Articles of interest to Defence in this morning’s papers include reporting on air strikes against Daesh, female soldiers and further commentary on the steel industry.
Steel industry
There is further coverage on the steel industry in the Sun on Sunday , with reference to the quantities of British steel used in building Royal Navy warships. Our position is here:
A Government spokesperson said:
We are working hard to make sure that we source British steel where we can. UK suppliers have provided significant quantities of steel for major defence equipment programmes and our new guidelines will help them to compete more effectively for major projects.
Falkland Islands
The Daily Star Sunday, Sunday Telegraph and Sun on Sunday have followed yesterday's reported claim that a warship is not on patrol in the South Atlantic. Our position is here:
A Royal Navy spokesperson said:
HMS Dauntless and HMS Lancaster are not mothballed and remain very much part of the fleet. The Navy is meeting its commitments from the Baltic Sea to the Gulf and the Falklands remain well-protected via the patrol warship HMS Clyde, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship and around 1,200 UK personnel operating RAF Typhoons and ground defences.
Female soldiers
The Sunday Times reports that the Army is rewriting its fitness training and tests to recognisethe physical differences between men and women as it prepares to allow female soldiers to fight on the front line. Current physical training is 'optimised for male physiology', the article states, and tests are based on 'old and incompetent science', according to a MOD document. The article carries a comment from Chief of the General Staff General Sir Nick Carter stating there will be ‘no lowering of levels’ and part of a MOD statement, both are below in full.
CGS General Sir Nick Carter said:
I want to make it very clear that there will be no lowering of training or qualifying levels for soldiers in ground close combat roles.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
The MOD is undertaking a review to establish the physical standards required for ground close combat, which is due to complete in 2019. It will be based upon the principle that any standards will be related to the required role rather than individual characteristics. No decisions have been taken and any claims of what this will involve are pure speculation.
Daesh Air Strikes
The Sunday Mirror reports a ferocious wave of airstrikes involving ‘RAF Top Guns’ has killed more than 170 Daesh fighters in just seven days. The article claims that experts estimate it is the fiercest 'punch' against the jihadists that UK forces have delivered since bombing began, according to an anonymous source. We regularly update on the RAF campaign in the region, keep up to date on their activity here.
Baltic
The Sun on Sunday briefly reports that RAF fighter jets and a Royal Navy warship will be deployed to the Baltic as part of an ongoing NATO commitment to defend eastern European allies. Read more about the deployments in our news story here.
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