-definition cameras, data links, an adjustable manipulation arm, and tank-like all-terrain treads. They also employ "haptic feedback," which recreates the sense of the robot's touch and gives an operator a better understanding of the object being diffused. They also offer vibrations when wires or other elements of the bomb are touched by the robot, to guide the operator.
In a statement earlier this week, the British government referred to the vehicles as "game-changing" and said they are able to "neutralize a wide range of explosive threats."
The $70.8 million contract indicates each robot will cost about $1.2 million.
Britain began using remote bomb disposal units in the 1970s when dealing with improvised explosive devices in Northern Ireland. The army's first robot was developed in 1972. Known as a Wheelbarrow, advanced versions are still in use by the British military, and will be phased out with the arrival of the T7 unit.
Nearly 80 percent of the British army's casualties in its Afghanistan campaign have been attributed to improvised explosives.
"The first four production standard vehicles have been delivered early to the British Army enabling us to conduct train-the-trainer packages from January onwards," said Lt. Col. Thornton Daryl Hirst. He added that trials of the robots "exceeded our performance expectations."
https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/12/26/First-Harris-T7-bomb-disposal-robots-sent-to-British-army/6771545850861/
The British army accepted the first four of 56 bomb disposal robots it ordered from Harris Corporation, the U.K. government announced.
The T7 ground vehicles, manufactured by Florida-based Harris, are equipped with high-definition cameras, data links, an adjustable manipulation arm, and tank-like all-terrain treads. They also employ "haptic feedback," which recreates the sense of the robot's touch and gives an operator a better understanding of the object being diffused. They also offer vibrations when wires or other elements of the bomb are touched by the robot, to guide the operator.
In a statement earlier this week, the British government referred to the vehicles as "game-changing" and said they are able to "neutralize a wide range of explosive threats."
The $70.8 million contract indicates each robot will cost about $1.2 million.
Britain began using remote bomb disposal units in the 1970s when dealing with improvised explosive devices in Northern Ireland. The army's first robot was developed in 1972. Known as a Wheelbarrow, advanced versions are still in use by the British military, and will be phased out with the arrival of the T7 unit.
Nearly 80 percent of the British army's casualties in its Afghanistan campaign have been attributed to improvised explosives.
"The first four production standard vehicles have been delivered early to the British Army enabling us to conduct train-the-trainer packages from January onwards," said Lt. Col. Thornton Daryl Hirst. He added that trials of the robots "exceeded our performance expectations."
https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/12/26/First-Harris-T7-bomb-disposal-robots-sent-to-British-army/6771545850861/
- Reaction score
- 146
- Points
- 710
Further to this post at Thin Pinstriped Line,
Mark
Ottawa
UK, US Enter New Era: ‘Unprecedented’ Carrier-Sharing Plan
“We’re not talking about interoperability anymore, we’re talking about proper integration to a level we’ve never seen,” Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Jerry Kyd told me on the deck of the UK's new carrier.
ABOARD HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH: For the first time, a US Marine Corps F-35B squadron will deploy aboard the UKs new aircraft carrier on its maiden voyage in 2021, a milestone hailed as “unprecedented” — even among close allies.
“We’re not talking about interoperability anymore; we’re talking about proper integration to a level we’ve never seen,” British Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Jerry Kyd told me on the deck of the carrier as it launched and recovered aircraft during an exercise in the Atlantic.
The integration of Marines into the British carrier’s operations from Day One is “unprecedented,” he said. “It would be hard to think of another two countries on the planet who can do that right now.”
As Kyd and fellow Royal Navy officers praised the “special relationship” between Washington and London during a recent visit to the ship, the US Navy’s top admiral was half a world away, using much the same language to pitch his own ideas for closer linkages between allied navies.
“Today, the very nature of our operating environment requires shared common values and a collective approach to maritime security,” Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, told a seapower conference in Venice.
Gilday alluded to the British upgrades and increasing operations with NATO allies at sea, noting that Adm. Mike Mullen, former Navy chief, once talked about a 1,000-ship Navy. “I say, why not a 10,000-ship navy? With like-minded partners, there’s a lot we can do together to keep the maritime commons free and open.”
Spurring the move toward greater linkages between allied forces are the realities of a more aggressive and rapidly modernizing Chinese navy, and an increasingly unpredictable Russia. “We are defending international norms to foster global economic prosperity; we do it to protect the right to navigate the world’s international waters; we do it to ensure smaller nations are not bullied by others,” Gilday said in Venice.
