British Military Current Events

[daftandbarmy]

Well, I guess that's one guys view.

Probably didn't see the crown that's most likely on his cap badge and what it all means.

:cheers:

You’d be surprised at how ‘anti-Royal’ some British Army members can be, largely due to the massive ethical failures exhibited by various members of the Royal Family from time to time.

 

[FJAG]

You’d be surprised at how ‘anti-Royal’ some British Army members can be, largely due to the massive ethical failures exhibited by various members of the Royal Family from time to time.

Seems that kinda runs with who votes Labour.

Overall, I think the Queen has set a good example and, at least for the moment, she's still the head of state. As far as the others--there are some excellent royals and some a'holes--just like in every family.

Maybe it's my Teutonic side but when I give an oath to be loyal to someone, then I am. Besides, she said right on my commissioning scroll that she had was "...reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Loyalty, Courage and Integrity" So there's that.  ;D

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Well, if he's 'Derry born' he is, or at least was, British, not Irish..


Irish footballer fined for 'IRA' balaclava 'history lesson' with kids

Irish footballer James McClean has been fined by club team Stoke City and ordered to delete his Instagram account after posting a message in which he was seen wearing a balaclava while giving his children a “history lesson.”

The Derry-born Republic of Ireland star hastily removed the message after posting it, but not before he had come under fire for his home-schooling efforts featuring headwear seen as synonymous with the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

https://www.rt.com/sport/484301-james-mcclean-stoke-history-lesson-balaclava/?fbclid=IwAR2czBWgAY3ctLe1E0d570UZxuq8g30uEzDACMG6iCKcQUKa5vgt7EjoLPs

 

[MarkOttawa]

Post based on letter from former British Army soldier about Harry and Meghan (before they scooted from Vancouver Island to LA):

Mark
Ottawa

Christina Blizzard really dumps on the couple formerly known as Royals:

Harry and Meghan acting like spoiled brats
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/blizzard-harry-and-meghan-acting-like-spoiled-brats

Mark
Ottawa

 

[daftandbarmy]

Britain is calling up 3,000 reservists for a six-month mobilisation to help in the fight against coronavirus and is putting their civilian employers on notice.

Only part-time soldiers, sailors, airmen and Royal Marines with specialist skills, such as in engineering, logistics and accountancy, will be activated.

Those in the NHS and other frontline services already involved in the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic will not be asked to switch into a military uniform.

The reservists will be part of what is being called the COVID Support Force on top of 20,000 regular service personnel. It lifts to 23,000 the potential pool of military personnel available for the government's coronavirus response.

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said: "Our reservists are a truly remarkable group of people, each with their own skills and experience from their civilian careers beyond the armed forces.

https://news-sky-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-3-000-reservists-called-up-to-join-mods-response-11967124

 

[exspy]

Well, if he's 'Derry born' he is, or at least was, British, not Irish..

If I remember my 'James Joyce" the proper term is 'West Briton.'

Cheers,
Dan.

 

[FJAG]

While you're on the line D&B, I've got a question for you about 3 (UK) Div. Under Army2020 Refine, the division has two armoured infantry brigades each with two RegF mechanized infantry battalions (with Warrior) and to ResF infantry battalions. Those battalions are regimentally tied (1st and 4th Mercians; 1st and 3rd Royal Welsh; 1st and 5th R Regt of Fus; and 5th and 7th Rifles)

Same issue with 16th Air Assault Bde (UK) and 2 and 3 Para and 4th Para (AR)

It looks to me like the four reserve battalions basically train as mechanized infantry but will not deploy as mechanized battalions but merely provide reinforcements and replacements to the four regular battalions but I can't find confirmation of that.

Have you, in any of your discussions with your old mates, been able to determine if these reserve battalions just provide augmentation or are they able to operate as battalions in their own right?

