Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has appeared on Sunday's BBC’s Andrew Marr show, while there is widespread coverage of a daring rescue during a Red Devil parachute display.
UK commitment to Nato’s rapid reaction force
Sunday Telegraph carries an opinion piece from the Secretary of State, which states that 4,000 brave men and women are working around the clock on 21 different joint operations in 19 countries. He also announced the UK’s commitment to sending 1,000 personnel to the Nato rapid reaction force. The article outlines the work Defence is doing to secure the UK and its interests and highlights the key areas of work around the world including combating ISIL, standing up to Russian aggression as well as humanitarian efforts in Nepal. Ahead of this week’s NATO Defence Ministerial meeting, he announced that we will commit a battle group of around 1,000 personnel to the new rapid reaction force every year from its launch and into the next decade. And next year we will once again offer four Typhoons to protect Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Mr Fallon discussed this announcement on the Andrew Marr show. The pair also discussed the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Mr Fallon said HMS Bulwark has been picking up people and saving lives but that there needs to be a more comprehensive approach. He said the criminal trafficking gangs need to be tackled, along with looking at the problems in the countries where the migrants are coming from. Mr Fallon also spoke about the need to degrade and ultimately defeat Islamic State and that the UK has carried out the second highest number of sorties. The PM has also recently announced an increase in our contribution to training in Iraq. Talking about spending pledges, Mr Fallon said we are investing £160bn, which includes building two new aircraft carriers, new hunter killer submarines, armoured vehicles and the joint strike force.
Red Devils
The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Express, Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Mirror and the Observer are among those that report on the Red Devil incident at the Whitehaven Airshow in Cumbria. The articles quote extensively from the clips with the two paratroopers involved and also using quotes from eye-witnesses. Many of the articles use a range of images and some use infographics to communicate the incident.
Nimrod
The Sunday Telegraph business supplement reports that the world’s biggest defence companies are lining up to submit plans to replace the Nimrod aircraft, five years after it was scrapped. There is speculation that a deal worth an estimated £2bn for a new fleet of maritime patrol aircraft will be announced later this year. A senior military source is quoted saying it was “when not if” the government will give a green light to the project. An MOD spokesperson said:
If we were not planning for all outcomes of the SDSR, we would be a pretty useless organisation. All solutions are possible but they are just hot air until SDSR decides if there is a requirement for the UK.
HMS Enterprise
Sunday Express, Sun on Sunday, The People, Sunday Times and Observer all report on the plans for HMS Enterprise to take over from HMS Bulwark in the Mediterranean to combat the migration crisis. The articles give facts on the ship and its previous use and also explain how there will also be a deployment of GCHQ and NCA personnel to support the European wide efforts. Reference is also made to the one Merlin helicopter that is training on task.
Defence spending
The Independent reports that Britain must heavily increase spending on defence research otherwise national security will be breached and troops will be killed by technologically advanced opponents, after comments from former ministers, soldiers and contractors. Ahead of a Nato meeting of defence ministers in Brussels this week, they warn that Britain is falling behind rival nations in the development of cutting-edge weapons and security systems. Sir Peter Luff, the former Conservative defence minister, called on science and technology spending to be doubled while Lord Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff, warned that “the failure to invest properly in the future will come back to bite one day”. An MOD spokesperson said:
The UK is one of the highest spenders on defence research and development in Nato, and we have met our previous commitments to spend at least 1.2 per cent of the defence budget on science and technology research. The Government has already committed to spending £160bn over the next decade to make sure our armed forces have the equipment and capabilities they need to keep Britain safe. Decisions on spending after this financial year will be determined in the next spending review.