Similarly, Kyd sees the increasing integration as an obvious move in an era punctuated by a variety of potential threats. “Why wouldn’t we be far more integrated with our key ally at a moment where the rules-based international system is under threat, and we need to reinforce our western values and operate together?”..
The QE has been working up to its 2021 deployment to the Mediterranean and Middle East in the waters along the US East Coast since July, readying for the Royal Navy’s first carrier operations in a decade [emphasis added]...
The Royal Navy makes one of its first VTOL landings aboard its new aircraft carrier. Pic: Paul McLeary)
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/10/uk-us-enter-new-era-unprecedented-carrier-sharing-plan/
Mark
Ottawa
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
MarkOttawa said:
Congress will lose their minds when they find out the Royal Navy is not ‘John Paul Jones’ compliant.
- Reaction score
- 1,681
- Points
- 1,160
- Reaction score
- 1,681
- Points
- 1,160
Well at least they will know the definitive size limitations for any future birds.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
The difference is, of course, that the war in South Africa was over.....
Troubles proceedings: Mandela-style truth process may be set up
Ministers are actively examining the possibility of introducing a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission for Northern Ireland whereby witnesses would get immunity from prosecution in an attempt to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
The idea was raised at the defence select committee and is partly aimed at reducing the number of criminal proceedings that British army soldiers are involved in that relate to the 30-year period of violence and disorder in which 3,600 people died.
At the hearing, the chairman, Julian Lewis, asked whether the government was considering adopting the “truth recovery process that was used so brilliantly by Nelson Mandela in South Africa” in Northern Ireland.
Advertisement
The Conservative backbench MP argued that was “the best way of getting at the truth and giving families some closure, whilst protecting people from prosecution for many years after the event”.
In reply, Lt Gen Richard Nugee, the chief of defence people, responsible for personnel issues in the military, said “that is exactly what we are looking at” and added discussions were taking place between government departments.
The initiative comes at a time when Conservative backbenchers are demanding that ministers take action to halt historical prosecutions of former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland, unless compelling new evidence emerges.
There are also complaints that army veterans do not receive enough support when they are asked to give evidence at inquests relating to deaths in Northern Ireland. More than 70 are currently in train, Nugee added.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said he wanted “to deal with the whole gamut, not just the criminal but the inquests” in order to try to resolve the controversial issue.
There have been repeated complaints from both republican and unionist communities that a string of violent episodes have not been properly reviewed. Inquests and criminal processes are running decades behind.
In March, a man known only as “Soldier F” was prosecuted for two murders and five attempted murders in relation to the Bloody Sunday massacre, when paratroopers fired on civil rights protesters in Derry in 1972. A total of 13 people were killed.
Tory backbenchers had hoped Boris Johnson would announce a bill in this month’s Queen’s speech to introduce a statutory presumption against prosecution for soldiers who served both in Northern Ireland and abroad, covering Afghanistan and Iraq.
Such a bill did not appear, prompting another member of the committee, the Conservative Mark Francois, to complain that Wallace had allowed a “Sinn Féin/IRA veto” over the scheme.
Wallace said that the process was complicated and had to be dealt with under Northern Ireland’s devolved arrangements, and rejected any suggestion that Sinn Féin had a veto over his plans. “I do not need a lecture on who I should deal with,” the minister said to Lewis.
The minister also indicated that the government hoped to legislate on a soldiers’ amnesty covering service overseas. A consultation on the topic had only concluded 10 days ago, and had received 4,200 responses.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/23/northern-ireland-troubles-proceedings-truth-process
Troubles proceedings: Mandela-style truth process may be set up
Ministers are actively examining the possibility of introducing a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission for Northern Ireland whereby witnesses would get immunity from prosecution in an attempt to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
The idea was raised at the defence select committee and is partly aimed at reducing the number of criminal proceedings that British army soldiers are involved in that relate to the 30-year period of violence and disorder in which 3,600 people died.
At the hearing, the chairman, Julian Lewis, asked whether the government was considering adopting the “truth recovery process that was used so brilliantly by Nelson Mandela in South Africa” in Northern Ireland.
