As HMS Bulwark delivers migrants to safety in Italy it's been reported that Defence Minister Philip Dunne, Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton and former defence minister Andrew Robathan have been restricted from travelling to Russia.
Defence spending
There's a variety of reports today about Defence spending. The Sun on Sunday reports that the MOD spent £88m on a range of external specialists last year, including lawyers, accountants and marketing experts. The paper reported that the department spent £12m on lawyers last year.
An MOD spokesperson responded to the article:
To get the best possible deal for the taxpayer we use external specialists with niche skills where needed. Spend in this area is kept under active review.
Elsewhere a candidate for the Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Conservative MP Julian Lewis, has said that the previous Labour government had been more 'strategic' on the future of the armed forces compared to his party, and said that the 2% GDP defence spending prescribed by NATO should only be the 'starting point' for Britain to defend itself (Independent on Sunday p4). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tory-mp-julian-lewis-my-party-left-britains-military-capabilities-enfeebled-10286951.html.
Our position on Defence spending, as set out on in recent days, is here:
The Ministry of Defence continuously looks for ways to be more efficient and is on track to deliver over £5 billion of savings since 2010. In the context of the Spending Review and SDSR we are looking at where further efficiencies could be delivered. We are confident that we will spend 2% of GDP on defence in this financial year. The Prime Minister has also made clear that there will be an annual 1% real terms increase in spending on defence equipment throughout this parliament.
HMS Bulwark
More than 4,200 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean in the space of only 24 hours, the Italian coastguard has said. HMS Bulwark joined one of the biggest search and rescue missions ever mounted and transported 740 of those rescued to the Italian port of Taranto yesterday (Sunday Telegraph and various online articles) http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/30/hms-bulwark-rescue-thousands-libya-boats.
Russia travel ban
Minister for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne, Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton and former defence minister Andrew Robathan are among nearly 90 Western public figures understood to have been placed on a Russian travel blacklist, which is being seen as the latest provocation in relations between Russia and Europe (Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11641020/Nick-Clegg-a-ban-from-Russia-with-no-love.html.
The Foreign Office, which is responding to the reports, has said this:
There is absolutely no justification for this list. And the Russian authorities have not provided any legal basis for the list or for the names on it. If Russia's intention is to put pressure on the EU to ease sanctions then this is not the way to do it.
Iraq
The Sunday Telegraph and the Sun on Sunday report that the Prime Minister is preparing to send more British forces to the Middle East to train local troops for the war against ISIL. They suggest that Military chiefs and security advisers are drawing up plans to deploy troops into more dangerous parts of Iraq to teach Iraqi forces how to deal with roadside devices and car bombs.
We're clear that ISIL poses a genuine threat to the UK and to regional and international peace and security, so we must play our part in defeating such terrorism, including in Syria. Our statement is here:
As part of the international coalition efforts against ISIL UK personnel are already designing and delivering training to the Iraqi Security Forces - which includes counter-IED training - and are supporting US-led efforts to train the moderate Syrian opposition. Nearly 800 UK personnel are deployed on operations in the region, helping Iraqis to strengthen and mobilise against ISIL and we will continue to keep our contribution under regular review.
Waterloo 200
The Sunday Times carries a report that the MOD has been accused of making financial gain from the Waterloo commemorations because defence officials planned to charge military bands appearing at ceremonies later this month for using Wellington barracks as a base. Our position is as follows:
Any suggestion that the Army is not supporting Waterloo 200 commemorations is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. The army is providing wholehearted support to a number of events, including sending the Coldstream Guards band and three colour parties to Hougoumont (on the Waterloo battlefield) in Belgium. Military support to commemorative events in London is also being provided to the service at St Paul's. The Household Division's beating retreat on 10 and 11 June will include a musical segment which pays homage and moving tribute to all those who took part in the battle.
Memorials
The Sun on Sunday's campaign for a £1m memorial to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is close to success after a £100,000 gift from defence firm Hesco (Sun on Sunday). Minister for the Armed Forces, Penny Mordaunt MP, is quoted in the article:
The British public has given generously and raised a huge amount for a fitting memorial for our heroes.
PTSD
In the Sun on Sunday a soldier friend of Prince William, former L/Cpl Martin Compton, says PTSD almost tore apart his marriage and tells his story today to help other victims. More than 1,350 service personnel have shared £11m in compensation for bearing the mental scars of war, new figures reveal. Our statement is reflected in the article, stating that the Government takes the mental health and well-being of our Armed Forces very seriously and has long-recognised that service life can cause stress.
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