The news agenda is this morning dominated by the attacks in Brussels. Elsewhere of note for Defence, there is continued coverage of the Iraq suicide attack and reports of rotten food allegedly served to our Armed Forces. Meanwhile an Emergency Action Plan exercise has taken place on the cliffs of the Castlemartin Ranges.
Brussels
There is blanket on-going coverage this morning of the attacks in Brussels. Reports suggest that several explosions have struck Brussels airport and the metro system. Media report that the attacks come four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive in the Paris attacks, was seized in Brussels. The Prime Minister has said he is shocked and concerned by the events and has been clear we will do everything we can to help.
Daesh
The Telegraph follows up on yesterday’s news that a British jihadist is said to have killed 30 people in an Iraq suicide attack. The paper writes that the man has been identified as Abu Musa al-Britani, and reports that Daesh claims he drove a car bomb at a convoy of Iraqi soldiers and Sunni forces in Anbar province. Separately, the Times carries an article suggesting the US has set up its first military base in Iraq since the 2011 withdrawal, as part of the fight against Daesh. It suggests the Pentagon revealed the existence of the base in northern Iraq yesterday after a Marine stationed there was killed by Daesh rocket fire.
Armed Forces Food
The Daily Star reports that UK military personnel have expressed anger at the rotten food allegedly served to our Armed Forces. The paper refers to photos posted on Facebook which has reportedly been served to personnel by Ministry of Defence catering contractors Sodexo.
An MOD spokesperson said:
MOD has contracts in place to ensure our Armed Forces get good quality meals. We will investigate any complaints and make sure they are dealt with and consider any poor performance in the re-tendering of contracts.
NATO
An article in The Telegraph reports that Donald Trump has said the US should significantly reduce its involvement in NATO. While the article focuses on Mr Trump’s comments that he believes Britain will vote to leave the EU, it goes on to say Mr Trump has questioned the need for the NATO Alliance because other members were “doing nothing.” The piece reports Mr Trump’s comments that NATO is costing a fortune, and that while the US is protecting Europe, it is costing a lot of money and the US can’t afford to do this anymore.
An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) training exercise involving staff from the Adventure Training Centre Castlemartin (ATC(C)) and members of the Maritime Coastguard Agency. The training scenario involved the rescue of two fallen climbers.
Follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to sign up for email alerts.