British Military Current Events

[daftandbarmy]

Tens of thousands face pension cut next year in £126million overpayment blunder

Tens of thousands of retired teachers, nurses, doctors, judges, military personnel and civil servants are facing an average cut in their income of £220 next year because of a vast Government pensions blunder.

Gordon Brown is facing growing calls to soften the blow for more than 100,000 affected pensioners who are receiving letters this week telling them they have unknowingly been paid too much for years.

Today the Scottish government increased ministers' discomfort by insisting that it would carry on paying thousands of public sector staff north of the border their inflated pension benefits.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095054/Gold-plated-pensions-fiasco--100-000-NHS-armed-services-personnel-overpaid-decades-face-cut.html

 

[Yrys]

Broken promise on Snatch vehicles
The Snatch Land Rovers blamed for the deaths of dozens of British soldiers should have been removed from battlefield operations a year ago,
according to one of the military's most senior figures, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/3449216/Broken-promise-on-Snatch-vehicles.html

Forces stick with Snatch vehicles at BBC News

Snatch Land Rovers are to remain in use in Afghanistan and Iraq, Defence Secretary John Hutton has said.

The lightly armoured vehicles have been criticised for offering insufficient protection to troops from bomb blasts.
Mr Hutton told MPs military commanders believed the vehicles were "essential" - but they would be quickly replaced
by better-protected Snatch Vixen models. Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said it was a "national disgrace" that
UK troops were put at "unnecessary risk".

More ('Clear advice' , 'Investment failure', Manoeuvrability) on link



Q&A: Snatch Land Rovers

What does the army use them for?
Why are they controversial?
What are replacing them?

on link

 

[daftandbarmy]

Army buys JCBs for warzone

Army had to buy JCB diggers and paint them to camouflage them after plans for new armoured bulldozers to clear warzones were met by long delays.

By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 2:01AM GMT 18 Dec 2008

The £300 million project involved 65 state-of-the-art "Terrier" battlefield engineer vehicles, each costing £5 million to be deployed.
They are designed to clear minefields and potential obstacles for the Army while they also have the ability to dig trenches while under fire.
The Army's Combat Engineer Tractor was withdrawn earlier this year, and due to be replaced with the Terriers.
A National Audit Office report however showed that the vehicles will not be ready for another four years and the Ministry of Defence has had to replace them with 13 JCB excavators from America at a cost of £6.2 million.
The vehicles will be fitted with protective armour and painted camouflage, and will be used by frontline engineers in Afghanistan.
The report by the spending watchdog shows that the MOD's 20 biggest equipment projects are on average two years late.
Conservative MP Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee condemned the delays and said the "same old failings" threatened to leave British troops exposed on the frontline.
He said: "This is about more than money. This kit will sooner or later be operated, perhaps in anger, by our men and women in the forces."
The latest setback comes as two former heads of the military accused the Government failing the Armed Forces.
Lord Boyce and Lord Craig of Radley, both former Chiefs of the Defence Staff (CDS), said the Government had not demonstrated its "full-hearted commitment to national security''.
Their criticism followed an announcement by Defence Secretary John Hutton that the £ 4 billion aircraft carrier project was to be put back and the Army's Future Rapid Effect System armoured vehicle programme would also be delayed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/3817128/Army-buys-JCBs-for-warzone.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Taliban blow up Christmas turkeys destined for British troops

Bah humbug! Lorry-load of frozen birds destroyed in explosion - but Christmas dinner goes ahead as planned

