This morning’s papers carry articles on HMS Sutherland escorting a Russian ship, same sex marriages on military bases and Afghan interpreters.
HMS Sutherland
Today's Sun follows last night's Telegraph article in reporting the Royal Navy escorted a Russian frigate down from the Baltic. The Telegraph article quotes HMS Sutherland's CO and SofS, saying the patrol was part of a wider commitment to security in the UK and Eastern Europe. The piece also ran on BBC Jersey, where Iron Duke is affiliated.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
Our Armed Forces are working night and day to provide reassurance here at home and to our eastern NATO allies. We have troops exercising and providing training, planes policing the skies and ships patrolling the Baltics.
Commander Trish Kohn, Commanding Officer of HMS Sutherland, said:
The Admiral Grigorovich was continually monitored as she sailed south from the Baltic. The transit of Russian ships from their northern ports is not unusual, but we’re ready to protect UK territorial waters.
Same sex weddings
The Guardian carries a story reporting that the MOD has opened the door for same-sex weddings to take place on military bases. The article explains that Minister for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt has ordered a pilot project to explore registering MOD sites for civil marriages and partnerships, including same-sex unions, and adds that the move has been disclosed in response to a parliamentary question on the use of military chapels for same-sex weddings. The Times also carries a short piece.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Penny Mordaunt said:
Recognising the established position of the Sending Churches which does not allow for the conduct of same-sex marriages within military chapels, I have recently directed that a pilot project is implemented to explore registering Ministry of Defence sites for civil marriages and partnerships; this includes same-sex unions. The timing of the project is being finalised but I anticipate that it will start shortly and run for a number of months.
Afghan interpreters
The Daily Mail reports comments made by David Cameron at yesterday’s PMQs about Afghan interpreters, saying he has defended the Government’s policy that has left hundreds of interpreters who served alongside the British in Afghanistan to face Taliban attacks. The piece references that just one Afghan interpreter has been allowed sanctuary in the UK. The MOD’s position is not carried. The paper also runs a piece by a former Major who served in Afghanistan, who tells of his efforts to enable his Afghan interpreter passage into Britain.
We have previously blogged on this issue before, outlining the facts on the policy. The Minister for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt has also written on the issue.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
We recognise the vital role local staff, including interpreters, played in operations in Afghanistan. That is why as we as offering a generous redundancy package in recognition of this service, we have a permanent expert team based Kabul. They assist with relocations within Afghanistan and, where necessary, relocation to the UK.
Terror threat level
Multiple papers, including The Times, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mirror, FT and Daily Mail, follow up yesterday’s reporting that British intelligence services have raised the alert level across Britain for a Northern Irish terrorist attack from 'moderate' to 'substantial'. Articles explain that MI5 say the rise reflects a strong possibility of an attack. Separately, the Daily Mail, The Times, The Telegraph and The Sun reports that terror suspect Hakim Nasiri toured potential targets in Britain while posing as an Afghan refugee, and that he has was arrested in Italy this week accused of being in a Daesh cell.
Trident
The Guardian reports on claims by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) that the total cost of the replacing our Nuclear Deterrent submarines will be at least £205 billion. The CND appear to have added in a wide variety of estimated costs that the MOD do not recognise.
The article suggests that the MOD declined to say how much it would cost to replace the deterrent, however, as we clearly stated in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, our latest estimate for the four Successor Submarines is £31 billion (including inflation), with a contingency fund of £10 billion.
We also expect that, once the new fleet of deterrent submarines come into service, the in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which include the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, will be around 6% of the Annual Defence budget. No final decision on refurbishment or replacement of the warhead has been taken.
The Government was elected on a mandate to renew the UK independent nuclear deterrent by replacing the four Vanguard class submarines with a fleet of four Successor submarines. Parliament has already debated and voted three times on this issue, on 14 March 2007, 20 January 2015 and 24 November 2015. In all three cases the vote was a large majority in favour of the programme.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne said:
This is more fiction dressed up as fact from known opponents of the strategic deterrent. We do not recognise these figures. We have been clear on the cost estimates published on the Successor submarine. We are replacing the submarines and that cost equates to 20 pence in every £100 of annual government spending. The in-service costs remain unchanged - around 6% of the Annual Defence budget.
You can read the facts about the nuclear deterrent programme here.
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