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

While you're on the line D&B, I've got a question for you about 3 (UK) Div. Under Army2020 Refine, the division has two armoured infantry brigades each with two RegF mechanized infantry battalions (with Warrior) and to ResF infantry battalions. Those battalions are regimentally tied (1st and 4th Mercians; 1st and 3rd Royal Welsh; 1st and 5th R Regt of Fus; and 5th and 7th Rifles)

Same issue with 16th Air Assault Bde (UK) and 2 and 3 Para and 4th Para (AR)

It looks to me like the four reserve battalions basically train as mechanized infantry but will not deploy as mechanized battalions but merely provide reinforcements and replacements to the four regular battalions but I can't find confirmation of that.

Have you, in any of your discussions with your old mates, been able to determine if these reserve battalions just provide augmentation or are they able to operate as battalions in their own right?

:cheers:

The TA have always been intended, during 'General War', to be deployed as intact units to fill a line battalion role following the signing of 'Queens Order #2" as I recall. As a result, their levels of Reg F support have been much higher than Canada's e.g., a Reg F CO, plus a full training team of Officers and NCOs.

I can only assume this is sitll the case, as I have several Reg F colleagues who were COs of TA Battalions. There have been issues of 'value for money' though, given the labour under similar legislative restrictions to our reserves, and the struggles they faced in keeping up with the various post-911 demands. They've done a complete re-think, as a result, more recently.

From Wiki-wanky:

2011 onwards and renaming[edit]

Under the "Future Reserves 2020" (FR20) plan outlined by then Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox on 18 July 2011, the Ministry of Defence promised to provide more money to train more Army Reservists with the objective of more frequently deploying entire Army Reserve units[citation needed] (much like United States Army Reserve and Army National Guard units). Under the reform plan, the total force will be restructured so that, by 2020, the British Army will have 120,000 soldiers, of which 84,000 will be Regulars and 35,000 Reservists (a ratio of 70/30). The Territorial Army was renamed under that plan, becoming the Army Reserve.[44]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Reserve_(United_Kingdom)

Just FYI....

Reserve Land Force Regulations:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826095/AC_72030_Reserve_Land_Forces_Regulations_Amendment_3.pdf

 

[FJAG]

Thanks D&B. I just considered it strange that the two armoured inf brigades in 3 (UK) div would each have one tank regiment, 2 armoured infantry battalions and two light infantry reserve force battalions (and also strangely, 7 The Rifles and 5 RRegt of Fus from 20th Armoured Inf Bde have a group of several hundred volunteers serving together in Cyprus)

On a completely unrelated matter, the Communist view of UK troops called into the streets:

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/16/mili-m16.html

You'd think Stalinist should understand that all this oppression is necessary.  ;D

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Army ready to serve during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster Regiment, have been trained by specialist Boots pharmacists to help test NHS staff test for Covid-19 at Manchester Airport testing station. This means more frontline NHS workers who have symptoms of coronavirus can be tested quickly and reliably. Soldiers also learned how to train others to carry out the testing so they can return to their regiments and share these skills. Similar programmes have also been running at Edgbaston and Glasgow.

https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/covid-19/

 

[FJAG]

Army ready to serve during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster Regiment, have been trained by specialist Boots pharmacists to help test NHS staff test for Covid-19 at Manchester Airport testing station. This means more frontline NHS workers who have symptoms of coronavirus can be tested quickly and reliably. Soldiers also learned how to train others to carry out the testing so they can return to their regiments and share these skills. Similar programmes have also been running at Edgbaston and Glasgow.

https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/covid-19/

That's absolutely great. I expect our various provincial regulations respecting health care workers would get in the way of that. It would be nice if we could sort some of those jurisdictional issues out before the next one of these disasters. I'm not well enough connected in to our current domestic op plans but I expect we're a bit weak on some of this.

:cheers:

 

[OceanBonfire]

Coronavirus: Royal Navy submarine crew had lockdown party

A submarine crew were filmed having a party during the coronavirus lockdown, prompting a Royal Navy investigation.