Taliban insurgents have blown up a lorry packed with Christmas turkeys bound for British troops in Afghanistan. The frozen turkey roll breasts were destroyed in an explosion on the route from Pakistan to Camp Bastion.
The consignment, weighing 325kg, was intended for troops in Helmand Province, where up to 3,000 soldiers will spend the festive season. But the Christmas dinner will go ahead as planned after the Ministry of Defence flew out replacement birds, ensuring soldiers will not miss out on their special meal.
Regimental Catering Warrant Officer Nick Townley, who is in charge of organising Christmas dinner for British troops in Afghanistan, said: "Unfortunately one of our Christmas wagons got taken out so a lot of turkeys had to be flown in especially."
The 33-year old-from High Wycombe has been preparing for Christmas since the summer, ordering everything needed to feed the 2,500 to 3,000 troops that will be at Bastion as well as the 2,000 others stationed around Helmand.
On Christmas Day soldiers will be able to tuck into the replacement turkey rolls as well as 135kg of roast pork, 424kg of gammon and 67.5kg of beef, topped with 200 jars of cranberry sauce. Brussels sprouts will not be left off the menu - chefs will prepare 62 boxes, weighing a total of 148.8kg. There will also be 300kg of roast potatoes and 120kg of carrots.
And there will be 222 Christmas puddings, 37 Christmas cakes, and one mince pie and one After Eight mint each. The total cost of feeding the troops in Bastion's four dining rooms is £10,265, or just £3.42 each. But there will be no brandy for the Christmas sauce, with Camp Bastion a dry area. "It wouldn't have made it in there anyway," Townley joked.
As is traditional in the army, senior officers will serve the junior ranks first to show their appreciation. The 35 chefs at Bastion, who never have a day off, will prepare most of the food on Christmas Eve so they are not rushed off their feet on the day. "The plan is for the guys not to slog their guts out on Christmas Day," Townley said. "If guys get days off it means the others have to work even harder."
Special meals are also being sent to the 10 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) where there are 35 chefs. Townley said: "The only blokes who won't get it are the ones in the PBs (patrol bases) but the idea is to rotate them through the FOBs. They will all get their Christmas dinner at some stage, it just might not be on Christmas Day."
Soldiers in the patrol bases often face the worst of the insurgency and the harshest living conditions. They survive on ration packs, have little in the way of washing or toilet facilities and often come under Taliban attack. Some have labelled Camp Bastion "Camp Easy".
All British soldiers will receive a Christmas box, which includes a multi-tool, three juggling balls, a sewing kit and a travel pillow. They will also receive crackers, party poppers and balloons. For Camp Bastion, Townley has ordered 3,000 crackers, 2,880 party poppers, 3,600 assorted balloons, 2,880 party hats, and 3,000 streamers.
"There's a lot of guess work in our job because we never know how many people we will be feeding. My job is all about trying to guess what's coming up around the corner."
Commander Paula Rowe, spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Christmas Day will be business as usual for most of us - operations will be ongoing and we will continue to build on the progress that has been made so far in providing better security for the Afghan people - but never underestimate the ingenuity of the men and women to at least have a little bit of festive cheer, wherever they are!"
She added: "The chefs work non-stop to provide the best they can for everyone and often create a lot from very little - their efforts often go unnoticed and unrecognised, but their contribution is essential to the morale and wellbeing of us all. However we spend the day, our thoughts will inevitably turn to our colleagues who have been killed or injured and their families and loved ones for whom this Christmas will be very different."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/dec/19/taliban-christmas-turkeys-british-soldiers

 

[Old Sweat]

Brussels sprouts will not be left off the menu - chefs will prepare 62 boxes, weighing a total of 148.8kg.

The mind boggles.

 

[PMedMoe]

Brussels sprouts will not be left off the menu - chefs will prepare 62 boxes, weighing a total of 148.8kg.

The mind boggles.

Eew!  :-X

 

[Blackadder1916]

". . . frozen turkey roll . . ."

It's not like it was real bird, but Brit army cooks are . . . . .  maybe this menu will be featured in the next edition of the cook book that was the subject of another thread.

". . .a lot of turkeys had to be flown in especially . . ."  Turkeys can't fly; wasn't that an episode on WKRP?

 

[George Wallace]

". . .
It's not like it was real bird, but Brit army cooks are . . . . . 

We are all now waiting for the pictures.    ;D

 

[geo]

". . .a lot of turkeys had to be flown in especially . . ."  Turkeys can't fly; wasn't that an episode on WKRP?

Oh yes... Pi$$ed myself laughing when I saw that episode...
reminds me of when someone thought of a promotion called "ping pong pandemonium" in the commercial centre of Grand Falls NL and also in Labrador City NL...... utter and complete mayhem as the PP balls thundered straight down from beneath a helicopter....

 

[Trooper Hale]

Can anyone find a link about Fusilier Stuart Nash? He's the second last British Soldier to be killed overseas, is Australian and my google-fu is letting me down. I cant find any articles about him

 

[Kirkhill]

Hales, the Beeb has a reference to him here.

 

[Trooper Hale]

Hales, the Beeb has a reference to him here.

Cheers. I'd found that but that seems to be about it. It was on a news for a little bit here last week or so but i havent been able to read anything about it. Seems quite sad that the Australian Press arent writing about him because he was in the British Army and the British Press arent writing about his because he's Australian. He's in a bad spot i feel.

 

[Kirkhill]

Parochialism - I was just looking at this site.  It paints a very different picture of the state of play over there.  We don't hear much about the Danes, for example, that are losing troops on a per capita basis at a rate not much slower than the Canadians.

I hope you didn't know Rifleman Nash.

 

[Kirkhill]

Actually we're both jumping to contusions here.

Try Googling RIFLEMAN Stuart Nash, not Fusilier.

The Australian has a bit on him.

 

[Trooper Hale]

Thanks very much. I didnt know him, but i wish i had. He seems very much like my kind of bloke and a soldier who really wanted to be doing what he was doing.

 

[daftandbarmy]

British troops suffer four times as many fatalities as Americans

British forces have suffered four times as many fatalities in Afghanistan in the past seven weeks as our American allies.

The statistic was emphasised when a Royal Marine was killed by an explosion in Helmand province on Sunday.

