Today’s defence news review looks at a range of issues including a legal judgement in relation to Afghan interpreters, the publication of the Chilcot report, the Invictus Games and the Government’s policy on ‘drone’ strikes.
AFGHAN INTERPRETERS
The Times, Daily Mail and Sun report that two former interpreters who worked for British forces in Afghanistan have lost their High Court challenge, claiming that the government assistance open to them is unlawful. Our statement on the judgement is below:
We are pleased with this judgment that confirms our redundancy scheme is fair and equitable. All locally employed staff who have worked alongside UK forces remain eligible for support under our intimidation policy, including possible relocation to the UK.
CHILCOT REPORT
There is widespread coverage in the papers today following confirmation that the long-awaited Chilcot report on the invasion of Iraq is to be published on Wednesday 6 July. Sir John Chilcot, head of the inquiry, has reportedly written to Prime Minister David Cameron to say the checking process by the intelligence services has been completed.
INVICTUS GAMES
There is coverage of the Invictus Games which have begun in Florida. The Daily Star writes that Prince Harry paid an emotional tribute to his “military family” as he launched the games on Sunday. In a reportedly rousing speech to crowds in Orlando, he said the injured veterans taking part had “confronted tremendous emotional and mental challenges”.
An article in the sport section of The Daily Telegraph says that Britain’s first gold medallist of the games hugged Prince Harry on the podium during an exuberant first day of competition. It is reported that Micky Yule, a lightweight powerlifter whose legs were blown off in Helmand in 2010, lifted a personal best of 190kg in front of a raucous crowd.
Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph also carries a feature on team captain David Wiseman, a hero of the Invictus Games, who tells how he became an athlete despite having a bullet that left him partially paralysed in 2009 still firmly lodged in his chest. Having qualified for the swimming finals at the weekend, he was competing in the rowing finals yesterday before taking to the pool again tomorrow, hoping to better his haul of two gold and two silver medals from the inaugural games in London 2014, the paper writes.
PTE MATTHEW BOYD
The Daily Express and Daily Star report that heartbroken family and friends have paid tribute to Private Matthew Boyd from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, who died following an incident in Brecon, Wales on Sunday. Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident by Dyfed-Powys Police.
MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT
An article in The Daily Telegraph notes that Britain will order the first of a new generation of spy planes from Boeing in the next few months as it beefs up its maritime surveillance capabilities. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the UK will sign the first contract for the first of nine P-8 Poseidon jets this summer in the start of a defence deal worth an estimated £2bn. According to the paper, the new aeroplanes – based on Boeing’s workhorse 737 airliner – will protect the UK’s fleet of nuclear submarines and new aircraft carriers when they come into service.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Broadcasters, including BBC News, are this morning reporting that the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has released a report on the Government’s legal basis for its policy on launching ‘drone’ strikes against Daesh terrorists. BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme alluded to the idea that the Government had conducted a strike on known Daesh terrorist Reyaad Khan in Syria last year as part of the armed conflict in Iraq. The Committee’s chairman Harriet Harman said that this was a departure from the original justification, based on self-defence of the UK.
As our statement clearly sets out we will take action when we identify a direct threat to the UK – Khan posed this imminent threat and that is why we took lethal action in the way we did.
A Government spokesperson said:
We are clear that where we identify a direct and imminent threat to the UK we will take lawful action to address it and report to Parliament after we have done so.
Such actions are only to be carried out as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted, and we would always do so in accordance with international humanitarian law.
We will provide a fuller response to the report in due course.
And as the Prime Minister made clear here after the strike took place:
I want to be clear that the strike was not part of coalition military action against ISIL in Syria; it was a targeted strike to deal with a clear, credible and specific terrorist threat to our country at home.
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