A variety of Defence stories feature in today's news, including IHAT, the Defence Secretary's visit to Germany and the Cheryl James inquest.
IHAT cases
The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Mail, Independent, Mirror, and Express follow yesterday’s Sun article in reporting that the Iraq Historical Allegations Team (IHAT) has decided not to take forward 57 allegations of unlawful killing and that a further case referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority has been discontinued. The articles all highlight the Prime Minister’s previous comments that he wanted to tackle ‘spurious’ claims against British troops who served in Iraq.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
The Government is determined to reduce significantly the number of spurious claims brought against our Armed Forces. Every false, distorted or exaggerated claim diverts defence spending from the front line and could serve to constrain the Armed Forces in their operational effectiveness. We welcome the IHAT’s decisions to discontinue 58 of the most serious cases facing our troops, supporting our belief that the vast majority of UK service personnel deployed on military operations conduct themselves professionally and in accordance with the law. The MOD will resource and support the IHAT to ensure they can continue to make good progress on the huge number of allegations that have been brought to them by solicitors.
Germany visit
The Sun previews the Defence Secretary’s visit to Berlin today, reporting that talks about closer links with Germany come as the country is a new ‘Tier One’ partner, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review published last year.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
Our review elevated Germany to a top-tier ally. We’re already working closely together in NATO and in the fight against Daesh. Now I want more collaboration and deeper industrial co-operation.
You can read more about the Defence Secretary's visit here.
Cheryl James inquest
The Mail carries a feature piece with Cheryl James’s father Des which previews the inquest into her death (which begins a week today). The article, which does not carry an MOD comment, discusses the reported context for the inquest and relationships between Surrey Police and the MOD.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Private Cheryl James. The inquest will now be a matter for the coroner, but we will of course continue to cooperate with and provide support to the coroner where needed.
Royal Air Force personnel from Search and Rescue Forces.
The hard work and achievements of the Armed Forces and those who support them was recognised yesterday at the Sun Military Awards (The Millies). Now in their eighth year, the awards were hosted by ITV News at Ten presenter Tom Bradbury, at the historic Guildhall in London. He was joined by celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Henry Cavill, Susanna Reid, Rio Ferdinand, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Clarkson, Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster. Earlier that day, Samantha Cameron, joined by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, hosted nominees at a special reception at 10 Downing Street. This years Millies honoured the accomplishments and professionalism of our Servicemen and women, as well as members of the public who in a variety of ways work tirelessly to support our Service Personnel. The awards were:
Most Outstanding Sailor or MarineMost Outstanding SoldierMost Outstanding AirmanBest ReservistOvercoming AdversitySupport to the Armed ForcesBest UnitThe Judging Panel made two further awards for special recognition. The first honoured the achievements of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Search and rescue teams, which recently handed operations over to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Bristow Helicopters. The Invictus Games Foundation was also recognised.
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