The captain of HMS Trenchant, a nuclear-powered attack submarine based at Devonport in Plymouth, has been sent home on leave.

Video of the crew enjoying a party and barbecue while the submarine was tied up have been shared on social media.

It shows sailors dancing and laughing, and a source confirmed some were drinking alcohol.

HMS Trenchant had been on patrol before having to return to Devonport to undergo repairs.

The crew were required to stay with the submarine in isolation while the repairs were completed.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said it was understood the captain had gone ahead with the entertainment despite being advised it might be inappropriate.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "An investigation is under way. It would be inappropriate to comment further."


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-52406342

 

[CBH99]

Don't see the big deal here really...

They were on patrol.  Came back.  Ordered to stay isolated.  Had a bit of a BBQ as they had to stay with their ship - which, obviously being a sub, isn't very spacious.


Who cares??  Sounds like a non-story to me 

 

[Colin Parkinson]

exactly and a balless senior staff who can't say that they were trying to keep morale up, when they can't see their families.

 

[daftandbarmy]

exactly and a balless senior staff who can't say that they were trying to keep morale up, when they can't see their families.

It sounds more like a self-inflicted social media wound. If we had had a party like that go viral on SM, I'm sure we'd see some sackings as well.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Start of a post on BoJo's "“Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy“ (that's a mouthful):
https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2020/03/05/whither-the-british-military/

Mark
Ottawa

Start of a piece at RUSI by a fellow with a very relevant background, lots of resonance for CAF to my mind:

Reflections on Defence and the Integrated Review: A Testing Time

The debate has begun about the shape of the UK’s Armed Forces after the coronavirus pandemic.

RUSI’s recent Whitehall Report by Malcolm Chalmers and Will Jessett is a useful contribution to the public debate which should take place about the government’s Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy once the immediate crisis over coronavirus has subsided. There are points in the Whitehall Report with which to take issue, but there is also much with which it would be difficult to disagree. The importance of factoring China into our calculus, the emphasis on national resilience and the highlighting of cyber and other novel and disruptive technologies are prime examples.

The authors rightly identify Brexit and questions about US attitudes to the defence of Europe as major challenges for the review to address. Hybrid warfare, which is held up as the other major challenge, is obviously an important aspect of the operating environment, but the recommendation that the defence programme should be rebalanced to invest more in capabilities for responding to ‘grey area’ threats, while convincing at first sight, merits further probing. On the other hand, the report may underplay the challenge represented by the affordability of the defence programme. To assume that the recent injections of money into the defence budget will be ‘baked into the baseline’ could be over-optimistic, not least given the impact of coronavirus on public finances [read on, indeed in the Canadian context]...

Tom McKane is a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI. From 2008–14, Tom was successively Director General for Strategy and Director General for Security Policy in the UK Ministry of Defence. In 2012, he was briefly the acting Permanent Secretary of the MoD.
https://www.rusi.org/commentary/reflections-defence-and-integrated-review-testing-time

As for the CAF, story by Murray Brewster:

The pandemic could end up changing everything — including the military
Governments are getting used to calling in soldiers when domestic disaster strikes
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pandemic-covid-coronavirus-military-canada-1.5544854

Mark
Ottawa

 

[daftandbarmy]

Ex-SAS men supply PPE after frustration at government's failure to distribute enough supplies

The Pilgrim Bandits charity has supplied face masks, suits and other equipment to A&E departments, care homes and individuals in need

Ex-SAS soldiers are buying and supplying PPE to hospitals after being frustrated at the Government's failure to distribute enough supplies.

The Pilgrim Bandits charity, run by former special forces operators, has been helping A&E departments, care homes and individuals in need, following the SAS mantra of going ‘always a little further’.

The next delivery of around 1,000 items of PPE is expected to arrive this week from China, for immediate distribution via the charity’s network of veteran coordinators around the country.

