Of note for Defence in today’s news is the story about a former Afghan translator winning the right to asylum in the UK, and a story about work beginning on the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall near Loughborough.
Afghan Interpreters
As expected, the Daily Mail reports that a former Afghan translator and his family targeted by the Taliban wins the right to asylum in the UK in an “unprecedented” decision.
A comment piece in the Daily Mail welcomes “the belated decision”, but writes there are “many more who are in need of our protection”, suggesting that a precedent has now been set and that every case must be urgently reassessed.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We recognise the vital role local staff, including interpreters, played in operations in Afghanistan. That is why we have had a permanent expert team based in Kabul since 2013 to thoroughly investigate claims of intimidation. They assist with relocations within Afghanistan and, where necessary, relocation to the UK.
Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre
The Express reports that work has begun on a new £300 million centre which promises to bring world-class rehabilitation services to Britain’s injured soldiers. The Surgeon General of the Armed Forces Air Marshal Paul Evans, welcomes the purpose-built facility:
We will be getting a purpose-built rehabilitation facility which will serve Defence for the next 50 years.
It will also offer the NHS and Department of Health the chance to look at the wide spectrum of opportunities for the future, including more sophisticated research.”
Syria
According to an article in the Financial Times (p6), Syrian government forces and allied Iran-backed militias are opening another front in their ground offensive, seizing territory south of Aleppo cleared by co-ordinated Russian bombings and threatening to lay siege to the city. The paper reports that Russia's military operation hints at even larger deployments of troops, including ground forces, to bolster Russia's presence in the country.
The 80,000 square metre building will store food, clothing, general and medical supplies, providing the military with state of the art logistics, commodities and support services.It will also deliver more efficient and effective processes across the supply chain through better storage and streamlined distribution, enhancing the level of support provided to UK Armed Forces.The Defence Fulfilment Centre (DFC), to be run by Team Leidos, will take around one year to build and house two warehouses covering an area the same size as ten football pitches.
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