British Military Current Events

[daftandbarmy]

PRINCE Charles today launches the 2012 Sun Military Awards as we again seek to salute the bravery of the world’s greatest Armed Forces.

The Prince of Wales conceived the awards and today makes a passionate plea to you, the public, to nominate your unsung heroes.
Writing exclusively to Sun readers the proud father of serving officers William and Harry expresses his “unending admiration” for troops’ dedication in the face of danger.

Our unique awards celebrate acts of grit and gallantry across categories including Best Unit, Overcoming Adversity and Outstanding Soldier.
Our judging panel of ex-service chiefs and celebs will select worthy winners in each category.
And from today you can nominate your heroes across all the categories.

They cover the 12 months up to August 31, 2012.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/4431199/Prince-Charles-launches-The-Millies-2012.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Don't expect our new remodelled army to fight a major war

It's difficult not to feel a twinge of sympathy for the Army's top brass. There was General Sir Peter Wall, the Chief of the General Staff, putting a brave face on the Coalition's ludicrous decision today to reduce the size of the Army by a mind-boggling 20 percent, while at the same time he and his other senior officers are fully aware of the wanton damage that is being inflicted on this proud institution.

So far as Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, is concerned, the Army cuts are all about balancing the books at the MOD and keeping the Treasury happy. No doubt his career prospects of becoming Chancellor one day will be greatly enhanced if he can provide a healthy balance sheet at Whitehall's most dysfunctional department.

But I very much doubt he has given any serious consideration to the Army's ability to deal with the many threats to our national security we are likely to face in the years ahead.

As Lord Dannatt, Sir Peter's immediate predecessor as Army chief, said this morning, with commendable understatement, making significant reductions to the size of the standing army – and expecting the shortfall to be made up by the Territorials – is "risky".

It is far more than that. It is an abrogation of this Government's fundamental duty to defend the realm.

In the past decade it has twice been necessary for Britain to deploy a division-strength military force, to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. And on both occasions it was necessary to maintain a sizeable military presence for many years while efforts were made to stabilise the security situation.

But whatever the politicians and top brass say about the new, highly flexible and adaptable Army that is envisaged in the proposals outlined by Mr Hammond today, the Army's ability to sustain demanding military operations over any length of time will be severely curtailed. In the event of another Iraq or Afghanistan appearing on the horizon in future, the Army will be able to make a brief intervention before having to withdraw.  If a longer deployment is required, then we will be relying on the reservists, which is not an option any senior officer I have spoken to genuinely believes is viable.

There will, no doubt, be those who have opposed our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan who heartily agree with the Government's decision to cut the Army off at the knees, so that it can no longer undertake its lust for foreign adventurism. But as the old saying goes, we don't choose wars, wars choose us. Who could have predicted at the turn of the millennium that we would have fought two major wars in a decade? The same is true to today's world. There are many potential areas of conflict of looming, and it is a very foolish – or should I say negligent? – government indeed that believes Britain can remain a war-free zone for the foreseeable future.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/concoughlin/100169236/dont-expect-our-new-remodelled-army-to-fight-a-major-war/

 

[daftandbarmy]

Holiday beach cordoned off after landslip sends more than a THOUSAND Second World War bombs and rockets tumbling onto the sands•Bad weather led to ground movement which exposed the huge arsenal at Mappleton, East Riding

•A dog walker stumbled across the deadly find on Saturday and 15 controlled explosions were carried out
•Rockets, mortar bombs and 25-pounder bombs were recovered after they were fired into the cliffs by RAF aircraft during the war
•Most of the devices were dummy rounds used for bombing practice but contain enough explosives to cause terrible injuries

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2177528/Landslide-uncovers-1-000-deadly-WW2-bombs-Mappleton-beach-East-Riding.html

 

[GAP]

Private firm to look after Trident nuclear deterrent
Article Link

Private contractors are to take over the role of looking after the UK's nuclear weapons in Scotland.

The MoD has signed a 15-year contract with ABL Alliance to provide support for the Trident weapons system at HM Naval Base Clyde.

Under the new contract 149 MoD civilian posts will transfer to the alliance.

The jobs are in industrial and technical grades, warehousing and logistic support services, while supervisors and managers are also transferring.

Thirty-nine Royal Navy posts will also be seconded to the alliance, which comprises AWE plc, Babcock and Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems (LMUKSS).

The MoD said it decided in May 2011 that the most effective way to sustain the workforce in the future was to use an experienced supplier within the private sector.

ABL Alliance will provide support to the Trident Strategic Weapon System at the Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Coulport and the Strategic Weapon Support Building (SWSB) Faslane.

The MoD said: "HM Naval Base Clyde has an excellent safety record and we are determined to maintain the highest standards of safety.

"The MoD will continue to own the Naval Base sites, including Coulport, and Naval Base Commander Clyde will retain overall responsibility for security and for the activities carried out at Coulport and the SWSB.