Chief Executive of the Pilgrim Bandits, Matt Hellyer, said the charity, which raises funds through veterans’ networks, had been frustrated at the slow pace of government bureaucracy when it came to distributing aid to fight Covid-19.

Many civil servants are too inexperienced at dealing with the intricate logistic problem of distributing PPE, he believes.
“They all try to work at high level, nobody’s at the grass roots. Every time we deal with the Home Office they have no common sense at all. So we just push forwards,” he told the Telegraph.

“We’ve helped a couple of SF (special forces) veterans who have been saved from the virus. We’ve had good reach into A&E departments.

“We’ve sent a few Fortnum & Mason hampers out to critical care wards so they realise we do appreciate what they do, keeping us and our relatives and friends alive."

The charity normally supports injured military personnel, regardless of whether they have served in the UK Special Forces Group, as well as members of the emergency services. One arm of the charity is the Curtis Palmer Programme, named after a police officer the Pilgrim Bandits helped who was suffering with a brain tumour and whose dying wish was to do a parachute jump.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/26/ex-sas-men-supply-ppe-frustration-governments-failure-distribute/

 

[FJAG]

Not so current but I recently came across a British website that's a bit interesting:

The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The British Army

:cheers:

 

[FJAG]

Royal Navy nuclear submarine commander John Lewis is SACKED after coronavirus lockdown barbecue he organised for his crew

-Commander Lewis relieved of command of the HMS Trenchant after barbecue
-He will be assigned other duties after the Royal Navy investigation, reports claim
-Barbecue 'one of a number of incidents in which judgement came into question' ...

See article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8266205/Royal-Navy-nuclear-submarine-commander-John-Lewis-SACKED-coronavirus-lockdown-barbecue.html

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Show your mettle: Victoria Cross not made of captured Russian guns after all

The long-held belief about the UK’s highest award for valour may have originated in speculation by the press, research has found

The Victoria Cross, or VC as it is popularly known, is the most cherished award in the British armed forces, awarded since 1857 for courage displayed “in the presence of the enemy”.

Its long history is filled with true stories of great bravery. But one long-held belief – that Victoria Cross medals were made from enemy guns captured during the Crimean war against Russia – is unlikely to be true, and originated instead from speculation in the press, according to new research.

Instituted by Queen Victoria, the Victoria Cross is Britain’s highest award for valour in war and has been awarded 1,358 times.

The Queen saw little to celebrate in victory at Sevastopol, and displayed little interest in captured Russian ordnance.

Dr Andrew Marriott, a retired lieutenant colonel and visiting researcher at Newcastle University, has concluded that it is “highly implausible” that the medals came from Russian guns after the victory at the siege of Sevastapol in 1855. His research led him to a newspaper report at the time, asserting that they did come from the captured guns. He also found a letter in the Times from a Crimean veteran suggesting the same thing, and so, he says, the myth was born.

Using x-ray fluorescence scans to examine the composition of Victoria Cross medals from 1856 to 2013, the research showed that part-way through the first world war, and again during the second world war, there were noticeable changes in composition, when compared with the 19th-century medals.

“Although we know that Queen Victoria decreed that the new honour be cast from bronze, there is no evidence to suggest that she wanted captured weapons from Sevastopol to be used for this purpose,” Marriott said.

“Like many at the time, the Queen saw little to celebrate from the victory at Sevastopol, and had displayed little interest in the captured Russian ordnance. The only contemporary record of a Sevastopol connection is a newspaper report of the medal ceremony in Hyde Park in 1857. The correspondent most likely conflated various stories circulating about the redistribution and recycling of captured Crimean guns.”

The 64-year-old, who spent 30 years in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, explained that Hancocks Jewellers in London has been the sole producer of the medal since its inception.


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/03/show-your-mettle-victoria-cross-not-made-of-captured-russian-guns-after-all