Armed Forces Covenant
The Sunday Telegraph carries an article criticising the treatment of veterans and runs an opinion piece from Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, chief executive of SSAFA. The story references the start of Armed Forces week and how it is heartening to see the public support for servicemen and women, however it says the Covenant “lacks bite” in its support for veterans. It goes on to say it provides excellent guidance but there is no guarantee of enforcement. There is criticism that “generation Afghan” are the veterans that slip though the net in support. A Government spokesperson said:
The Government is clear that veterans should not be disadvantaged as a result of their service and that they are given special consideration if appropriate. Last year alone the Government awarded over £100m through the Armed Forces Covenant to schemes that benefit personnel, veterans and Armed Forces families. This shows our absolute commitment to the Armed Forces community and we continue to work with all our partners to uphold the principles of the Covenant.
Armed Forces Day
The People runs an extended article about the life of an Army daughter using a case study of a military family. The article looks at the struggles of family life and how people cope with the often long separation from families. A similar article runs in The Sunday Express outlining how war is tough on members of the armed forces but how it can be equally as hard for those left at home. Further articles in The Sun and Sunday Telegraph report on the start of Armed Forces week noting that armed forces flags will be hoisted with pride over every government building tomorrow.
Saturday’s headlines were dominated by an incident with the Red Devils parachute display team.
When moving into position for one of the displays manoeuvres two of the team became entangled. The training of those involved instinctively kicked in and they worked as a team to come back down to firm ground in a safe and controlled manner.
Red Devils
Speaking after the incident in Cumbria , team sergeant on the day Sgt Barry Loftus said:
The British Army and Parachute Regiments, Freefall Display Team, The Red Devils, conducted a water display into harbour as part of the Whitehaven Airshow. During the pre-planned canopy formation, in which, parachutists conduct a controlled collision of their parachutes to build formations in the air, two members of the team became entangled. Having assessed the situation, the decision was made to remain connected and pilot the parachutes safely into the harbour. Both paratroopers are unharmed and looking forward to their next display.
The two paratroopers involved also offered their story.
Corporal Mike French said:
While stacking our canopies in formation, myself and Wayne became entangled with me underneath. This situation is something we prepare ourselves for in our vigorous training, and so I was able to give instructions to Wayne above so that he could pilot us safely into the drop zone which, in this case, was the harbour. Though this is the first time this happened on a public display it has happened before in training, and so we were well prepared for it and didn’t feel as though we were in any danger. We reacted as a team and that is what got us out of what was a potentially dangerous situation.
Corporal Wayne Shorthouse said:
When something like this happens, the training just kicks in. The time spent practicing the drills pays off in situations like this. You instinctively know what to do. I'm glad I was able to help my team mate out, but we are all trained to be able to deal with emergency situations like this. Teamwork is an extremely important aspect of what we do and we rely on one another to do our jobs, to put on a good display as well as to deal with difficult situations.
Defence spending
The Daily Mirror included a short article which says that Nato has urged David Cameron to honour a pledge to spend 2% of GDP on the military. Another article on the same page reported that struggling Army families fear soldiers' pay could be frozen again in a new round of cuts. The piece adds that wages are rising by only 1% a year after a two-year freeze and it is feared even that could now be at risk, and includes the MOD’s position in summary, that we are committed to improving the life of Service personnel. On the same theme, the Mirror’s leader says that the Conservatives are devastating the military with multiple cuts and are inflicting lasting damage on the Army, Navy and RAF. The government’s position on defence spending, which has been quoted widely, is as follows:
With the second largest Defence budget in NATO and the largest in the EU, the Government is committed to spending 2% of GDP on Defence this financial year. Decisions on spending beyond that will be determined in the next Spending Review. As with other NATO member states, from time to time we make updates to how we categorise defence spending. All updates, including spend on peacekeeping, remain fully in accordance with NATO guidelines. This Government was elected with a mandate to maintain the size of regular armed forces, to increase the equipment budget in real terms every year, and to renew our four nuclear ballistic submarines. These commitments will shape the power of our Armed Forces and keep Britain safe.
Drug arrests
The Sun included a story which says that 10 members of the Royal Scots Borderers have been arrested over a suspected cocaine stash at Palace Barracks in Holywood, near Belfast. An Army spokesperson said we are aware of an ongoing RMP investigation against service personnel based in Northern Ireland. As the investigation is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.
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