Yemen
There is widespread coverage, including in The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times (p8), The Times (p36) and The Independent of Yemen’s ‘descent into chaos’ with claims that the country is edging closer to an all-out civil war. Shia Houthi rebels have seized a key military base in the southern port city of Aden and some reports suggest that president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has fled the country. Rebels seized al-Anad airbase, which lies between Taiz and Hadi’s stronghold of Aden, in a renewed push for control of the country’s south. The advance sets the stage for a confrontation between Iran, which backs the rebels also known as Ansar Allah, and regional powers eager to halt the broadening of the Islamic Republic’s regional influence.
Defence Committee
Following the publication of the Defence Select Committee report titled ‘Decision-making in Defence Policy’, The Daily Telegraph reports that British soldiers were left “dangerously exposed” when they were sent into Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in 2005/06 because of failings in decision-making. The report concluded that the internal structures in government led to “immensely important and costly decisions” being made with poor knowledge of the situation.
Our position on decision-making is as follows:
We welcome the Defence Committee’s recognition of the positive steps that we have taken to strengthen decision-making processes and structures in Government. With the creation of the National Security Council (NSC) and the Levene Reforms, which introduced a new Defence Board and greater individual executive accountability, this Government has made major changes since 2010 to improve performance.
Defence Equipment and Support
Yesterday’s announcement that Tony Douglas will up take up the post of Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support is covered in the Financial Times (p4) this morning. The paper reports that the new chief of Britain’s armaments programme is to be rewarded with a £285,000 salary and £250,000 performance-related annual bonus, making him the highest earner in Whitehall.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
I am delighted to welcome Tony Douglas into the role. He brings a wealth of international experience and expertise in project and programme management, organisational leadership and business strategy, which will prove invaluable for the future of DE&S and defence as a whole. This Government has transformed how we equip our Armed Forces. The key to our success has been matching our equipment programme to the funding available and giving DE&S the capacity, capability and freedom to deliver the equipment they need. I look forward to Tony building on this and creating a world class acquisition organisation.
Syrian Training
This morning a Written Ministerial Statement has been laid, setting out a wider package to ensure a robust response to the threat of ISIL’s violent extremism in the Middle East. The UK will send around 75 military trainers and headquarter staff to provide training in areas such as the use of small arms, infantry tactics and medical skills. Read the story Here.
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