Today's defence news is dominated by Prime Minister David Cameron's comments to US media, that he wants Britain to do more in the campaign to defeat ISIL.
ISIL campaign
It is widely reported across outlets including the BBC, The Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Sun on Sunday, Independent on Sunday and The Sunday Express that David Cameron will make a speech to launch a renewed campaign against ISIL tomorrow. Speaking to NBC's Meet The Press he said he wants Britain to “do more” than just provide logistical support for American attacks, and it is reported that he plans to make a direct appeal to any young British Muslims tempted to join ISIL to de-glamorise the Islamist cause by warning teenagers they will be “cannon fodder” or “slaves”. Coverage references that British pilots embedded with the American military have already taken part in air raids on Syria in US war planes, and that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is due to make a statement to MPs on the issue tomorrow.
Speaking on the BBC's Marr programme, former Chief of the Defence Staff General Lord Richards said that the MOD would need to increase equipment investment if the UK wanted to move from a strategy of equipping and training those tackling ISIL to something more substantial. He said: "I personally think, if you’re objective is to get rid of Isis, we now need to look again at the strategy… the current strategy won’t work in the time I think we’ve got available... "If we want to get rid of Isis, we need to get on a war footing." He said this did not necessarily involve British and US troops on the ground, but that he was concerned we were "dribbling" instead of "clouting" and therefore "firing up the problem instead of dealing with it."
SAS Reservist inquest
The Mail on Sunday has claimed that SAS chiefs have snubbed a demand for new safety measures made by Corporal James Dunsby’s widow. The article states that, according to defence sources, though the inquest exposed serious organisational failings, SAS bosses are understood to have ruled out significant changes to the marches in an effort to retain the integrity of the regiment’s selection process. The article claims that that SF commanders have decided that there will be no extra drinking water, rescue helicopters or checks on troops – and no Army inquiry until 2017. According to the paper, the hearings are also expected to be chaired by a middle-ranking officer who, sources say, would be unlikely to challenge the testimonies of those senior to him, although this was disputed by the MOD.
Our response to this reflects the fact that we do not accept the accuracy of the key points of the article. In line with long-held government policy, we do not comment on details of UK Special Forces operations, but our position is as follows:
This is factually inaccurate. The department is still awaiting the coroner's full report. A full service inquiry will begin as soon as possible to ensure that everything possible is learned from this tragic incident.
Following the inquest Brigadier John Donnelly, Director Personal Services (Army), said:
I would like to apologise for the deaths of James Dunsby, Craig Roberts and Edward Maher: three fine soldiers. I would also like to offer my sincere condolences to their families and friends who have shown great dignity during what has been a very difficult period.
We are truly sorry for all the mistakes that the Coroner identified today. We have already made a number of changes to the exercise in terms of the way it is run as a result of our own investigations and those of the Health and Safety Executive, but we will study the Coroner's conclusion very carefully and make sure everything possible is done to prevent a reoccurrence of an incident such as this. We will also hold our own Service Inquiry as soon as all the civil investigations have finished.
It is necessary to train our soldiers to the highest standards to meet the security challenges that we face both in this country and overseas. To do this requires our individuals to push themselves and take some risk. However, we must ensure that those risks are carefully managed. In this case, we did not do this and accept responsibility.
The Sunday Times carries an article about the unhealed relationship between David Dunsby and his son James that grew from a comparatively minor irritations into a months-long standoff. It is reported that James broke the ice with his father in an email, but plans to meet were put on hold by the SAS selection exercise.
RAF Regiment
The Sunday Times reports that the RAF is supporting the battle to halt extremist missile attacks on airlines by training foreign governments in how to prevent airliners being shot down by shoulder-launched missiles. The paper reports that the training comes amid fears that stokpiles of weapons have fallen into the hands of terrorists, with government officials estimating that up to 10,000 portable, ground-to-air missile systems, known as “manpads” went missing from Libyan arms bunkers after the 2011 revolution. It is reported that teams of British experts are helping to improve security at foreign airports, with training courses on how to reduce the risk of terrorists shooting down an aircraft about to land or take off. According to the article, the training has been provided by troops from the RAF Regiment, overseen by the Department for Transport and including experts from the Met police and British Airways.
Royal Military Police
The Independent on Sunday reports on a recent HMIC inspection into the way in which the RMP investigates crime. According to the paper, issues raised in the report include that senior military officers are failing to refer crimes such as assault and sexual offences to the RMP, and claims there is a culture of closing ranks to protect suspects. An MOD spokesperson said: “The MOD and Army welcomes this positive report ... and we are very grateful to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary... HMIC has highlighted a few areas for further improvements and made recommendations which are all being addressed...” An HMIC spokesperson said: “This is the first time the law has enabled the RMP to be inspected by an independent inspectorate and we found them to be very open and transparent, as well as keen to improve.”
Chilcot
The Independent on Sunday reports on calls for the government to stop any further payments to Sir John Chilcot and his committee, amid demands by politicians for publication of the Iraq inquiry’s report without further delay. The article states that Sir John, his fellow committee members, and their advisers, have shared more than £1.5m in fees since the inquiry began in 2009. According to the article, the inquiry has not sat in four years yet it has cost the taxpayer £5.5m in that time.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said:
The Government continues to support the inquiry, without compromising its independence, so that it can complete its work as quickly as possible, and do justice to the gravity of the issues it is examining. The inquiry now needs to be allowed the Maxwellisation process and Sir John has assured the PM that he will provide a timetable for completion of his report once that process is complete.
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