Futuristic submarines and the Defence Secretary’s visit to Oman feature in today’s defence in the media blog.
Defence Secretary strengthens ties between UK and Oman
Sir Michael Fallon has concluded his two day visit to Oman today, where he reinforced the strong relationship between the two countries, and reaffirmed plans for the multi-million pound joint venture at Duqm Port. During the two day visit, the Defence Secretary met with the Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, His Excellency Sayyid Badar bin Saud bin Harub Al Busaidi, signing a Memorandum of Understanding and Services Agreement in Muscat. The agreement secures UK use of facilities at Duqm, ahead of the completion of the UK Joint Logistics Support Base at the port, giving Britain a strategically important and permanent maritime base east of Suez, but outside of the Gulf.
Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, said:
This agreement ensures British engineering expertise will be involved in developing Duqm as a strategic port for the Middle East, benefiting the Royal Navy and others. Oman is a longstanding British ally and we work closely across diplomatic, economic and security matters. Our commitment to the Duqm port project highlights the strength of our relationship.
You can read more about the Defence Secretary’s visit here.
Futuristic submarine designs
The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, The Sun, The Scotsman, The Herald (Glasgow) and the Press & Journal (Aberdeen) all report on the type of submarines that could be guarding our waters in the future. Articles note that the Royal Navy is one of the most technically advanced forces and has challenged engineers to come up with innovative designs for future submarines. Rear Admiral Tim Hodgson, Director of Submarines Capability at the MOD, is quoted encouraging engineers of the future to be bold, think radically, and push boundaries.
Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin said:
These remarkable designs display the great promise of our young engineers and scientists and the great ambition of the Royal Navy. This kind of innovation is at the heart of defence and the UK’s world-leading capability. That’s why we are using our rising budget to invest in high-tech capability to keep our Armed Forces at the cutting-edge, and our £800 million Innovation Fund aims to take advantage of exactly these kinds of futuristic ideas.
You can read more about the futuristic designs here.
Lack of evidence in claims against British troops
The Sun reports today that lawyers Leigh Day did not have enough evidence to back up their allegations against British troops. The paper claims that Leigh Day only provided one witness to back up their 81 clients who claimed to be victims of abuse.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Our military served with great courage and professionalism and we proudly hold them to the highest standards. Where credible allegations are raised it is right they are effectively investigated by an independent police force like the Royal Military Police. Op Northmoor has investigated more than 90% of the 675 allegations received and found no evidence of criminal or disciplinary offence. However, the RMP is continuing to investigate a small number of allegations and will follow the evidence, wherever it leads.
Gurkha ‘super tracker’ on a mission to save Gabon’s Elephants
The Telegraph covers soldiers from 2 Rifles’ deployment to The Gabon on counter-poaching activity. The article focusses on Corporal Gyanendra Rai who is passing on his skills to local rangers in order for them to more effectively track poachers.
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