The weekend saw lots of coverage of the Afghanistan service of commemoration, which took place on Friday. There was also continued coverage of potential cuts to Defence spending and a variety of articles covered the situation in Vanuatu this morning. Cyclone Pam has caused widespread devastation and the Government has announced that a C-17 RAF plane carrying aid has flown out this morning to help relief efforts.
Afghanistan service of commemoration
Saturday’s papers saw widespread and positive coverage of the commemoration service held at St Paul’s Cathedral to honour the sacrifices of Britain’s armed forces who fought and died during operations in Afghanistan. This included pieces in the Daily Telegraph and Daily Express.
You can watch the full service or find out more here when the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
The service at St Paul’s and the parade were incredibly moving. Seeing the Bastion cross rededicated today brought home the enormity of the contribution and sacrifice that Britain has made to helping Afghanistan become a safer country. This was the right way for the whole country to pay tribute to everyone who worked so hard and achieved so much in Afghanistan over 13 years, especially those who sustained life-changing injuries, and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
I am delighted that large numbers of our Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and representatives of charities and aid organisations, were able to pause and remember those we have lost, and to recognise the extraordinary courage and dedication of all those who served.
Defence spending
In one form or another, the issue of military spending and speculation around future levels of investment remained a prominent focus for many papers over the weekend.
A number of papers on Saturday, including the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror, covered the NATO Secretary General’s meeting with the Prime Minister after he issued a press statement saying NATO “counts on” Britain’s “leadership in the future”.
On Sunday, the Sunday Express included an article which speculated that Britain’s Gurkha Brigade could be cut,targeted under MoD cost-cutting plans which may see the Army shrunk to 60,000. The piece reflected the fact that the MoD has “categorically denied” that there are any intentions to cut the Gurkhas under the Future Force 2020 initiative. Our full statement for reference is as follows:
An Army spokesperson said:
We can categorically deny that there are plans to make cuts to the Gurkhas under Future Force 2020 structures.
The Sunday Times included an article claiming that a group of senior military officers are considering resigning because they cannot face leading the British Army through, what the paper speculates, will be another round of defence cuts. The article also included an interview with Douglas Lute, the US Ambassador to NATO, who says that whilst there is no lack of confidence in Britain as an ally, what could be in jeopardy is Britain’s standing within NATO.
The MoD position is that whilst tough decisions had to be taken to balance the MOD budget, the UK continues to benefit from the second largest defence budget in NATO, and Ministers and senior officers from across the three services remain committed to ongoing operations and deployments.
The Sunday Express and Daily Star Sunday said that our Armed Forces will soon have the “oldest tanks and planes in the NATO alliance”. The pieces went on to say that the MoD has confirmed the Army's Bulldog fighting vehicle which entered service in the 1960s, will not be scrapped until 2030, whilst the RAF’s Tornado jets will have their service life extended by at least five years to 2025. The Daily Star Sunday’s story includes critical comments from former serving personal about the Bulldog vehicles, but both pieces reflect the MoD’s position:
An MoD spokesperson said:
The Bulldog vehicle with its new upgrades will be able to support the British Army until at least 2030. It proved its worth on operations in Iraq, where it provided troops with substantial protection, and huge improvements to the 900 vehicles including power upgrades and enhanced armour protection, boosting the performance, reliability and endurance on the battlefield.
Ebola
The Sunday Times carried a positive article, following a speech given by Brigadier Steve McMahon at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, about the fact Britain's mission to help contain the Ebola epidemic in west Africa succeeded despite scientific advice that there was nothing troops could do to bring it under control. The Brigadier spoke of the “frightening warning” by medical experts that the arrival of 700 British troops was too late to stop Ebola raging through Freetown – and their relief as it became obvious they were beating the Ebola curve. The piece also included Brigadier McMahon’s praise for the Sierra Leonean people and their remarkable efforts in tackling the disease.
Elsewhere, the Sun on Sunday reported that British troops tackling Ebola will be awarded bravery medals.
Veterans
The Sun on Sunday includes a large article about the fact that LIBOR donations that will help to fund a new memorial for veterans of the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. It is mentioned that Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon are backing the paper’s appeal ‘Dig deep for our desert heroes’, which aims to raise £1 million for the memorial.
On tonight: Dispaches
Tonight at 19:30, Dispatches will air a programme about Defence’s capability and performance since the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
Our overall position is carried below, and we’ll also be live tweeting during the programme – don’t forget to follow us @DefenceHQ
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
Since 2010 the Ministry of Defence has proven more than capable of protecting UK interests and we continue to play a leading role on the world stage, deploying 90,000 servicemen and women last year alone on more than 300 commitments in 50 countries. Since 2010 we have delivered sustained contributions to operations most notably in Afghanistan, including the successful transfer of security to the Afghan National Security Forces, and since the autumn have been the second biggest contributor of air strikes against ISIL as part of the coalition effort. More than 1,300 UK military personnel have also deployed to Sierra Leone to date to help fight Ebola. In Europe, we routinely monitor and track foreign warships and aircraft entering sovereign waters and airspace and have contributed thousands of personnel to reassurance exercises aligned to NATO’s objectives.
In terms of capability, we have the second largest defence budget in NATO, the largest in the EU, and are investing £163 billion on equipment including new strike fighters; more surveillance aircraft, hunter killer submarines, two new aircraft carriers; and the most advanced armoured vehicles. Future Force 2020 means that are Armed Forces are now more flexible and more able to adapt to evolving threats and the Prime Minister has made clear that he does not want to see our regular armed services reduced below the level that they are now and we remain on track to deliver the Reserve force needed to counter the wide range of threats we face. Therefore we are confident the decisions made in the 2010 Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR), though tough, were the right ones
Image of the day
![UK Aid being loaded onto an RAF C-17 Aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on the 15-March 2015 where it will be taken to the worst affected areas of Cyclone Pam in the south Pacific. Britain has sent vital shelter and relief supplies to help people whose lives have been devastated by Cyclone Pam, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced. A Royal Air Force C-17 transport plane departed from RAF Brize Norton early on Monday 16 March and will travel to the Royal Australian Air Force base at Amberley in Australia, where it will join the international relief effort. The plane is carrying 1,640 shelter kits for use by families of five people and more than 1900 solar lanterns with inbuilt mobile phone chargers. These supplies will help to provide protection to some of the most vulnerable people affected by the cyclone, especially women and children. A humanitarian expert from the Department for International Development has also been deployed to advise on distribution of the supplies and assist with field assessments as part of the international relief effort. The C-17 and its crew will remain in Australia for several days to undertake further support flights between Australia and affected areas as required. [Picture: Crown Copyright]](https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/142/2015/03/POD16.jpg)