With headlines leading on the Prime Minister’s visit to Iceland to discuss EU reform, The Daily Mirror has splashed on the Defence involvement in the steel industry. The Independent front page features a category-winning picture from the Army Photographic competition of soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade on their way to Afghanistan in a RAF C-17.
Afghanistan
The Defence Secretary’s announcement that troops will stay in Afghanistan through 2016 is reported across a number of papers. The Daily Telegraph and the Guardian articles write that the UK and the US are extending their presence amid an escalation in Taliban attacks and fears that Afghan forces are not as capable of maintaining security as had been hoped. The story is also covered in The Daily Mail and Independent.
More about the announcement including comments from Defence Secretary Michael Fallon can be seen here.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces have shown dedication and professionalism in response to the challenges they have faced, since taking leadership of the country’s security.
Maintaining our military presence will provide crucial assistance to them as they continue to grow stronger.
It underlines our resolve to help build a safe and prosperous Afghanistan.
Steel
The Daily Mirror has reported on the relationship between Defence and the UK steel industry. The article references a Written Question answered by Philip Dunne stating that some of the steel used for the AJAX vehicle is procured from Sweden.
As Philip Dunne stated in the answer to the Written Question, steel for key defence programmes, is sourced from a range of suppliers. It is the responsibility of prime contractors to obtain the steel required to complete Ministry of Defence programmes at a competitive cost, within time constraints and to the required quality. The quantities of steel required for the AJAX programme, previously known as Scout, are relatively small and spread over eight years of manufacture. Our statement was partially carried in the article and can be seen in full below.
Former Sergeant Blackman
The Daily Telegraph, the Times and The Daily Mail report on the protest today in Westminster regarding the sentencing of former Sgt Blackman. Our full statement, including why servicemen and women cannot attend protests, can be seen below.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
Serving members of the military are given routine reminders that, according to the Queens Regulations RN, they are not to attend any political protests, marches, rallies or demonstrations.
Any gathering which seeks to protest against a decision taken by the legal system or the government falls into this category.
The Ministry of Defence has followed and supported the legal process throughout this case. We respect the authority and decision of the court and will, of course, co-operate fully with any future legal process.
Syria
The Guardian reports that US has reversed longstanding opposition to Iran's participation in peace talks to end the Syrian civil war, paving the way for a possible diplomatic breakthrough in the four-year conflict. The article states that officials in Washington insisted the move was a "genuine multilateral invitation" and implied they had succeeded in overcoming Saudi Arabian opposition to Iran attending the talks in Vienna on Friday.
The Times reports that America is considering putting boots on the ground in Syria for the first time to fight Islamic State. Recommendations by the Pentagon to deploy Green Berets or other special forces inside the country were presented to President Obama this week.
Libya
Daily Telegraph and the Times report that several senior Libyan Islamist leaders were killed last night after a helicopter was shot down near Tripoli. All 23 on board were believed dead , with 14 confirmed to have been killed last night, after the helicopter went down while transporting commanders and large amounts of cash to pay the salaries of their men, it was reported.
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