A range of defence stories appear in the news this morning including news that a Daily Mail investigation has disrupted a British schoolgirl's plan to travel to Syria to join Islamic State alongside a wide range of picture stories featuring the Little Ships sailing across the Channel yesterday to mark the Dunkirk 75 commemorations. In addition, the RAF’s unveiling of a Spitfire and Typhoon painted in Battle of Britain colours to mark the 75th anniversary of the WW2 battle received some attention and you can watch our video here.
Wembley Bomb
Yesterday afternoon an unexploded WW2 bomb was uncovered during construction works in Empire Way Wembley, 200 meters away from Wembley Stadium and just 50 meters away from residential flats, causing traffic disruption and homes and offices to be evacuated.
Highly experienced Army Bomb disposal experts have been working through the night to stabilise and defuse the bomb in Wembley, and will continue to work as swiftly and carefully as possible to allow this weekend’s events at Wembley stadium to go ahead as planned.
It is believed that the air drop World War Two Sprengbombe-Cylindrisch general purpose 50 kg German Bomb was dropped over London during Nazi German bombing raids in the early 1940s but unusually did not detonate. It has lain undisturbed deep in the ground for 70 years but took a few knocks from mechanical diggers when it was unearthed yesterday.
The bomb disposal teams from Northolt and Ashchurch Troops 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Royal Logistic Corps and Sappers from Wimbish-based 33 Engineer Regiment Explosive Ordnance Disposal are currently involved in excavating and stabilising the device so that it can be safely defused. Royal Engineers will build safety structures around the device to limit any explosion and allow the safety cordon that currently stretches more than a thousand metres from the site to be reduced in size. See pictures here and watch the blog for more details later.
The Army Captain in charge of the operation explained:
This bomb is a live munition in a potentially dangerous condition so it's important that people listen to the police and evacuate their homes if asked. We will do all we can to minimise the disruption but ask the public to bear with us - any bomb, even under a controlled explosion could cause significant damage to property and there is a genuine risk to life.
The Army's bomb disposal teams are permanently on standby to assist the civil powers in instances of this nature and are amongst the very best in the world at what they do.
Apache Pilot shortage
It is reported in the The Sun that the Apache helicopter force is a third under strength because of a pilot crisis, claiming that the Army Air Corps has “begged” the RAF to lend it personnel with sources saying that there are just 26 crews ready for combat, short of the required 39. The piece states that pilots are leaving in their droves stating some are lured by big money private flying contracts while others are exhausted by years of intense conflict in Afghanistan. It states that it takes £3m and 18 months to train a pilot, another source quote says the Corps is “woefully underfunded and in crisis”.
An Army spokesperson said:
The Army’s Apache force has enough pilots to meet its current commitments. While it isn’t easy to find people who have what it takes to be an Apache pilot we are confident our recruitment will continue to deliver the numbers we need.
Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey
The Telegraph and The Times report on the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey, which was published by the MOD yesterday. Both focus on the result that one in four want to leave the forces. The article blames disillusion at defence cuts, the prospect of few deployments and brightening prospects in the civilian world as the cause. A quote is included from a retired senior Army officer saying that while fighting in Afghanistan my have been difficult, many found it “quite fun” and how a lot of people are thinking that they may have had the best of what I signed up for and will look elsewhere, they went on to say that “numbers are plummeting like an aircraft with its wings on fire.”
An MOD spokesperson said:
We continually strive to ensure our people feel valued and that their contribution and sacrifice is recognised. That is why we invest in a range of measures to improve service life, from welfare support to accommodation, while prioritising the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. We have been seeing results; total outflow of personnel has been falling for the last three years.
We are confident that the Armed Forces continues to offer exciting opportunities to young people today and that a military career remains both rewarding and fulfilling. We remain on course to meet Future Force 2020 targets as we move towards the agile and flexible force needed to keep us safe at home and abroad.
As the Prime Minister has previously stated, difficult decisions had to be made in the last parliament, with the MOD facing a £38 billion black hole in the defence budget, however the government remains committed to maintaining the size of our Regular Army at 82,000.
BAE shipyard investment
The Telegraph reports that BAE Systems will retain both shipyards in Glasgow and make it’s most significant investment in them for decades. The article states that the company will spend £100m on bigger, better manufacturing facilities at the Govan and Scotstoun yards.
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