Despite contributing more than 8,000 troops to the total foreign force of about 50,000, the British have suffered 14 deaths since Nov 1. The US has lost three soldiers from its deployment of 31,000.

The statistics show that Britain is now experiencing more than a third of all casualties in Afghanistan at a time when other Nato countries have been accused of failing to "step up to the mark" in providing combat forces.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/3885755/British-troops-suffer-four-times-as-many-fatalities-as-Americans.html

 

[Blackadder1916]

Army could allow 'Fat Camp' recruits to tackle staffing shortage http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/3964791/Army-could-allow-Fat-Camp-recruits-to-tackle-staffing-shortage.html

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent Last Updated: 2:22PM GMT 26 Dec 2008

The Army is considering lowering its entry requirements to allow more overweight applicants and those with criminal records or visible tattoos.

The move is designed to tackle the 3,200 unfilled posts despite the Army's strength of over 98,000 troops, with vacancies particularly in signals, logistics and medical units.

Senior officers want to use the economic downturn, when civilian jobs are hard to come by, to try and boost numbers in the Armed Forces.

A £20 million campaign has been designed, which will include an advertising drive, more recruitment staff and overspill camps to train up extra recruits.

As part of the campaign the Army is considering whether it can "take more risk" with entry standards.

Current regulations mean those with tattoos on their hands or necks are banned from the Army because they are visible on the parade ground.

Offenders with a criminal record for shoplifting, affray or minor assaults are considered on a case by case basis as long as they are not persistent offenders, but new rules would allow recruitment officers to consider those who have been released from jail on licence.

"Clinically obese" recruits have been considered since 2006, when the Army raised its requirement for male soldiers from a Body Mass Index of 28 to 32, two points above the definition of clinically obese laid down by the World Health Organisation.

The number of overweight recruits could now increase as long as they slim down once they are at training camps.

One officer said: "If you're fat, you'll have to burn it off in training. If you've been in trouble with the police, you'll have to show you're matured and moved on.

"But we're not going to put up with dross. This is about giving a chance to more people who might be turned away under current rules.

"Frankly the numbers don't look great. There's a realisation that to make them better we've got to think a bit more flexibly."

Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, said the problem was not recruiting new soldiers but trying to keep hold of trained and experienced fighters.

"The Government still doesn't get it, recruitment is not the real problem," he said.

"Too many experienced soldiers are leaving because they don't believe the Government is committed to the welfare of the forces. The answer is not to scrape the social barrel or lower standards.

"We must deal with all the quality-of-life issues which push people to leave such as separation from their loved ones, quality of education and medical care for families and standards of housing."

The Ministry of Defence said: "We will continue to take action to address manning shortages through initiatives including career management, improvement to conditions of service and work-life balance, extensions to normal engagement lengths, commitment bonuses and targeted financial retention initiatives.

"The current Army recruitment campaign highlights the competitive pay and benefits packages along with a wide range of career opportunities and a level of career development that goes far beyond what most organisations provide."

 

[daftandbarmy]

No sh*t Sherlock - successive Commie (oops, I mean Labour) Governments gutted the Forces back then. It would have taken the Household Cavalry 2 days to just reschedule their polo matches!


BRITAIN would have been overrun if the Soviet Union had invaded in the late 1970s, secret government papers revealed yesterday.

RAF jets had enough ammo to fight for only TWO DAYS.
And our overstretched and outclassed Army and Navy were no match for the Cold War enemy.
Labour PM Jim Callaghan, told of the bleak situation in a 1978 briefing by the Chiefs of Staff, scrawled in a note: “Heaven help us if there is a war!” He summoned Defence Secretary Fred Mulley to No 10, but was told money was so tight we would have to rely on Nato in an attack.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2078812.ece

 

[geo]

“Heaven help us if there is a war!”

This was the case at the onset of WW2
This was the case throughout the cold war
This is the case throughout the war on terror......

See any pattern forming here ?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Royal Marine killed by explosion marks end of bloodiest year for British troops in Afghanistan
Britain's bloodiest year in Afghanistan has ended with the killing of a Royal Marine in an explosion.

By Alastair Jamieson
Last Updated: 2:03PM GMT 01 Jan 2009

The serviceman, from 45 Commando Royal Marines, died on New Year's Eve in the Sangin district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.
He is the 12th Royal Marine to die in the past two months and the 51st to die in Afghanistan during 2008, making it the bloodiest year in that country since the start of operations in October 2001.
Commander Paula Rowe, the spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said: "Every death is tragic, yet at the turning of the year, with the celebration and hope it promises, this loss is all the harder to bear. All our thoughts go to his family, friends and colleagues who will be devastated by his sacrifice."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4059672/Royal-Marine-killed-by-explosion-marks-end-of-bloodiest-year-for-British-troops-in-Afghanistan.html