The front pages of today’s newspapers offer a mixed bag of stories. Of note for Defence, The Times’ splash claims that British troops are “on standby” to deploy to Libya to counter Daesh efforts to make “land grabs” in Libya.
Daesh
The Times reports that British military personnel could contribute up to 1,000 personnel to a 6,000-strong Italian-led mission to train and support Libyan security forces. The piece says that the troops would not be in a combat role.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The UK, along with international partners, is supporting the process to form a recognised Libyan government and we are developing plans to support once this is done. No decisions have been made about the future deployment of any British military forces to Libya as part of an international coalition force.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph warns that Daesh is currently earning around $1.5m every day selling oil from the vast territories it controls in Syria. The piece reports that the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says Britain will join an international coalition designed to 'choke off ' the illegal funding of Daesh. An article by the Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary outlining a coordinated approach to tackling Daesh appears in the paper and can be read here.
HMS Defender
The Sun reports yesterday’s MOD news release that HMS Defender has joined the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle as part of the fight against Daesh. The story was also carried in The Times. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
This shows once again that Britain and France stand shoulder to shoulder against this brutal terrorist organisation. Whether British tourists on a beach in Tunisia or French citizens in Paris, both our nations have had first-hand experience of the evil that Daesh is capable of and we are united in our resolve to destroy them.
RUSI speech
The Sun reports on General Sir Nick Houghton’s speech at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) yesterday evening, suggesting the Armed Forces should be more focused on “avoiding” wars than fighting them. The Chief of Defence Staff spoke of the changes needed to meet new dangers facing Britain and declares troops must work closer than ever with intelligence forces and the police to fight terrorism. The Daily Telegraph also carries some of the speech, in which he praised the Strategic Defence and Security Review for putting Britain back on the world map. He said:
I think that the Defence Review has delivered a remarkably good outcome. The UK has looked itself in the mirror and decided it needed to do better. The first concrete sign of that outcome was the political commitment last July to sustaining the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on Defence. That commitment alone meant that our Defence Review was going to be about betterment not decline.
RAF
The Sun says that the UK’s bid to destroy Daesh in Syria is in question because the RAF is yet to fire its key Brimstone missile at terrorists there. The story is also carried in The FT. The Foreign Secretary is quoted as saying that Britain is not rushing into strikes. As the Defence Secretary has previously made clear, Daesh does not recognise the border between Iraq and Syria and the coalition against it operates over it sees as one operational theatre.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The RAF regularly strikes Daesh in Syria and Iraq using a mix of precision Brimstone and Hellfire missiles and Paveway IV bombs. We select the best weapon for the job depending on the target and coalition needs, conducting strikes on both sides of a border that Daesh do not recognise.
The Sun separately reports that the RAF is likely to borrow US sea spy planes to hunt for Russian submarines off the coast of Scotland. A Royal Navy spokesperson:
We can confirm that allied Maritime Patrol aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth for a limited period are conducting activity with the Royal Navy. We do not discuss the detail of maritime operations.
Alexander Blackman
The Mirror carries a story on the wife of Sgt Alexander Blackman who on Wednesday was joined by 500 former Marines at a rally in Birmingham before she and her husband’s legal team delivered 1,100 pages of new evidence they hope will eventually see him freed from jail. The story was also reported in The Times and The Telegraph. The MOD’s statement is here.