"The site will also continue to be a MoD nuclear authorised site, so will be subject to regulation by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, the Office of Nuclear Regulation and other regulatory bodies."

The new arrangement is scheduled to start in January 2013, subject to the successful completion of a protection of employment consultation.
end

 

[daftandbarmy]

Finally, a killer app... or an app for killers? Maybe both....

UK Military Discounts

By Vortac Apps

This app lists discounts that are available to UK Military personnel and veterans.


http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/uk-military-discounts/id545399471?mt=8

 

[daftandbarmy]

Army anger as troops strip naked in support of Prince Harry

Scores of soldiers and their wives are risking Army anger by stripping off and saluting to show support for Prince Harry. 

Scores of soldiers and their wives are risking Army anger by stripping off and saluting to show support for Prince Harry, and posting the pictures on Facebook.

As our troops get naked to copy Army comrade Prince Harry's nude Vegas party pose, their wives and girlfriends are getting in on the act too.

They are borrowing their boys' uniforms and performing 'naked salutes' either totally nude or in varying states of undress.

They are among over 13,000 who have joined a military Facebook group called 'Support Prince Harry With A Naked Salute'.

Several declared themselves terrified about baring themselves in public - but determined to send their message of support for Harry

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/9505169/Army-anger-as-troops-strip-naked-in-support-of-Prince-Harry.html

 

[Edward Campbell]

The army is, almost certainly, displeased but it is, also, on the wrong side of this issue. They, the Royals and the MOD, cannot buy good PR like this, and it is good PR: thousands of soldiers (and wives) line up behind a Royal who did something silly, and in bad taste, but they forgive him because he's a) young, and b)one of them.

My guess is that this has defanged the issue - taken it from national embarrassment to just fun. But I'm certain that 50 and 60 year old generals and civil servants are choleric: red faced and hopping up and down on their desks.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The army is, almost certainly, displeased but it is, also, on the wrong side of this issue. They, the Royals and the MOD, cannot buy good PR like this, and it is good PR: thousands of soldiers (and wives) line up behind a Royal who did something silly, and in bad taste, but they forgive him because he's a) young, and b)one of them.

My guess is that this has defanged the issue - taken it from national embarrassment to just fun. But I'm certain that 50 and 60 year old generals and civil servants are choleric: red faced and hopping up and down on their desks.

I'm naked and saluting right now too. Is that wierd, or loyal? I'm so confused now..... ;D

 

[Old Sweat]

And, I suggest, if he had not gone off in harm's way and been an engagingly likeable junior officer to boot, but had languished in the rear, the spontaneous uprising would not had happened.

I think he is cut from his grandfather's cloth.

 

[jollyjacktar]

He's a youngster, fit, full of life etc.  I know I skinny dipped when I was young too.  BFD.  The oldster's need to take a large pill.  At least he was not dressed as a psudo-nazi this time.  And yes, he's not a stuffed shirt and I'm sure the troops that serve with him like him too.  I only wish there were young nubile nymphs who would want skinny dip with me... lucky bugger.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Stand at ease! New Army boots will be issued for women soldiers

They don't have the iconic red soles of Christian Louboutin shoes and lack the glamour of a pair of Jimmy Choos.
But, after years of complaints, female soldiers are finally to be issued with combat boots designed specifically for women.
They said the current Army issue footwear is too big and uncomfortable, especially as many of our 10,000 servicewomen now serve on the frontline alongside their male counterparts.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195560/New-Army-boots-issued-women-soldiers.html#ixzz252u6lR00

 

[PMedMoe]

Stand at ease! New Army boots will be issued for women soldiers

They don't have the iconic red soles of Christian Louboutin shoes and lack the glamour of a pair of Jimmy Choos.
But, after years of complaints, female soldiers are finally to be issued with combat boots designed specifically for women.
They said the current Army issue footwear is too big and uncomfortable, especially as many of our 10,000 servicewomen now serve on the frontline alongside their male counterparts.

Hallelujah!!  Finally someone has seen the light!  We'll only be about 10 years behind.....  :

 

[daftandbarmy]

Hallelujah!!  Finally someone has seen the light!  We'll only be about 10 years behind.....  :

Luckily we have equal opportunity misery in Canada: I find that our 'new' boots are awful too!

 

[PMedMoe]

Luckily we have equal opportunity misery in Canada: I find that our 'new' boots are awful too!

;D    :nod:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Hundreds of British troops to be questioned over 'weak' war crime allegations
Up to 1,000 British troops are expected to be investigated for crimes allegedly committed during the Iraq war, it can be revealed.

Investigators with the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) have already identified more than 100 serving and former members of the armed forces who they want to interview about the alleged torture of Iraqi civilians.

But the number under investigation is expected to rise rapidly over the next 12 months as IHAT detectives begin reviewing the evidence from two public inquiries into alleged war crimes.

