Today’s defence related news includes coverage of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in Portsmouth and the increased risk of MS among the Armed Forces.
HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH ENTERS PORTSMOUTH
BBC Breakfast, BBC Today, ITV Good Morning Britain, and regional media, including the Portsmouth News, led on the arrival of Britain’s flagship Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, reporting live from Portsmouth. In their widespread online coverage, Mail Online, BBC and Sky further report on the Carrier’s grand arrival at her home dock.
Following a successful first phase of sea trials, UK’s largest ever warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, made her debut in Portsmouth Harbour this morning. Marking a historic moment, the 65,000-tonne carrier received the warmest of welcomes, as she arrived into her home port for the very first time. She and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, will give the UK a world class strike capability for many years to come.
Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael Fallon said:
Today we welcome our mighty new warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth to her home for the very first time. She is Britain’s statement to the world: a demonstration of British military power and our commitment to a bigger global role.
"The thousands of people across the UK who have played a part in building her and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, should be immensely proud as our future flagship enters Portsmouth. She has made good progress in sea trials and will now embark on the next phase of preparations that will see the return of Britain‘s carrier strike ability.
"When she enters service she will help keep Britain safe at a time of increased threats, able to fill multiple roles from providing air power anywhere at any time to fight future campaigns, supporting allies or delivering humanitarian aid.
Read more here: HMS Queen Elizabeth makes debut in Portsmouth.
ARMED FORCES AT GREATER HEALTH RISKS
The Daily Telegraph reports on a recent study by the Medical Research Council, which found out that members of the Armed Forces are twice as likely to die from Multiple Sclerosis than the rest of the population. The researchers were unable to explain the finding and have called for further research to be carried out.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The causes for Multiple Sclerosis are complex and can be due to a number of factors. As the study itself notes, more research is needed and the methodology used may have skewed the results.
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