A variety of Defence stories feature in today’s media, including the memorial to honour those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army recruitment, and defence in the EU.
THE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN MEMORIAL
The Times reports on how the families of British soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan are being recognised at the unveiling of a new memorial on Thursday, which honours both UK Armed Forces personnel and civilians who served in the two countries.
The memorial honours the contribution of all those in the UK Armed Forces and all UK citizens who supported the UK’s efforts in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan from 1990-2015.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Given the significant scale and 25-year period being recognised, attendance at Thursday’s unveiling must be representative in nature. It is right that each of those groups commemorated is represented - including current serving personnel, bereaved families, veterans (including those wounded), gallantry award winners, charities and the many civilian organisations that played a role.
To ensure each group is represented, charities and groups representing the bereaved were asked to suggest attendees, and we look forward to welcoming them on Thursday.
Specific memorials to the fallen are dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, with the Bastion Memorial for Afghanistan, the Basra Memorial Wall and the Armed Forces Memorial bearing names dating from 1948, and at the Gulf War Memorial within St Paul’s Cathedral.
There is also the Armed Forces Memorial, recognising those who have lost their lives in conflict since 1945, in Westminster Abbey and a memorial to honour those killed in the liberation of Kuwait was dedicated at the Arboretum in February 2016.
ARMY RECRUITMENT
The Telegraph, The Sun, and The Daily Mail report on the effect that Britain's improving economy is having on Army recruitment.
An Army Spokesman said:
The Army has enough people to perform all of its tasks to keep Britain safe. The Army continues to offer exciting opportunities that inspire the best of our young people.
We have seen an increase in recruitment over the last year and we expect this trend to continue.
EU DEFENCE COOPERATION
The Financial Times and The Daily Mail report that the Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has called on EU member states who are looking to increase defence cooperation, to meet their spending commitments to NATO, and to work together under existing commitments to the NATO alliance.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
Although we are leaving the European Union we continue to cooperate with our European partners on defence and security and in the fight against terrorism and aggression. This month we are deploying troops to Estonia, later to Poland and we are sending RAF jets to Romania.
We also continue to play our part in the European mission in the Mediterranean, rescuing migrants and tackling people smuggling. Today we are urging the European Union to cooperate more closely with NATO to avoid unnecessary duplication of structures and to work together on new threats including the need to strengthen cyber-security.
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