Today’s defence news includes the £269M Crowsnest helicopter contract, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case relating to the detention of Serdar Mohammed.
CROWSNEST ANNOUCEMENT
The Telegraph Business (p3) and The Scotsman (p6) report on the £269 million Crowsnest surveillance system that will protect the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers, following Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin’s announcement of a deal with Lockheed Martin in Portsmouth yesterday. Coverage reflects that this will secure more than 200 jobs, and that Crowsnest will be a vital system for the Queen Elizabeth class carriers, capable of detecting potential threats at sea.
Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:
Crowsnest will provide a vital intelligence, surveillance and tracking system for our new Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, capable of detecting any potential threats at sea. Backed by our rising Defence budget, and our £178 billion equipment plan, Crowsnest will help keep our Armed Forces safe as they deploy in every ocean around the world for decades to come.
You can read more about the Crowsnest contract here.
SUPREME COURT RULING
There is coverage in the Guardian, the Financial Times and the Evening standard about a variety of cases that are happening in the Supreme Court, including the case relating to the detention of Serdar Mohammed. The BBC report on the Supreme Court ruling which stated that where there is a UN Security Council resolution, a country can detain an individual in a non-international Armed Conflict if it is for imperative security.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We have always been clear that our troops were right to detain Serdar Mohammed, a Taliban commander involved in the production of explosive devices on an industrial scale, so we welcome today’s judgment. It is vital that our troops have the ability to detain enemy forces when they are engaged in conflict, and today’s judgment is a significant step in clearing up the legal fog that has surrounded this issue. While it does not of itself dispose of all the claims against the MOD by Iraqi and Afghan nationals, it will help the courts bring them to a conclusion in a way which takes proper account of military realities.
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