In today’s news, Russian defence chiefs have dismissed suggestions that four of their cruise missiles aimed at Syrian targets landed in Iran. Meanwhile the UN envoy for Libya, Bernardino Leon, has proposed the formation of a national unity government, telling a news conference in Morocco that Fayez Sarraj would be the nominated prime minister.
NATO Ministerial
There is widespread reporting on the NATO ministerial meeting yesterday, including in the Daily Mail, Times, Telegraph, Independent, Sun, Express and Guardian. The articles report the agreement to launch a 40,000-strong response force, as well as highlighting the UK commitment to deploy a company to the Baltic States and Poland and to increase training efforts in Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said of the UK deployment:
They will be part of a more persistent presence by the NATO forces who contributed last year to Baltic air policing, we will be doing that again next year. This is our policy of persistent presence and aid for our allies on the eastern flag of NATO in response to Russian aggression and provocation.
The Daily Mail and Sun lead with reports suggesting the UK has called on NATO to hold full-scale exercises, including nuclear forces, in response to increased Russian activity. The articles say that in Brussels yesterday, UK ambassador Sir Adam Thomson said plans were being considered. The Defence Secretary is quoted in the Mail: “We have to know how they fit together, nuclear and conventional.”
Following media reports that Russian aircraft had flown into Turkish air space, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was quoted as saying that the response force launch sent a message. “All of this sends a clear message to all NATO citizens. NATO will defend you, NATO is on the ground, NATO is ready.”
The Defence Secretary said yesterday:
We are looking at further measures we can take to support Turkey defending its airspace and NATO will be reviewing its NATO presence in the eastern Mediterranean to make that more visible. Turkey is a member of NATO and Russia’s violation of Turkey’s airspace is a violation of NATO airspace.
Cruise missiles
There has been widespread reporting, including on Sky News and BBC Newsnight, of US sources allegedly saying yesterday that four Russian cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea towards Syria had landed in Iran. Reports say Moscow and Iran have rejected the claims, saying all 26 rockets hit their intended targets.
The Guardian reported US Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s comments in Brussels yesterday. The articles said that Mr Carter had argued the Russian military campaign, including air-strikes and ship-launched cruise missiles, was not targeting ISIL but represented a Russian decision to “double down on a long standing relationship with Assad.” The paper reported that he added: “We’ve seen increasingly unprofessional behaviour from Russian forces. They violated Turkish airspace … they shot cruise missiles from the Caspian sea without warning.”
Khan strike
The Independent reports that two Government departments have refused to publish the legal advice that paved the way for Britain to launch a strike on ISIL targets in Syria. The Attorney General’s Office and Cabinet Office rejected an FOI request saying it was in the public interest for the information to remain confidential. The article quotes: “There is a strong public interest in the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Government more broadly being able to seek legal advice in confidence.”
SAC Rachel Trimble
The Sun reports the story of SAC Rachel Trimble, a female flight operations assistant at RAF Brize Norton who joined the RAF as a teenage boy and served in Afghanistan. She praised the RAF for the support the service showed during her transition.
WW1 burial
The Times, Sun and Express report that a British soldier killed in the First World War has been buried with full military honours almost 100 years after his death. Sergeant David Blakey of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
