Today’s defence-related news focuses on the start of the clean-up operation in Salisbury being supported by Dstl, the Army and Royal Air Force, and on the National Audit Office report published yesterday.
Salisbury clean-up operation
The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Express and the Guardian report on the start of the clean-up operation of nine contaminated sites in Salisbury focusing on the expert advice being provided by Dstl and the Army and Royal Air Force.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
The work of our Armed Forces and defence scientists in the wake of the reckless attack in Salisbury has been vital, whether it’s the military assisting the police or Porton Down identifying the chemical nerve agent.
Our troops will now play another important role in the clean-up of potentially contaminated sites in Salisbury, making sure the local community is kept safe. The expertise, equipment and people we have are crucial to help make sure any risk to the public is removed entirely.
I would again like to pay tribute to their professionalism and skill, which has been at the heart of the investigation into this atrocity.
National Audit Office report
The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Mirror and the Independent all focus on the National Audit Office report on Armed Forces skills with the report examining issues around recruitment and retention.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Recruiting and retaining talent is one of our top priorities and we have a range of schemes, including retention pay for and direct entry into specialist trades, and flexible working to make sure we attract and keep the skilled personnel we need.
The military has enough personnel to meet all its operational requirements, including being active on 25 operations in 30 countries throughout the world. In the past year we have recruited over 13,000 people into the Armed Forces.
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