Views on legal claims facing the Armed Forces and issues with the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers feature in today’s defence news summary.
ARMED FORCES
The Daily Telegraph leads today on an interview with the head of the British Army, General Sir Nick Carter, who warns that the threat of legal action will put soldiers in fear of making "honest mistakes" in war zones. The paper says that the MoD faces an unprecedented number of lawsuits against military personnel relating to recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with more than 1,500 claims being made to the Government-funded Iraq Historic Allegations Team.
"There is the potential for less scrupulous individuals to try and find ways of fabricating potential cases against soldiers, and that is very sad," he is quoted in the newspaper. "It is something that would, over time, undermine our ability to take the sorts of risks that are necessary to be able to prevail on the battlefield.”
A quote from the Defence Secretary is also carried and can be found below:
The Government is prepared to do whatever it takes to tackle these parasitic law firms who churn out often spurious claims against our Armed Forces on an industrial scale.
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. Reducing them will also allow us the space to investigate the small number of more serious allegations.
The Daily Mail meanwhile reports on the grieving parents of a military policeman killed by Iraqis nearly 13 years ago who are said to have been blocked from finding out the names of their son's alleged killers because of "data protection". The MOD continues to press this case with the Iraqi authorities and our statement is below.
The UK Government remains committed to obtaining justice for the six soldiers and their families and continues to seek updates from the Iraqi Government on their investigation.
ROYAL NAVY
Following yesterday’s broadcast and online reporting, there is widespread coverage, including in the The Times, Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Express, Daily Mirror and The Independent, of the engineering problems with the Royal Navy's warships, the Type 45s. The papers say that the ships will have to be refitted at a cost of tens of millions of pounds because they keep breaking down.
Our statement on this issue is below.
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.
HEADLEY COURT
The Sun reports that “war heroes” at the Headley Court rehabilitation centre have been left without clean drinking water or heating for months. The article says that both issues were raised with MoD contractor Carillion Amey but neither has been fixed. A statement from the MOD is below
While the issue is affecting a small number of areas and the risk to patients is low, it needs to be resolved. The contractor is responsible for that and we are working with them so it happens as quickly as possible.
CYPRUS MIGRANTS
The Daily Mail writes that a Law firm ‘hounding’ British soldiers over their role in the Iraq war is now representing migrants who landed at military base in Cyprus. It is reported that Leigh Day has said that families are the UK's responsibility and the country has to uphold their human rights by taking care of them. A MOD statement is below.
The migrants who landed in the Sovereign Base Areas have been given the opportunity to apply for asylum and the vast majority have done so. We are grateful to the Republic of Cyprus for their assistance in handling these claims, which is part of a long-standing agreement. Any suggestion that we are in breach of our legal obligations is incorrect.
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