Today’s defence news covers new senior Armed Forces appointments, Type 45 engineering issues and the military's music tradition.
Senior Armed Forces Appointments
Following speculation in The Times and The Sun about new senior appointments in the Armed Forces. The Defence Secretary has now announced that:
- Lieutenant General Gordon Messenger CB DSO* OBE is to be promoted General and appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, in succession to Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach GBE KCB ADC DL in Spring 2016;
- Vice Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB is to be promoted Admiral and appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, in succession to Admiral Sir George Zambellas GCB DSC ADC DL in April 2016;
- Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC is to be promoted Air Chief Marshal and appointed as Chief of the Air Staff, in succession to Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford GCB CBE ADC in July 2016;
- Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Deverell KCB MBE is to be promoted General and appointed Commander Joint Forces Command, in succession to General Sir Richard Barons KCB CBE ADC Gen in April 2016
Read the full story here.
Type 45
Various outlets report that the Royal Navy’s most modern warships, the Type 45 destroyers, have an engineering flaw that results in it repeatedly breaking down – and now needs “tens of millions” of public money spending on upgrades. The bulletins say that each of the ships will require a major refit.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
The Type 45 destroyers are hugely capable ships and have consistently made a difference to our safety and security, including HMS Defender’s support to US carrier operations against Daesh in the Gulf. In our defence review last year we committed to improving the Type 45’s power and propulsion system through a series of machinery upgrades during planned maintenance, which will ensure increased availability and resilience over the life of the ships.
IHAT / PIL
The Independent reports that human rights groups have branded the Prime Minister’s clampdown on law firms pursuing "spurious" claims against Iraq veterans "ill-judged and inappropriate". In a letter to the Prime Minister, seven human rights organisations purportedly warn him not to interfere in the process of investigating allegations against British troops. This week Minister for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt spoke at a Westminster Hall debate on the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT). She said:
The Al-Sweady case, which has exonerated our Armed Forces, and resulted in Leigh Day being referred to the Solicitors disciplinary tribunal, cost the MOD and the British taxpayer £31 Million. That is £31 million I would argue they would rather see spent on equipment and support for our Armed Forces.
The status quo is financially unsustainable and morally unjustifiable.
To put this right falls to us in this place, but we must all be resolved to do so. This issue and the solutions we will bring forward are complex. But the objective is simple: we must protect human rights and we must protect those who defend them - our Armed Forces.
You can read a full copy of her speech here.
Saudi Arabia/Yemen
Coverage continues on the alleged role of British military personnel and weapons in the Saudi-led bombing campaign of Yemen. The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror both lead on calls for Britain to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia, reporting Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn’s comments after a UN report said British weapons were used to kill civilians in Yemen. The Commons committee responsible for scrutinising arms exports is to be re-established and the Government has promised to raise the UN report citing violations of international humanitarian law with Saudi Arabia, according to The Guardian.
A Government spokesperson said:
We operate one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world with each licence application assessed to ensure compliance with our legal obligations.
The Independent takes a different angle, claiming that minister for the Middle East said attacks on civilians by Saudi Arabia during its campaign in Yemen may have been fabricated by “media savvy” Houthi rebels.
Military Music
The Times runs an Arts piece praising the Military’s musical tradition, but fearing for its future. In the context of the closing of Kneller Hall, where Army Music Headquarters are based, the piece calls for no further “cuts”. The MOD is the biggest employer of performing musicians in Britain, but the number of musicians has been dropping, the article says. The piece praises the musicians and says that the MOD is “commendably trying to broaden musical range”.
An Army spokesperson said:
As part of an ongoing review, we are aiming to create a smaller and better Defence estate that effectively supports our Armed Forces. By relocating the Royal Military School of Music to another military establishment we will maintain our level of musical training and release funds to help keep Britain safe.
Daesh
Militants from the terrorist group are aiming to bring the war to the Mediterranean, a senior NATO and Royal Navy officer has warned, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that Vice-Admiral Clive Johnstone’s has suggested that a maritime arm of Daesh will target shipping, while the Daily Mail says the terrorists’ next target will be cruise ships.
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