Of note for Defence this morning, there is continued coverage of the issue of Defence spending, and further stories on UK support to the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
It’s also National Women in Engineering Day; follow us on Twitter (@DefenceHQ) to celebrate the amazing contribution of our Armed Forces women to the world of engineering.
Defence spending
Outlets continue to examine the Defence budget following the release of NATO figures yesterday, with The Times reporting that NATO has “squeezed” £1 billion of cuts from the UK Defence bill as part of an estimated reduction of more than £50 billion across Nato compared with last year. The paper also writes that the UK is one of only four nations meeting the 2% target and that the expected drop comes despite a commitment all 28 Nato members to increase expenditure.
The Daily Telegraph and Independent meanwhile say that, following years of Defence cuts, nearly half the public now believe the Army cannot defend Britain, according to a survey by ABF The Solder's Charity. The poll reportedly found widespread support for the Forces, but also widespread concern about the effect of cuts and the prospect of more to come while the Prime Minister refuses to rule out further defence cuts and has also refused to say Britain will keep hitting its NATO spending target.
The Daily Mail reports that peacekeeping missions will be counted as Defence spending for the first time to ensure the UK is 'comfortably over' the NATO expenditure target. NATO has approved the move, which is within NATO guidelines but it has been criticised by politicians as 'political chicanery'.
You can read our full response here: https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/2015/06/22/breaking-news-uk-responds-to-latest-nato-defence-spending-figures/
Migrant crisis
The story that HMS Bulwark is to be replaced by HMS Enterprise is carried in The Times, which says that the “much smaller vessel” will join an eight-vessel fleet led by an Italian aircraft carrier to tackle the gangs that are trafficking migrants from North Africa. A Downing Street spokeswoman is quoted as saying that GCHQ will be working as part of the operation to build a better picture of the smuggling and trafficking gangs. The Sun focuses on this angle that a six-strong GCHQ team will be onboard the ship as they also aim to track “jihadi John” who is believed to be in Libya.
The Financial Times writes that EU officials warn that casualties are possible after deciding to launch military action against people smugglers in the Mediterranean which, in the latter phases, will lead to European forces boarding and in some cases deliberately sinking vessels, if a mandate from the UN is secured. The Guardian report that the EU says it has “turned a new page” in its efforts to tackle the Mediterranean migration crisis as officials announce the start of surveillance-based naval operations against Libyan people smugglers.
Read more about HMS Enterprise here.
Afghanistan
Many of today’s papers including the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian, report on yesterday’s Taliban attack on the Afghan parliament as it met to receive the new Defence minister, with articles saying that a woman and child were killed.
Since the end of combat operations in October, the focus of the UK's efforts in the country has been training and advising the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), including leading the mentoring of Afghan instructors at the Afghan National Army Officers Academy.
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