Today’s defence-related news includes coverage of the UK’s support to areas affected by Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Irma
There has been widespread coverage of the UK’s ongoing response to Hurricane Irma including on the BBC, the Times, the Scotsman and the Sun. The Defence Secretary also appeared on this morning's Andrew Marr show.
Coverage notes that the UK has pledged £32m worth of aid and also stating that nearly 500 British military personnel arrived in the Caribbean yesterday, with emergency workers and engineers among the task force.
Reports have also covered the fact that RFA Mounts Bay – a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship – has been in the region since July in preparation for hurricane season. She has been providing assistance to the island of Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.
You can read more about the UK's response here.
You can view imagery of the UK supporting areas affected by Hurricane Irma here.
New Unmanned Aircraft System doctrine
The Observer reports that Britain’s military will commit to ensuring that drones and other remote weaponry are always under human control. The new Unmanned Aircraft System doctrine, set to be published tomorrow, gathers international best practice from across NATO and other allies and makes clear that the UK opposes the development of armed autonomous weapons systems.
Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster said:
It’s absolutely right that our weapons are operated by real people capable of making incredibly important decisions, and we are guaranteeing that vital oversight.
We’re certainly not ignoring robotics; our dedicated science and technology budget and our £800m innovation fund are keeping our Armed Forces at the cutting edge, but our weapons will always be under human control.
Image of the day