Advertisement
The Conservative backbench MP argued that was “the best way of getting at the truth and giving families some closure, whilst protecting people from prosecution for many years after the event”.
In reply, Lt Gen Richard Nugee, the chief of defence people, responsible for personnel issues in the military, said “that is exactly what we are looking at” and added discussions were taking place between government departments.
The initiative comes at a time when Conservative backbenchers are demanding that ministers take action to halt historical prosecutions of former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland, unless compelling new evidence emerges.
There are also complaints that army veterans do not receive enough support when they are asked to give evidence at inquests relating to deaths in Northern Ireland. More than 70 are currently in train, Nugee added.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said he wanted “to deal with the whole gamut, not just the criminal but the inquests” in order to try to resolve the controversial issue.
There have been repeated complaints from both republican and unionist communities that a string of violent episodes have not been properly reviewed. Inquests and criminal processes are running decades behind.
In March, a man known only as “Soldier F” was prosecuted for two murders and five attempted murders in relation to the Bloody Sunday massacre, when paratroopers fired on civil rights protesters in Derry in 1972. A total of 13 people were killed.
Tory backbenchers had hoped Boris Johnson would announce a bill in this month’s Queen’s speech to introduce a statutory presumption against prosecution for soldiers who served both in Northern Ireland and abroad, covering Afghanistan and Iraq.
Such a bill did not appear, prompting another member of the committee, the Conservative Mark Francois, to complain that Wallace had allowed a “Sinn Féin/IRA veto” over the scheme.
Wallace said that the process was complicated and had to be dealt with under Northern Ireland’s devolved arrangements, and rejected any suggestion that Sinn Féin had a veto over his plans. “I do not need a lecture on who I should deal with,” the minister said to Lewis.
The minister also indicated that the government hoped to legislate on a soldiers’ amnesty covering service overseas. A consultation on the topic had only concluded 10 days ago, and had received 4,200 responses.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/23/northern-ireland-troubles-proceedings-truth-process
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
Yet another thing that I'm bummed I didn't think of before someone else:
McDonald's Portugal apologises for 'Sundae Bloody Sundae' ads
Halloween promotion was not intended to be ‘insensitive reference’ to historical events
McDonald’s in Portugal has apologised for using the slogan “Sundae Bloody Sundae” in a Halloween campaign for its ice-cream puddings.
It appears the chain decided to celebrate the spooky season with a two-for-one offer on the strawberry dessert and a nod to the early U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday.
On Thursday it said the campaign had been pulled and it had never been intended as “an insensitive reference” to Bloody Sunday, when British paratroopers shot demonstrators at a civil rights march in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in January 1972. Thirteen men were killed, while a 14th man subsequently died of his wounds following one of the darkest days of the Troubles.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/31/mcdonalds-portugal-apologises-for-sundae-bloody-sundae-ads
McDonald's Portugal apologises for 'Sundae Bloody Sundae' ads
Halloween promotion was not intended to be ‘insensitive reference’ to historical events
McDonald’s in Portugal has apologised for using the slogan “Sundae Bloody Sundae” in a Halloween campaign for its ice-cream puddings.
It appears the chain decided to celebrate the spooky season with a two-for-one offer on the strawberry dessert and a nod to the early U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday.
On Thursday it said the campaign had been pulled and it had never been intended as “an insensitive reference” to Bloody Sunday, when British paratroopers shot demonstrators at a civil rights march in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in January 1972. Thirteen men were killed, while a 14th man subsequently died of his wounds following one of the darkest days of the Troubles.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/31/mcdonalds-portugal-apologises-for-sundae-bloody-sundae-ads
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
CBH99 said:
I assume that the British Foreign Legion, Portugal is crawling with retirees and holiday makers from the British Isles (including Ireland), went nuts when they saw it.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
Agile, or frenetic?
From McKinsey Insights: How the British Army's operations went agile
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-the-british-armys-operations-went-agile?cid=soc-app
From McKinsey Insights: How the British Army's operations went agile
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-the-british-armys-operations-went-agile?cid=soc-app
FJAG
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 13,215
- Points
- 1,160
See article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7643257/Now-RAF-offer-pilots-VEGAN-boots-brass-ordered-amend-military-dress-policy.html
Don't know whether to :rofl: or :brickwall:
:cheers:
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,793
- Points
- 1,160
tomahawk6 said:
And the fishnets and suzzies....
Similar threads
