Defence news this morning includes coverage of the deployment of HMS Richmond to the Mediterranean, Tony Blair’s comments on the Iraq war and a study that suggests veterans are at a higher risk of developing the rare motor neurone disease.
HMS Richmond
The Sun, Independent and The Times report the news confirmed by the MOD yesterday that HMS Richmond has joined the mission to capture people traffickers fuelling the migrant crisis. The articles state that the Type 23 frigate will be allowed to stop, search and detain suspected traffickers and their vessels. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
These new powers are an important step forward. We will now be able to board the boats and detain the smugglers. Sending HMS Richmond to join HMS Enterprise in the Mediterranean shows Britain’s determination to tackle this trade in human misery at source. We’ll hit the traffickers hard.
Motor neurone disease
The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror and the Daily Star report that military veterans are more likely to get motor neurone disease than civilians, according to new research. The University of Glasgow’s study looked at 57,000 veterans born between 1945 to 1985 and its results showed an apparent increase in risk after military service. The papers quote researcher Dr Beverly Bergman saying she is “confident there is no specific link to Gulf War service”. The authors state the ‘absolute risk is extremely low’ when comparing matched veterans to non-veterans and that further research is needed. The MOD welcomes scientific research that helps us to understand the demographics of disease and/or injury in both the serving and veteran populations. An MOD spokesperson said:
The MOD takes the health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces community extremely seriously. We will consider the findings by the University of Glasgow, noting that the author acknowledges that the risk of motor neurone disease remains extremely low.
Sir Stephen Hillier
The Daily Mail briefly follows up on yesterday’s articles by reporting that Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier has been put in charge of the aircraft carrier project despite never serving at sea. The article includes a comment from the MOD, stating that the skills needed for his role were “leadership and experience in delivering complex programmes”. Our full statement is below.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The person in charge of bringing the Aircraft Carriers into service is a Royal Navy Admiral with extensive experience of commanding maritime operations. Oversight of the entire Carrier Enabled Power Projection programme, which is made up of both maritime and air assets including the carriers, F-35B Lightning II aircraft and Merlin helicopters, is managed by a Royal Air Force Air Marshal with the necessary skills to deliver complex Defence programmes.
Afghanistan
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Afghan government is reaching out to Russia for artillery, small arms and helicopters to aid its struggling military forces. This follows the withdrawal of US and UK troops and amid what the paper calls a more assertive Russian approach as the country continues air strikes in Syria. The paper also reports that the death toll from the recent US air strike on the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz has risen to 30, as the organisation pushes for an independent investigation. At least 13 hospital staff, 10 patients and seven unidentified people are among the dead, the article states. Meanwhile The Sun reports that tents from Camp Bastion have been moved 2,600 miles from Afghanistan into Iraq to provide shelter for Christians fleeing ISIL.
Trident
The Sun runs a nib on Crispin Blunt MP saying the cost of replacing and maintain the nuclear defence could spiral to £167bn. The article quotes Mr Blunt as saying that the “excessive” cost meant that the deterrent should be scrapped. An MOD comment is not included and is below:
In July 2013, the Government published an unclassified version of the Trident alternatives review, which demonstrated that no alternative system is as capable, or as cost-effective, as a Trident-based deterrent. At around 6% of the annual defence budget, the in-service costs of the UK’s national deterrent which include the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, basing and disposals, are affordable and represent an investment in a capability which plays an important role in ensuring the UK’s national security.
Chilcot report
The Daily Telegraph reports that Clare Short, who was in charge of the Department for International Development at the end of the Iraq war, has said that the Chilcot report will criticise the department for failing to properly plan for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. There is continued coverage across most of the papers of former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s reported apology for what he perceived to be flawed post-war planning and intelligence that led to the conflict. They report on his comments made on CNN.