The safe removal of a WW2 bomb from Wembley by Army bomb disposal experts continues to make headlines today.
In other defence news, it is reported that ISIL are making gains in Ramadi and surrounding areas, and the Iraqi Army Commander of Baghdad says he is ready to defend the capital if necessary.
Wembley Bomb
There is widespread positive coverage of the work of the Army bomb disposal team which safely removed a WW2 bomb from a building site in Wembley yesterday allowing this weekend’s events at the Stadium to go ahead. Watch the video and read our full statement here.
Royal Navy
The Times reports that the Royal Navy is “pushing for more sailors” to avert a manpower crisis. According to "defence sources” quoted in the paper, a cap of 30,000 personnel imposed at the last defence review five years ago means that there are insufficient crews to staff ships.
The precise detail of future personnel figures and structure for the Armed Forces is a subject for the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said:
The Royal Navy continues to meet its all of its current operational commitments. The Service has acknowledged challenges in retaining engineering and technical expertise in a highly competitive employment market and remains committed to its innovative package of measures to address those challenges. The measures are already producing results allowing the Royal Navy to deliver maritime capability where it is needed.
ISIL
The Daily Telegraph reports that the US-led coalition has bombed jihadist positions in Iraq and Syria in an attempt to stop ISIL expanding on recent gains and overrunning a major military base.
Elsewhere, it is reported that ISIL has seized Syria's last border crossing with Iraq with commentators casting doubt on the effectiveness of the international coalition's campaign against the jihadists.
ISIL militants have also claimed responsibility for a fatal bomb blast which ripped through a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia, killing at least 21 people.
The UK Government has said that coalition forces continue to provide targeted air support in ISIL-held and contested areas throughout Iraq. You can read the full UK Government statement in a previous blog post here.
Dunkirk - 75th anniversary
It is also reported that British and Allied veterans of the Dunkirk evacuation will gather at the French port today to remember the tens of thousands of servicemen who died trying to escape Nazi forces. The service at the Allied Beach Memorial is the climax of a series of events to commemorate Operation Dynamo.
For the 75th anniversary the Armed Forces have paid tribute to this extraordinary feat. You can read what they said here.
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