Of note for Defence this morning, broadcast headlines and the front pages of the Times, Guardian, Independent and Metro are dominated by news that the Royal Navy ship RFA Mounts Bay is to be deployed to the Aegean in order to tackle people smugglers.
Aegean
There is widespread reporting on Sky News, Radio 4’s Today programme and BBC Breakfast of the news that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary amphibious landing craft RFA Mounts Bay will assist the NATO-led mission to tackle people smugglers in the Aegean, according to the Prime Minister. The announcement comes, they say, as David Cameron heads to Brussels for a summit at which Europe’s leaders will attempt to boost efforts to tackle the migrant crisis affecting the continent. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s comments are carried widely across broadcast outlets: he says that RFA Mounts Bay is a landing ship with marines and medics on board, along with a helicopter, adding that its primary objective is to build up a picture of the routes used so the smugglers' business model can be disrupted. He also says the it will join ships from Germany, Greece, Italy and Canada in trying to bring some order and trying to save lives – and the UK is helping as we have the biggest Navy in Europe.
This is also the lead story in The Times, Guardian, Independent and Metro. The newspapers report it is the first NATO mission designed to reduce the number of people trying to cross from Turkey to Europe.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
RFA Mounts Bay will perform vital surveillance and life-saving duties in the Aegean. It will be part of a mission that aims to return migrants to Turkey rather than taking them on to the EU. That will disrupt the business model of the criminal gangs encouraging people to risk their lives by making these dangerous journeys.
Armed Forces Homes
The Sun reports that firms failing to fix neglected Armed Forces homes have been warned they risk losing their lucrative contract. Bosses of Carillion and Amey apologised after thousands complained about the service they were receiving, according to the newspaper. The contractors reportedly have until the end of April to turn round the worst performing area, the south-east, or face losing their multi-billion pound contract.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
I made it abundantly clear to the chief executives of Carillion and Amey that their performance hasn’t met the standards expected by our Armed Forces personnel and their families. They have apologised and agreed to introduce immediate improvement measures. They have assured me that they will reach contract compliance in April for the key sites in the South East region and I have demanded a similar plan this week for how they will deliver the service our personnel and their families deserve in their accommodation.
I will continue to monitor the situation very closely, and will not hesitate to take further action if they don’t deliver. I don’t just want to see them meeting their targets – I want to see them exceeding them. Our service personnel and their families deserve better.
Veteran
The New Day reports that a brave war veteran who is losing the will to live is being encouraged to go on by people from all over the world. Lance Corporal Chris Ashton lost half his head and an eye in a grenade explosion in Iraq and reportedly asked a friend to remove his intravenous drip when recently readmitted to hospital. Friends are now attempting to gather up to 1,000 messages of support to boost his spirits.
Faslane
Small articles in the Daily Mirror and Sun follow-up on yesterday’s Sunday Herald article, claiming 20 workers were exposed to radiation at Faslane, according to an MOD report. The incident in 2012 occurred as they worked on a Trident submarine, the newspapers say, but the MOD insists no-one was harmed as a result.
Here’s the MOD’s position in full:
Safety in Clyde naval base is of paramount importance and none of the events in this report caused harm to any member of staff or public. Investigations have been carried out and measures put in place to prevent such incidents from occurring again, but of course we continue to conduct rigorous monitoring as part of our commitment to maintain the highest standards.
Portsmouth shiphalls
There has been regional media coverage in and around Portsmouth that the shiphalls at HMNB Portsmouth will become a Centre of Excellence for Minehunter maintenance, as well as reports that composite materials company, Magma Structures will no longer take up occupation of the other shiphall following a review of its business needs.
The Portsmouth News inaccurately reports that delays in the MOD’s negotiations with Magma Structures were caused by legal wrangles. In fact, the MOD has worked hard with Magma Structures over a number of months, however, following a review of its business needs Magma Structures have decided not occupy the shiphall. Instead, Magma have confirmed its intention to lease office space within the Naval Base in order to develop a centre of excellence for composites on site and to develop a broad range of composite projects within the defence and other sectors.
The arrival of Royal Navy Minehunter HMS Brocklesby will be the first ship upgraded in the centre of excellence as it is moved into the hall for a year-long comprehensive maintenance programme on Wednesday (9 March). It marks the return of engineering to the site which has been vacant since BAE Systems relocated its shipbuilding activities to Scotland in 2014. It has created the new centre of excellence by centralising activities which were carried out across various outdoor sites across the Naval Base. The upgraded facilities will provide the opportunity for vessels to be maintained on the site under cover, which allows the work to be completed more efficiently and will result in ships being returned to the operational fleet more quickly.
Defence Minister, Mark Lancaster said:
The successful development of the shiphall site into a centre of excellence for Minehunter maintenance will provide a vital and unique capability for the Royal Navy. The upgraded facilities will allow the work to be completed more efficiently and see the ships returned to the operational fleet more quickly. Magma Structures, the other preferred occupier of the site, will not be utilising the shiphall following a review of its business needs. It has confirmed its intention to lease office space within the Naval Base in order to develop a centre of excellence for composites on site and to develop a broad range of composite projects within the defence and other sectors.
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