One, the al-Sweady Inquiry into the so-called Battle of Danny Boy in 2004, has already identified more than 500 troops who will have to give evidence and who will also be interviewed by IHAT.

Members of the SAS, the SBS, interrogators from a unit called the Joint Support Group, medics, senior officers and hundreds of soldiers are expected to be questioned.

British lawyers acting for the Iraqis claim the abuse took place between 2003 and 2008, when many civilians were detained on suspicion of being in Shia militia groups.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9514271/Hundreds-of-British-troops-to-be-questioned-over-weak-war-crime-allegations.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

British soldier killed when US gunship mistook base for Taliban stronghold

A British soldier was killed in Afghanistan after being hit by fire from a US Apache helicopter which wrongly identified his base as an enemy stronghold, a coroner said today.

Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died from head injuries he suffered while serving at Patrol Base Almas, in Sangin, Helmand, in December 2009.

The base had come under attack from insurgents and the platoon based there were busy fighting them off when air support was called in, Coroner Derek Winter said.

A drone fitted with a camera and two US Apaches flew to the patrol base, which was a compound with mud walls, bought from a local owner some weeks before and was not on official maps.

British troops on the ground, who by this stage had won a firefight against their attackers, were incorrectly identified as the enemy and were hit by 30mm chain gun rounds.

Mr Winter, the Sunderland Coroner, said 200 rounds were fired before the mistake was spotted, leaving 11 injured on the ground.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9517505/British-soldier-killed-when-US-gunship-mistook-base-for-Taliban-stronghold.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Another average night in North Belfast after the pubs kick out. What a dump that place is... it would be an excellent location to site an open pit mine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2198031/Belfast-riots-15-police-hurt-second-night-violence.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Relying on reservists will hobble the UK Military

The premise of the cuts to UK defence spending is that the reduction in troop numbers from 102,000 to 82,000 will be mitigated by better integration of reserve soldiers and increased use of contractors. Secretary of Defence Philip Hammond recently claimed that "the reserve will be a vital, integrated component of the army". Yet, the experience of Britain’s closest allies has shown that this vision is deeply problematic and has the potential to create a much more dysfunctional armed forces for the UK.

Along with other Nato member states, Her Majesty’s Armed Forces use contractors to compensate for declining in-house expertise, resources and manpower. Indeed, according to the European Defence Agency, the UK spends more on external contractors than any other EU member. The US military’s experience with these very same contractors is cause for concern.

In the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan we saw numerous incidents whereby contractors were involved in breaches of ethics, laws and regulations, resulting in injuries and deaths. Yet, unlike incidents with military personnel, the legal procedures and chain of accountability for contractors are ill-defined.

Moreover, as the modern battlefield has become more territorially fluid, contractors can no longer expect to work mainly within the relative safety of military bases. In Iraq and Afghanistan even the high salaries on offer could not always ensure that contractors would provide crucial services if it meant endangering their lives. This dynamic could result in a lack of combat support for British soldiers in their time of greatest need.

Cost has been shown to be another serious problem. Most contractors are former government employees, who were specially trained by the various security related apparatuses but then left for the higher salaries the private sector offers. Governments now find themselves paying ever more to re-employ these individuals as contractors, wiping out many of the cost savings supposedly made by the front line cuts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9517652/Relying-on-reservists-will-hobble-the-UK-Military.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

SAS veteran who took part in Iranian Embassy siege and Falklands War auctions his haul of medals

John Thompson didn't realise they were valuable until he went to a TV antiques valuation and now hopes for £12,000 at auction

He is the only SAS man to serve during the famous siege of the Iranian Embassy in 1980 and then during the Falklands War in 1982

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2194703/SAS-veteran-took-Iranian-Embassy-siege-Falklands-War-auctions-haul-medals.html#ixzz25iqKo8oY

 

[daftandbarmy]

Police watch on as volley of shots ring out at Real IRA boss' funeral after he was killed in clinical daylight hit

Alan Ryan left his home in Donaghmede in Dublin for the last time yesterday

Garda sources last night said that officers had decided not to inflame an already tense situation

Real IRA boss Alan Ryan whose body was carried from his home in Donaghmede in Dublin yesterday

A volley of three shots was fired into the air as the casket containing the body of Real IRA boss Alan Ryan left his home in Donaghmede in Dublin for the last time yesterday.

The brazen show of force by the terror group was allowed despite members of the Garda Special Branch looking on.
Garda sources last night said that officers had decided not to inflame an already tense situation.

A senior Garda source explained: 'We knew there would be a volley of shots but we decided we would not move in because otherwise we would be giving these people a reason to have a go.

'It would have backfired on us and the funeral could have disintegrated into a messy riot situation, something we did not want to happen for the sake of his family.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200496/Police-watch-volley-shots-ring-Real-IRA-boss-funeral-killed-clinical-daylight-hit.html#ixzz266QS8ARc